Financial Concepts is an SEC investment Financial Concepts with its principal place of business located in Mississippi.
Financial Concepts began conducting advisory business in 2011.
Listed below is the firm's principal shareholder.
• Scott T. Ferguson, CEO & Chief Compliance Officer
Financial Concepts offers the following advisory services to our clients:
INVESTMENT SUPERVISORY SERVICES ("ISS") INDIVIDUAL PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT
Our firm provides continuous advice to a client regarding the investment of client funds based on the individual needs of the
client. Through personal discussions in which goals and objectives based on a client's particular circumstances are established,
we develop a client's strategy and create and manage a portfolio based on that strategy. During our data-gathering process,
we determine the client's individual objectives, time horizons, risk tolerance, and liquidity needs. As appropriate, we also
review and discuss a client's prior investment history, as well as family composition and background.
We design portfolios based on a client's objectives and needs determined in the financial planning process. It is our firm's
philosophy and belief that an investment portfolio should be changed based on changing financial goals and objectives, not
market fluctuations. Our firm has a buy-and-hold investment strategy, and we make recommendations for portfolio changes
based on our client's life circumstances, not market fluctuations. We do not believe in market timing and do not make
recommendations based on market fluctuations. We believe that purchasing power erosion and inflation are the biggest risks
our clients face. We believe the protection against that risk is ownership in equities. Therefore, we recommend portfolios that
are primarily growth, growth, income, and balanced mutual fund portfolios.
Market risk is a part of owning equities. Therefore, our most significant value comes from behavior coaching, reminding clients
of their long-term plans, goals, and objectives, and the history of owning the types of portfolios designed inside their financial
plans. Often our biggest value comes from helping clients avoid the mistakes of timing or reacting to market emotion.
We communicate with clients on an ongoing basis to see if their objectives, goals, and financial needs have changed. If
there have been significant changes, we discuss updating their plans and their portfolios. We manage these advisory
accounts on a discretionary basis. Account supervision is guided by the client's stated objectives (i.e., maximum capital
appreciation, growth, income, growth, and income, or capital preservation). Clients may impose reasonable restrictions on
investing in certain securities, types of securities, or industry sectors.
Our investment recommendations are not limited to any specific product or service offered by a broker-dealer or insurance
company and will generally include advice regarding the following securities:
• Mutual fund shares
That stated, many of our investment recommendations in mutual funds are primarily directed into one fund family.
5
Because some types of investments involve certain additional degrees of risk, they will only be implemented/recommended
when consistent with the client's stated investment objectives, tolerance for risk, liquidity, and suitability.
FINANCIAL PLANNING
As part of our services, we provide financial planning to our clients. Financial planning is a comprehensive evaluation of a
client's current and future financial state by using currently known variables to predict future cash flows, asset values, and
withdrawal plans. Through the financial planning process, all questions, information, and analysis are considered as they impact
and are impacted by the entire financial and life situation of the client. Clients purchasing this service receive a written report
that provides the client with a detailed financial plan designed to assist the client in achieving his or her financial goals and
objectives.
In general, the financial plan can address any or all the following areas:
• PERSONAL: We review family records, budgeting, personal
liability, estate information and financial goals.
• INVESTMENTS: We analyze investment alternatives and their effect on the client's portfolio.
• INSURANCE: We review existing policies to ensure proper coverage for life, health, disability, long-term care,
liability, home, and automobile.
• RETIREMENT: We analyze current strategies and investment plans to help the client achieve his or her
retirement goals.
• DEATH & DISABILITY: We review the client's cash needs at death, income needs of surviving dependents, estate
planning and disability income.
We gather required information through in-depth personal interviews. Information gathered includes the client's current
financial status, tax status, future goals, returns objectives and attitudes towards risk. Should the client choose to
implement our recommendations, we suggest the client work closely with his/her attorney, accountant, insurance agent,
and/or stockbroker. Implementation of financial plan recommendations is entirely at the client's discretion.
We also provide general non-securities advice on topics that may include tax and budgetary planning, estate planning and
business planning.
Financial Planning recommendations are not limited to any specific product or service offered by a broker-dealer or insurance
company. All recommendations are of a generic nature.
PENSION CONSULTING SERVICES
We also provide several advisory services separately or in combination. While the primary clients for these services will be
pension, profit sharing, and 401(k) plans, we offer these services, where appropriate, to individuals and trusts, estates, and
charitable organizations. Pension Consulting Services is comprised of four distinct services. Clients may choose to use any or all
of these services.
Investment Policy Statement Preparation (hereinafter referred to as "IPS"):
We will meet with the client (in person or over the telephone) to determine an appropriate investment strategy that reflects
the plan sponsor's stated investment objectives for the management of the plan. Our firm then prepares a written IPS detailing
those needs and goals, including an encompassing policy under which these goals are to be achieved. The IPS also lists the
criteria for the selection of investment vehicles as well as the procedures and timing interval for monitoring of investment
performance.
Selection of Investment Vehicles:
6
We assist plan sponsors in constructing appropriate asset allocation models. We will then review various mutual funds (both
index and managed) to determine which investments are appropriate to implement the client's IPS. The number of
investments to be recommended will be determined by the client, based on the IPS.
Monitoring of Investment Performance:
We monitor client investments continually, based on the procedures and timing intervals delineated in the Investment Policy
Statement. Although our firm is not involved in any way in the purchase or sale of these investments, we supervise the client's
portfolio and will make recommendations to the client as market factors and the client's needs dictate.
Employee Communications:
For pension, profit sharing and 401(k) plan clients with individual plan participants exercising control over assets in their own
account ("self-directed plans"), we also provide quarterly educational support and investment workshops designed for the plan
participants when the plan sponsor engages our firm to provide these services. The nature of the topics to be covered will be
determined by us and the client under the guidelines established in ERISA Section
404(c). The educational support and investment workshops will NOT provide plan participants with individualized, tailored
investment advice or individualized tailored asset allocation recommendations.
As of December 31, 2023, Financial Concepts is managing $760,025,133 in assets under management.
LIMITATIONS: As individuals of Financial Concepts are insurance agents/brokers of various insurance companies,
recommendations made in financial plans are limited to only those products offered through these companies.