We specialize in the following types of services: Comprehensive Portfolio Management and Financial
Planning & Consulting.
A. Description of our advisory firm, including how long we have been in business and our
principal owner(s).
We are dedicated to providing individuals and other types of clients with a wide array of
investment advisory services. Our firm is a limited liability company formed in the State of
Ohio. Our firm has been in business as an investment adviser since 2012 and is owned by
Christopher Ciehanski and Wendy Ciehanski.
B. Description of the Types of Advisory Services We Offer.
(i)Comprehensive Portfolio Management:
CWM provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory services on
a fee only basis as discussed at Item 5 below. Our Comprehensive Portfolio
Management service encompasses asset management as well as providing financial
planning/financial consulting to clients. It is designed to assist clients in meeting their
financial goals through the use of financial investments. We conduct at least one, but
sometimes more than one meeting (in person, if possible, otherwise via telephone
conference) with clients in order to understand their current financial situation,
existing resources, financial goals, and tolerance for risk. Before engaging CWM to
provide investment advisory services, clients are generally required to enter into a
Comprehensive Portfolio Management Agreement with CWM setting forth the terms
and conditions of the engagement (including termination), describing the scope of the
services to be provided, and the fee that is due from the client. Based on what we
learn, we propose an investment approach to the client. We may propose an
investment portfolio, consisting of ETFs, mutual funds, individual stocks or bonds, or
other securities. Upon the client’s agreement to the proposed investment plan, we
work with the client to establish or transfer investment accounts so that we can
manage the client’s portfolio. Once the relevant accounts are under our management,
we review such accounts on a regular basis and at least quarterly. We may
periodically rebalance or adjust client accounts under our management. If the client
experiences any significant changes to his/her financial or personal circumstances,
the client must notify us so that we can consider such information in managing the
client’s investments.
(ii)Financial Planning & Consulting:
We provide a variety of financial planning and consulting services to individuals,
families, and other clients regarding the management of their financial resources
based upon an analysis of the client’s current situation, goals, and objectives.
Generally, such financial planning services will involve preparing a financial plan or
rendering a financial consultation for clients based on the client’s financial goals and
objectives. This planning or consulting may encompass one or more of the following
areas: Investment Planning, Retirement Planning, Estate Planning, Charitable
Planning, Education Planning, Corporate and Personal Tax Planning, Cost Segregation
Study, Corporate Structure, Real Estate Analysis, Mortgage/Debt Analysis, Insurance
Analysis, Lines of Credit Evaluation, Business and Personal Financial Planning.
CWM believes that it is important for the client to address financial planning issues
on an ongoing basis. CWM’s advisory fee, as set forth at Item 5 below, will remain the
same regardless of whether or not the client determines to address financial planning
issues with CWM. Our written financial plans or financial consultations rendered to
clients usually include general recommendations for a course of activity or specific
actions to be taken by the clients. For example, recommendations may be made that
the clients begin or revise investment programs, create or revise wills or trusts,
obtain or revise insurance coverage, commence or alter retirement savings, or
establish education or charitable giving programs. Implementation of the
recommendations will be at the discretion of the client.
Note: Neither CWM, nor any of its employees (including Christopher Ciehanski, who
is a licensed CPA), serves as an attorney, accountant, or insurance agent for any CWM
client, and no portion of CWM’s services should be construed as same. Accordingly,
CWM does not prepare legal documents, prepare tax returns, or sell insurance
products, where we earn commissions, for or to CWM clients. To the extent requested
by a client, we may recommend the services of other professionals for noninvestment
implementation purpose (i.e., attorneys, accountants, insurance, etc.). The client is
under no obligation to engage the services of any such recommended professional.
The client retains absolute discretion over all such implementation decisions and is
free to accept or reject any recommendation from CWM and/or its representatives.
At all times, the engaged unaffiliated professional(s) (i.e., attorney, accountant,
insurance agent, etc.) and not CWM, shall be responsible for the quality and
competency of the services provided.
Miscellaneous
Retirement Rollovers-Potential for Conflict of Interest: A client or prospective
client leaving an employer typically has four options regarding an existing retirement
plan (and may engage in a combination of these options): (i) leave the money in the
former employer’s plan, if permitted, (ii) roll over the assets to the new employer’s
plan, if one is available and rollovers are permitted, (iii) roll over to an Individual
Retirement Account (“IRA”), or (iv) cash out the account value (which could,
depending upon the client’s age, result in adverse tax consequences). If we
recommend that a client roll over their retirement plan assets into an account to be
managed by us, such a recommendation creates a conflict of interest if we will earn
new (or increase its current) compensation as a result of the rollover. If we provide a
recommendation as to whether a client should engage in a rollover or not (whether
it is from an employer’s plan or an existing IRA), we are acting as a fiduciary within
the meaning of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act and/or the
Internal Revenue Code, as applicable, which are laws governing retirement accounts.
No client is under any obligation to roll over retirement plan assets to an
account managed by us, whether it is from an employer’s plan or an existing
IRA. Our Chief Compliance Officer, Christopher Ciehanski remains available to
address any questions that a client or prospective client may have regarding
the potential for conflict of interest presented by such rollover
recommendation.
Structured Notes. We may purchase structured notes for client accounts. A
structured note is a financial instrument that combines two elements, a debt security
and exposure to an underlying asset or assets. It is essentially a note, carrying counter
party risk of the issuer. However, the return on the note is linked to the return of an
underlying asset or assets (such as the S&P 500 Index or commodities). It is this latter
feature that makes structured products unique, as the payout can be used to provide
some degree of principal protection, leveraged returns, and be tailored to a specific
market or economic view. In addition, investors may receive long-term capital gains
tax treatment if certain underlying conditions are met, and the note is held for more
than one year. Finally, structured notes may also have liquidity constraints, such that
the sale thereof before maturity may be limited. Additional
risks are discussed in
Section 8. In the event that the client seeks to prohibit or limit the purchase of
structured notes for the client’s account, the client can do so, in writing, addressed to
our Chief Compliance Officer. Any questions regarding structured notes, CWM’s Chief
Compliance Officer, Christopher Ciehanski, remains available to address them.
Borrowing Against Assets/Risks. A client who has a need to borrow money could
determine to do so by using:
Margin-The account custodian or broker-dealer lends money to the
client. The custodian charges the client interest for the right to borrow
money and uses the assets in the client’s brokerage account as
collateral.
These above-described collateralized loans are generally utilized because they
typically provide more favorable interest rates than standard commercial loans.
These types of collateralized loans can assist with a pending home purchase, permit
the retirement of more expensive debt, or enable borrowing in lieu of liquidating
existing account positions and incurring capital gains taxes. However, such loans are
not without potential material risk to the client’s investment assets. The lender (i.e.,
custodian, bank, etc.) will have recourse against the client’s investment assets in the
event of loan default or if the assets fall below a certain level. For this reason, CWM
does not recommend such borrowing unless it is for specific short-term purposes (i.e.,
a bridge loan to purchase a new residence). CWM does not recommend such
borrowing for investment purposes (i.e., to invest borrowed funds in the market).
Regardless, if the client was to determine to utilize margin or a pledged assets loan,
the following economic benefits would inure to CWM:
by taking the loan rather than liquidating assets in the client’s account,
we continue to earn a fee on such Account assets; and,
if the client invests any portion of the loan proceeds in an account to
be managed by CWM, CWM will receive an advisory fee on the
invested amount; and,
if CWM’s advisory fee is based upon the higher margined account
value, CWM will earn a correspondingly higher advisory fee. This
could provide CWM with a disincentive to encourage the client to
discontinue the use of margin.
Note: The Client must accept the above risks and potential corresponding
consequences associated with the use of margin.
Non-Discretionary Service Limitations. Clients that determine to engage CWM on
a non-discretionary investment advisory basis must be willing to accept that CWM
cannot effect any account transactions without obtaining prior consent to any such
transaction(s) from the client. Thus, in the event that we would like to make a
transaction for a client’s account, and client is unavailable, we will be unable to effect
the account transaction (as it would for its discretionary clients) without first
obtaining the client’s consent.
Cash Positions. We continue to treat cash as an asset class in retirement accounts. As
such, unless determined to the contrary by CWM, all cash positions (money markets,
etc.) in retirement accounts shall continue to be included as part of assets under
management for purposes of calculating our advisory fee. At any specific point in
time, depending upon perceived or anticipated market conditions/events (there
being no guarantee that such anticipated market conditions/events will occur), we
may maintain cash positions for defensive purposes. In addition, while assets are
maintained in cash, such amounts could miss market advances. Depending upon
current yields, at any point in time, our advisory fee could exceed the interest paid by
the client’s money market fund.
Cybersecurity Risk. The information technology systems and networks that CWM
and its third-party service providers use to provide services to CWM’s clients employ
various controls, which are designed to prevent cybersecurity incidents stemming
from intentional or unintentional actions that could cause significant interruptions in
CWM’s operations and result in the unauthorized acquisition or use of clients’
confidential or non-public personal information. Clients and CWM are nonetheless
subject to the risk of cybersecurity incidents that could ultimately cause them to incur
losses, including for example: financial losses, cost and reputational damage to
respond to regulatory obligations, other costs associated with corrective measures,
and loss from damage or interruption to systems. Although CWM has established its
systems to reduce the risk of cybersecurity incidents from coming to fruition, there is
no guarantee that these efforts will always be successful, especially considering that
we do not directly control the cybersecurity measures and policies employed by
third-party service providers. Clients could incur similar adverse consequences
resulting from cybersecurity incidents that more directly affect issuers of securities
in which those clients invest, broker-dealers, qualified custodians, governmental and
other regulatory authorities, exchange and other financial market operators, or other
financial institutions.
Client Obligations. In performing our services, we will not be required to verify any
information received from the client or from the client’s other professionals and is
expressly authorized to rely thereon. Moreover, it remains each client’s responsibility
to promptly notify CWM if there is ever any change in his/her/its financial situation
or investment objectives for the purpose of reviewing/evaluating/revising our
previous recommendations and/or services.
Investment Risk. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk
which are further discussed in Section 8, and it should not be assumed that future
performance of any specific investment or investment strategy (including the
investments and/or investment strategies recommended or undertaken by CWM)
will be profitable or equal any specific performance level(s).
Disclosure Brochure. A copy of our written Brochure as set forth on Part 2A of Form
ADV and Form CRS (Client Relationship Summary) shall be provided to each client
prior to, or contemporaneously with, the execution of an agreement between the
client and CWM.
C. Explanation of whether (and, if so, how) we tailor our advisory services to the individual
needs of clients, whether clients may impose restrictions on investing in certain securities or
types of securities.
We offer individualized investment advice to Asset Management and Comprehensive
Portfolio Management clients and Financial Planning & Consulting.
Each client has the opportunity to place reasonable restrictions on the types of investments
to be held in the portfolio. Restrictions on investments in certain securities or types of
securities may not be possible due to the level of difficulty this would entail in managing the
account. Restrictions would be limited to our Asset Management and Comprehensive
Portfolio Management services.
D. Participation in Wrap Fee Programs.
We do not offer or participate in wrap fee programs.
E. Disclosure of the amount of client assets we manage on a discretionary basis and the amount
of client assets we manage on a non-discretionary basis as of December 2023.
As of December 31, 2023, our firm has $160,234,040 in assets under management. Of which,
$53,800,905 is managed on a discretionary basis and $106,433,135 on a non-discretionary
basis. In addition, our firm has approximately $53,200,000 in assets under advisory as of
December 31, 2023.