FORM CRS - A SUMMARY OF YOUR ADVISORY RELATIONSHIP WITH WEST END WEALTH MANAGEMENT
FEBRUARY 1, 2023
ITEM 1 – INTRODUCTION
West End Wealth Management, LLC is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as an investment adviser. Brokerage and investment advisory services and fees differ, and it is essential for you to understand these differences. Free and simple tools are available to research firms and our Financial Professionals at Investor.gov/CRS, which also provides educational materials about broker-dealers, investment advisers, and investing.
ITEM 2 – RELATIONSHIPS AND SERVICES
What investment services and advice can you provide me?
Our Firm manages investment advisory services to retail investors. Our Firm manages advisory accounts on a discretionary basis. In a discretionary account, you have granted written investment authority to your Financial Professional to execute purchase and sell orders in your advisory accounts without consulting with you first. You may limit our discretion, such as by imposing reasonable restrictions on investing in certain securities or groups of securities. Our Firm monitors your investment advisory accounts, and specific investments within your accounts, on an ongoing basis to align with your investment goals. This service is included as part of the Firm’s standard advisory services. We do not offer propriety or affiliated products nor limit the types of investments used in our advisory services. Financial planning services are included within our investment advisory services at no additional charge. Our Firm provides general investment recommendations, on a limited basis to our clients. We also provide clients investment advice on a more-limited basis on one-or-more isolated areas of concern such as estate planning, real estate, retirement planning, or any other specific topic.
For more information refer to our firm’s ADV Part 2A Brochure - ITEM 4, 7, 8, 13 & 16
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR FINANCIAL PROFESSIONAL:
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Given my financial situation, should I choose an investment advisory service? Why or why not?
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How will you choose investments to recommend to me?
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What is your relevant experience, including your licenses, education, and other qualifications? What do these qualifications mean?
ITEM 3 – FEES, COSTS, CONFLICTS, AND STANDARD OF CONDUCT
What fees will I pay?
Our Firm receives a fee as compensation for providing investment advisory services on your account. The investment management fee includes investment management supervision, trade entry, and other account maintenance and/or service activities. Our investment management fees are based on a percentage of the total account value. Our maximum annual investment advisory fee is 1.25%, billed in arrears, on a monthly basis. You pay this fee even if you don’t buy or sell investments. We require a minimum aggregated family balance of $1,000,000. This minimum family balance requirement would be required throughout the course of the client’s relationship with our firm and may be negotiable depending on the client’s financial circumstance. The more assets in your advisory account, the more you will pay in fees, and therefore, the Firm has an incentive to encourage you to increase the asset value in your account. The custodian will charge transaction costs, custodial fees, redemption fees, retirement plan and administrative fees, or commissions. The mutual funds and/or ETFs held in your advisory account(s) will charge management fees and other expenses. Fees for financial planning are included within the investment advisory fees. Fees for consulting services are $250 per hour. 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.
For more information refer to our firm’s ADV Part 2A Brochure - Item 5
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR FINANCIAL PROFESSIONAL:
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Help me understand how these fees and costs might affect my investments.
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If I give you $10,000 to invest, how much will go to fees and costs, and how much will be invested for me?
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?
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. Here are some examples to help you understand what this means. Asset-based fees present a conflict because our Firm is incentivized by encouraging you to invest additional funds in your advisory accounts. Asset-based fee compensation also poses a conflict when: a) Advising you to rollover a 401(k) balance, when equivalent and less costly options are available if funds are left with the employer’s fund manager. b) Advising you not to pay off a mortgage (thus diminishing assets), even when the mortgage carries a high interest rate. c) Advising against making a large charitable contribution to get a tax deduction (but decrease assets under management). d) Advising you to take a margin position in your managed account and charging fees on the margin balance. Our Firm is required to disclose commonly owned entities that would provide different services to you and generate additional compensation to our Firm. Please note that you always have a right to choose services and products from our affiliated entities or any other firm that provides similar services and products. Our Firm allows our Financial Professionals to invest in the same securities as you; therefore, our Financial Professionals may have an incentive to favor their personal accounts over your advisory account. Lastly, some of the products, services, and other benefits provided by your custodians are used in servicing all of our Firm’s advisory accounts and therefore may not directly benefit your advisory account. If you have questions about whether any of these situations could apply to your investments, ask your Financial Professional.
For more information refer to our firm’s ADV Part 2A Brochure - Item 10, 11, & 14
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR FINANCIAL PROFESSIONAL:
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How might your conflicts of interest affect me, and how will you address them?
How do your Financial Professionals make money?
Our financial professionals are compensated based on the revenue our firm earns from our investment advisory fees. This compensation is based on the amount of assets they service, the amount of time spent, and the complexity required to meet the client’s needs or revenue based on the recommendations provided by our Financial Professionals. While some of our Firm’s Financial Professionals are engaged in outside business activities, we are required to disclose material outside business activities and any conflict it may pose to you. Our Firm supervises the business activities of our Financial Professionals through our compliance program. All Financial Professionals are required to follow a Code of Conduct to mitigate any conflicts to you.
For more information refer to our firm’s ADV Part 2A Brochure - Item 5, 10, 11, 12 & 14
ITEM 4 – DISCIPLINARY HISTORY
Do you or your financial PROFESSIONALS have LEGAL OR disciplinary history?
No. Visit Investor.gov/CRS for a free and simple search tool to research us and our financial professionals.
For more information refer to our firm’s ADV Part 2A Brochure - Item 9
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR FINANCIAL PROFESSIONAL:
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As a Financial Professional, do you have any disciplinary history? For what type of conduct?
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For additional information about our investment advisory services visit the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. Our firm’s IARD number is: 234791 You may also contact us directly for up-to-date information and to request a copy of the relationship summary at: 720-593-9396.
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR FINANCIAL PROFESSIONAL:
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Who is my primary contact person? Is he or she an investment advisor or a broker-dealer? Who can I talk to if I have concerns about how this person is treating me?
MATERIAL CHANGES SINCE LAST FILING
The Firm became SEC registered in March 2022. Form CRS formatting changes were completed in the February 1, 2023 annual amendment filing. No other material changes were made.