Form CRS
Richwood Investment Advisors, LLC
FORM CRS – Relationship Summary
March 17, 2021
Richwood Investment Advisors, LLC is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an investment adviser and, as such, we provide advisory services rather than brokerage services. Brokerage and investment advisory services and fees differ, and it is important for you, our client, to understand the differences.
Free and simple tools are available to research firms and financial professionals at Investor.gov/CRS, which also provides educational materials about broker-dealers, investment advisers, and investing. This document is a summary of the services and fees we offer to “retail” investors, which are natural persons who seek or receive services primarily for personal, family, or household purposes.
Relationships & Services
Q: What investment services and advice can you provide me?
A: We offer customized Portfolio Management Services to retail investors. Detailed information regarding our services, fees and other disclosures can be found in our Form ADV Part 2A (“Disclosure Brochure”) Items 4, 7 and 8 by clicking this link: https://adviserinfo.sec/gov/firm/brochure/153550.
Account Monitoring: We monitor your investment accounts(s) daily.
Investment Authority: We manage investment accounts on a discretionary basis, which means that we have the power to buy and sell securities for your account without your prior consent. You may limit our discretionary authority (for example, limiting the types of securities that can be purchased or sold for your account) by providing our firm with your restrictions and guidelines in writing. This authority is remains in effect until you revoke it.
Investment Offerings: We offer advice on a full suite of securities described in Item 8 of our Form ADV Part 2A including equity securities, corporate debt securities (other than commercial paper), certificates of deposit, municipal securities, mutual fund shares, United States government securities, money market funds, real estate investment trust (REITs) and exchange traded funds (ETFs). Additionally, we may advise you on any type of investment that we deem appropriate based on your stated goals and objectives.
Account Minimums and Requirements: In general, we do not require a minimum dollar amount to open and maintain an advisory account; however, we have the right to terminate your account if it falls below a minimum size which, in our sole opinion, is too small to manage effectively.
Q: Given my financial situation, should I choose an investment advisory service? Why or why not?
A: Advisory services are usually appropriate when you have a portfolio of securities for which you require ongoing advice. Investors who maintain few securities holdings and are not inclined to make changes to their portfolio are likely best suited for a traditional brokerage account with a FINRA-registered firm.
Q: How will you choose investments to recommend to me?
A: We recommend investments based upon your individual circumstances, financial situation, expectation of current and future cash needs, investment objective, and risk tolerance. In addition, we attempt to identify those investments in which we expect to yield an acceptable level of return given the amount of risk you are willing to assume, considering the level of diversification and how different securities and asset classes may complement one another.
Q: What is your relevant experience, including your licenses, education, and other qualifications?
A: Our financial advisors have been in the financial services industry for multiple decades and maintain the Series 65 exam qualification. You can find information on any professional designations of your financial advisor in the Form ADV Part 2B (“Brochure Supplement”) we provide you at the onset of the advisory relationship.
Q: What do these qualifications mean?
A: These qualifications assure that our professionals have met specific regulatory exam requirements required to conduct investment activities (e.g., Series 65).
Fees, Costs, Conflicts & Standard of Conduct
Q: What fees will I pay?
A: As previously stated, we do not require a minimum fee. Our quarterly fees are calculated as a percentage of the assets under our management (our “AUM Fee”), so our fees will rise and fall with the value of the assets we manage for you. While our fees may reduce the amount of your assets available for investment, we believe they are justified by our services and attention to your needs. Moreover, we believe our interests are aligned with yours in this type of fee structure. Nonetheless, we are economically incented to recommend that you place more assets in your account in order to increase the value of your portfolio, because as the value increases, so do our fees.
Your investment assets will be held with an independent, qualified custodian. In addition to our fees, you may be charged transaction fees by your custodian for its services. These fees vary depending on the custodian. Under a transaction fee arrangement, the more transactions effected in your account, the more fees you will pay to the custodian, and high activity in your account does not assure positive portfolio performance. In addition to advisory and transaction fees, there are additional fees such as postage and handling, transfer taxes, SEC fees for sales of securities, and similar fees. These additional fees are not material, but like advisory fees and custodian fees, they do have an adverse impact on the value of your portfolio over time. You can find more information about our fees and costs under Item 5 of our Disclosure Brochure, which is on our website and also available at Investor.gov/CRS.
Q: Help me understand how these fees and costs might affect my investments. If I give you $10,000 to invest, how much will go to fees and costs, and how much will be invested for me?
A: We charge asset-based fees, so our fees are calculated as a percentage of the value of your portfolio we manage. For example, a $1,000,000 investment at a 1% annual fee results in an annual deduction of $10,000 from your portfolio (meaning only $990,000 ends up invested). This means that it will take longer for you to realize positive returns than if no fees were charged. In this example, if you generated a 3% return, your net return would be 2%. You will pay fees and costs whether you make or lose money on your investments. Fees and costs will reduce any amount of money you make on your investments over time. Please make sure you understand what fees and costs you are paying.
Q: What are your legal obligations to me when acting as my investment adviser? How else does your firm make money and what conflicts of interest do you have?
A: When we act as your investment adviser, we must act in your best interest and not put our interest ahead of yours. At the same time, the way we make money creates some conflicts with your interests. You should understand and ask us about these conflicts because they can affect the investment advice we provide you. Refer to our Form ADV Part 2A by clicking this link https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/brochure/153550 to help you understand what conflicts exist.
Q: How might your conflicts of interest affect me, and how will you address them?
A: Conflicts of interest can incentivize us to put our interests ahead of yours. We manage these conflicts through disclosures and employing supervision procedures to ensure our financial advisors are acting in your best interest. If a financial advisor has outside business activities, it will be disclosed in their Brochure Supplement. Please see Items 10, 11, and 14 of our Disclosure Brochure as well as your financial advisor’s Brochure Supplement for additional information about conflicts of interest.
Q: How do your financial professionals make money?
A: Our financial advisors are paid a salary out of firm fee income. As a result, we are incentivized to recommend that you add additional assets to your account.
Q: Do you or your financial professionals have legal or disciplinary history?
A: No, our firm and our financial professionals currently do not have any legal or disciplinary history to disclose. You can find additional information about your investment advisory services and request a copy of the relationship summary at 513-871-0123 or click the link https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/brochure/153550.
Additional Information
Q: Who is my primary contact person?
A: Your Richwood Investment Advisors, LLC financial advisor will be your primary point of contact. However, administrative requests may be handled by an administrative assistant or client service professional.
Q: Is he or she a representative of an investment adviser or a broker-dealer?
A: None of our professionals are registered with a FINRA broker-dealer. All investment professionals are licensed with Richwood Investment Advisors, LLC as investment adviser representatives.
Q: Who can I talk to if I have concerns about how this person is treating me?
A: Working together and good communication is essential to effective investment management and long-term client relationships. In the event you have any concerns to be addressed, you may contact Debora Caley at 513-871-0123 or by email at dcaley@richwoodia.com.
You can find additional information about our investment advisory services at Investor.gov/CRS. You may also request a printed copy of this Client Relationship Summary by contacting us at 513-871-0123 or dcaley@richwoodia.com. You may visit us at our website: www.richwoodia.com.