• Financial Planning/Investment Management Agreement

    Financial Planning/Investment Management Agreement

    This agreement is for Electronic Acknowledgment of our Services. You will receive an Electronic copy for your records. Please review all details and contact us with any questions.
  • Format: (000) 000-0000.
  • Format: (000) 000-0000.
    • Terms of Agreement-Click for Details 

    • THIS AGREEMENT between University Financial Strategies, LLC. ("Adviser") and the Client, is in effect from the time Adviser receives and accepts a copy of this Agreement executed by the Client. By signing this Agreement, the Client acknowledges engaging the Adviser to provide financial planning services to the client.

      1.Appointment as Investment Adviser: The Client hereby retains the Adviser and the Adviser hereby agrees to provide financial planning services to the client in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth below.

      We provide financial planning services on topics such as retirement planning, risk management, college savings, cash flow, debt management, work benefits, and estate and incapacity planning.

      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. The key defining aspect of financial planning is that through the financial planning process, all questions, information and analysis will be considered as they affect and are affected by the entire financial and life situation of the client. Clients purchasing this service will receive a written or an electronic report, providing the client with a detailed financial plan designed to achieve his or her stated financial goals and objectives.

      We may provide seminars on an “as announced” basis for groups seeking general advice on investments and other areas of personal finance. The content of these seminars will vary depending upon the needs of the attendees. These seminars are purely educational in nature and do not involve the sale of any investment products. Information presented will not be based on any individual’s person’s need, nor does University Financial Strategies, LLC provide individualized investment advice to attendees during these seminars.

      2.Fiduciary Statement: In order to protect the interests of the plan participants and beneficiaries, IRA owners, and plan fiduciaries, University Financial Strategies, LLC. acknowledges fiduciary status for itself and its Advisers. University Financial Strategies, LLC. and its Advisers adhere to basic standards of impartial conduct. In particular, under this principles-based approach, University Financial Strategies, LLC. and its advisers give prudent advice that is in the customer’s best interest, avoid misleading statements, and receive no more than reasonable compensation.

      3.Confidential Relationship: Information received by Adviser from Client will be kept confidential by Adviser in a manner consistent with applicable law and with the Adviser’s Privacy Policy, which Client acknowledges receiving, and will be sent to Client annually, as required by law. All information or advice furnished by Adviser to Client shall be treated as confidential and not be disclosed by Client except as required by law.

      4. Code of Ethics  Client acknowledges that Adviser has made Client aware that Adviser has a Code of Ethics, which is described on Adviser’s Form ADV, Part 2, and which will be provided to Client upon request.


      5. Fees:  The fees for services under this Agreement shall be agreed upon in the executed financial planning agreement between the Client, and the Adviser. The fees shall be calculated and paid in accordance with the rate and payment terms and conditions set forth in the attached fee schedule. (Schedule A).


      6. Account Statements:  Client hereby provides his/her express understanding that Adviser shall not have any responsibility to directly disseminate account statements.


      7. Electronic Communications Acceptable:  The Client consents to electronic delivery of required disclosure documents and other communications by the Adviser.  Such consent will remain effective unless revoked by the Client.  The Adviser may transmit information by email in text, PDF, Microsoft Word, or other formats that can be readily viewed, printed, and saved.  The Client has provided the Adviser with one or more valid email addresses that the Adviser may use to communicate with the Client.  The Client may revoke its consent to receive communications electronically at any time by notifying the Adviser.

    • Electronic Consent and Receipt of Form ADV(Regulatory Disclosure) 

    • 8. Receipt of Form ADV Part 2: Client acknowledges receipt from Adviser of a copy of Adviser's Form ADV, Parts 2A and 2B. The client has the right to terminate the contract without penalty or fees within five (5) business days after entering into the contract. For the purposes of this provision, a contract is considered entered into when all parties to the contract have signed the contract or any other provisions of this contract notwithstanding. The Client shall be provided with an updated Form ADV, Part 2A & 2B on an annual basis and when material changes occur.  Advisor’s Form ADV, Part 2A & 2B, is also currently available on http://www.Adviserinfo.sec.gov/.

      Click links to see our Disclosure Brochuress: Form ADV Filed Click ADV 2 Brochure- These are the disclosure document filed with Regulatory Body.  Click Header on next section to see PDF of disclosure.

    • Clear
    •  / /
    • Clear
    •  - -
    • Click to see our latest ADV Disclosure Documents 
    • Additional Terms of Agreement-Click for Details 

    • 9.Limited Liability: The Adviser, its officers, directors, employees, and agents shall not be responsible for any loss, claim, cost or liability incurred by reason of any independent act or omission by any broker, dealer, custodian or other third party. However, the Adviser may be responsible for any act or failure to act by a third party, if it was pursuant to the Adviser's instructions to the third party or involved a violation of applicable laws or breach of fiduciary duty. This provision only applies to independent acts by the third party.

      10.Non-waiver of Rights by Client: Federal and state securities laws impose certain obligations on persons acting in good faith, and as such, nothing in this Agreement shall result in any waiver of any or all of the rights which the Client shall otherwise enjoy under the federal and state securities laws.

      11.Termination/Assignment: Neither party may assign this agreement without the prior written consent of the other party. This agreement shall be in effect until either party gives written notice to the other party of its intention to terminate the agreement. This agreement may be terminated, without penalty, according to the termination provisions listed with each service provided below in (Schedule A).

    • 12.Governing Law: This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of North Carolina except to the extent that the federal securities laws shall otherwise be controlling.

      13.Venue: In the event that any dispute shall arise by and between the parties, it is hereby agreed that any litigation, cause, suit, arbitration, mediation or any other proceeding shall take place in either North Carolina, or another location reasonably accessible to the client.

      14.Client Conflicts: If this Agreement is with more than one client, our Services shall be based upon the joint goals as communicated to us by the Clients, collectively. We shall be permitted to rely upon instructions and/or information we receive from either party, unless and until such reliance is revoked in writing to us. We shall not be responsible for any claims or damages resulting from such reliance or from any change in the status of the relationship between Clients.

      15.Miscellaneous: All paragraph headings in this Agreement are for convenience of reference only, do not form part of this Agreement, and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement. If any provision herein is or should become inconsistent with any present or future law, rule or regulation of any governmental or regulatory body having jurisdiction over the subject matter of this Agreement, such provision shall be deemed to be rescinded or modified in accordance with any such law, rule or regulation. In all other respects, this Agreement shall continue and remain in full force and effect. No term or provision of this Agreement may be waived or modified unless in writing and signed by the party against whom such waiver or modification is sought to be enforced. This Agreement contains the entire understanding between Client and Adviser concerning the subject matter of this Agreement. To the extent that this Agreement is inconsistent with any other agreement governing Client's Account, the provisions of this Agreement shall govern. Client agrees that this Agreement shall be binding upon Client's heirs, executors, administrators, and personal representatives. All notifications required to be sent shall be sent: if to Adviser, to the Adviser’s address contained in this Agreement or such other address as may later be designated; if to Client, to Client’s address as provided to Adviser at the time this Agreement is entered into, or such other address as may later be designated.

      16.Effective Date: This Agreement will be effective upon execution by both the Adviser and the Client.

    • Schedule A – Fee Schedule 

    • Schedule A – Fee Schedule (Financial Planning Services)

    • Comprehensive Financial Planning

    • Comprehensive Financial Planning included with Invesment Management Services may consist of an upfront charge of $1,200 to $1,500, based on complexity and the needs of the client. A Financial Portal is included in this fee which allows client to monitor financial assets, manage a budget and collaborate with planner on a ongoing basis. The fee may be negotiable in certain cases. Fees for this service may be paid by electronic funds transfer or check. This service may be terminated with 30 days notice. In the event of early termination, any prepaid but unearned fees will be refunded to the client and no further fees will be charged.

      The upfront portion of the Comprehensive Financial Planning fee is for client on boarding, data gathering, and setting the basis for the financial plan. This upfront charge may be paid 50% in advance and 50% upon delivery of initial base plan.  This work will commence immediately after the fee is paid, and will be completed within the first 30 days of the date the fee is paid. Therefore, the upfront portion of the fee will not paid more than 6 months in advance.

       

    • Other Financial Planning Services  

    • Modular Financial Planning

    • Modular Financial Planning may be offered on a fixed fee basis. The fixed fee will be a one-time fee, agreed upon before the start of any work. The fixed fee can range between $250 - $2,000. The fee is negotiable within this range. If a fixed fee program is chosen, the entire fee is due at the beginning of process before the work commences, however, UFS will not bill an amount above $500.00 more than 6 months in advance. Fees for this service may be paid by electronic funds transfer or check. Please note, unless a client has received the firm’s disclosure brochure at least 48 hours prior to signing the financial planning contract, the financial planning agreement may be terminated by the client within five (5) business days of signing the contract, upon which time half of the fee that is due up front will be refunded, and no further fees will be charged.

    • Financial Planning Hourly Fee

    • Financial Planning Fee is an hourly rate between $175.00 and $500.00 per hour, depending on complexity. The fee may be negotiable in certain cases and is due at the completion of the engagement. In the event of early termination by client, any fees for the hours already worked will be due. Fees for this service may be paid by electronic funds transfer or check.

    • Schedule B- Authorized Persons 
    • Schedule B- Fee Schedule (Investment Management Services) 

    • Access to these accounts is achieved by the Client giving permission via a provided link from Pontera (formerly known as FeeX) a third party partner for UFS to make allocation changes via the Client’s online login credentials. These online credentials are never made available to, held or stored by UFS. Access is restricted and UFS will only be able to make changes to the allocation of funds or other securities in the account and will not at any time be able to adjust, add to or subtract from investment options, or any other plan policies or fees assessed by the plan or the fund providers, access the financial assets in the account, make deposits, withdrawals or distributions. This access is covered by the Account Aggregation and Online Credentials policy received and reviewed by the Client through Pontera.


      AT NO TIME DOES University Financial Strategies EVER TAKE CUSTODY OF YOUR ASSETS.


      The fee schedule for asset management of held-away accounts is, by default, identical to that shown in the signed Client Engagement Agreement as being applicable for directly managed assets and subject to the same terms and conditions, including the granting of discretionary authority described therein. 


      However, asset management fees for any held-away accounts cannot be withdrawn directly from the accounts as they can under a directly managed account described in the Investment Management Services (UFS Manages) section above.

      The annual fees are negotiable and are pro-rated and paid in advance on a monthly basis. The advisory fee is a tiered fee and is calculated by assessing the percentage rates using the predefined levels of assets as shown in the above chart, and applying the fee to the account value as of the last day of the previous month or the last value of the account if client has not updated the connection. The client is responsible for maintaining the connection to Pontera and they will be sent reminders to update the connection if it breaks due to password changes.  No increase in the fee schedule shall be effective without agreement from the client by signing a new agreement or amendment to their current advisory agreement.

      Advisory fees for this service can not be directly debited from client accounts, but will be deducted from a non-retirement account in which we will bill based on the month end value.   The non-retirement account needs to have funds in reserve or be funded prior to the month end through systematic electronic fund transfers.   Client has control over the funding of this account and can move money in or out of the account utilizing the custodial provided portal.  

      When we don’t have a custodial account to debit client fees we will on an annual basis send the client an adjustment request on the fee to coincide with the month end value closest to your anniversary date and this fee will be divided over 12 monthly payments.   The collection of asset management fees for held-away accounts is accomplished by means of monthly invoicing. Clients will be invoiced monthly in advance for the asset management fees for held-away accounts, based on the closest month ending value at time of agreement and dividing the fee evenly over 12 monthly payments.  Clients may choose to pay by bank transfer, credit card, or check. Accounts initiated or terminated during a calendar quarter will be charged a prorated fee based on the amount of time remaining in the billing period. An account may be terminated with written notice at least 30 calendar days in advance.  Upon termination of the account, any unearned fee will be refunded to the client. 

    • Investment Management Services (UFS Manages)

      Our standard advisory fee is based on the market value of the assets under management and is calculated as follows:

      Account Value Annual Advisory Fee
      $0 - $250,000  1.50%
      $250,001-$500,000
      1.25%
      $500,001-$1,000,000 1.00%
      $1,000,001 -$5,0000,000  0.90%
      $5,000,001 and Above .65%

      The annual fees are negotiable and are pro-rated and paid in advance on a monthly basis. The advisory fee is a tiered fee and is calculated by assessing the percentage rates using the predefined levels of assets as shown in the above chart, and applying the fee to the account value as of the last day of the previous month. No increase in the annual fee shall be effective without agreement from the client by signing a new agreement or amendment to their current advisory agreement.

      Advisory fees are directly debited from client accounts, or the client may choose to pay by bank transfer, credit card, or check.. Accounts initiated or terminated during a calendar quarter will be charged a prorated fee based on the amount of time remaining in the billing period. An account may be terminated with written notice at least 30 calendar days in advance.  Upon termination of the account, any unearned fee will be refunded to the client. 

      Management of “Held-Away” accounts


      Our standard advisory fee is based on the market value of the assets under management and is calculated as follows:

      Account Value Annual Advisory Fee
      $0 - $250,000 1.50%
      $250,001-$500,000 1.25%
      $500,001-$1,000,000  1.00%
      $1,000,001 -$5,0000,000 0.90%
      $5,000,001 and Above .65%

      University Financial Strategies can actively analyze, allocate and manage Client assets in “held-away” accounts via its partnership with Pontera(formerly known as FeeX). Examples of these accounts include in-service 401k, 403b, 457 or other retirement accounts, or IRAs or taxable accounts held at providers (such as Fidelity, Vanguard, Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade etc.) or any other accounts that are not under the Firm’s “direct management”.  The management of these assets may be coordinated and managed along with any custodial account UFS manages. Account values will be aggregated along with other custodial or held away accounts to determine advisory fee.   


      Such accounts will be studied, analyzed, asset-allocated, monitored, managed, tactically adjusted and rebalanced when necessary and periodically reviewed by the Firm in detail on behalf of the Client, taking into account the Client’s evolving individual circumstances, goals and objectives.

       

    • More Details on Held Away Management... 
    • Schedule C – List of Restrictions on Account Imposed by Client 

    • I wish to place the following investment restriction(s) on my Account established pursuant to this Agreement. In accommodating my restriction, I understand that in lieu of purchasing a restricted security, Adviser in its sole discretion may either select an alternative security, use the funds to invest in additional shares of current portfolio holdings, or hold the funds in cash.

    • The above restrictions may cause Adviser to deviate from implementing investment decisions it would otherwise make in managing the Account and may impair the attainment of the Client's investment objectives and affect the overall performance of the Account.  Additionally, the performance of the Account may materially differ from otherwise similar accounts managed on a discretionary basis by Adviser.


      Furthermore, since the Client has delegated investment discretion for their Account to Adviser, Adviser may determine that the implementation of such a restriction may be impractical.  In the event such a determination is made, Adviser will notify you promptly.  Additionally, Adviser cannot accept instructions that prohibit or restrict the purchase of specific securities or types of securities held within mutual funds or exchange traded funds purchased by Adviser, where applicable, in the Account.

    • Service Provided and Associated Fee 

    • $2,500 annual fee minimum* Based on Assets Under Management of $250,000 at 1%

      2 Fee Options

      1. Fee is paid from Assets Under Management (See ADV Disclosure Above) or

      2. Fee is paid directly through electronic draft starting at $210 a month if we are not providing Specific Investment Advice (Self Directed).

      We waive the Monthly Fee for Planning if Asset Minimum is met so you only pay one fee. Onboarding Fee may apply.

    • Clear
    • Clear

    • Signatures

    • By signing below, I acknowledge that I have received, read, understand, and agree to abide by all the terms and conditions set forth in this Advisory Client Agreement with Adviser.

    • Clear
    • Clear

    • University Financial Strategies, LLC.

      Authorized Officer (Adviser’s Acceptance) Final Copy of your signed agreement will be uploaded to Financial Planning Vault or electonically sent with Advisors Acceptance Signature.

    •  / /

    • Before Submitting Agreement (Button Below) you are welcome to reserve an Onboarding Meeting where we can review Documents needed to create plan.

    •  
    • Should be Empty: