Firm Description and Principal Ownership
RPA is an SEC registered investment adviser providing pension consulting and investment
management services to defined benefit and defined contribution plans. RPA works closely with
the plan sponsors and other plan fiduciaries, regarding plan design, investment options, selection
of the plan administrator and record keeper, enrollment and educational services for plan
participants, and other services based upon our analysis of the particular needs of the plan.
Thereafter, RPA shall periodically conduct a review of the plan, the investment options offered
by the plan to its participants, the model portfolios constructed for the plan, and any other items
the plan sponsors have agreed to in the RPA services agreement. RPA is an SEC-registered
investment advisor wholly owned by Cerity Partners LLC (“Cerity Partners”). Cerity Partners is
controlled by Cerity Partners Equity Holding LLC, a subsidiary of Cerity Partners Holdings LLC,
which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lightyear Fund IV AIV-1, L.P. (“LY Fund IV”), an
investment fund advised by an affiliate of Lightyear Capital LLC (“Lightyear”), a registered
investment adviser. Further information regarding Lightyear is set forth in its Form ADV filed
with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Standard Services
RPA offers the following services:
ERISA Non-Fiduciary Services
Plan Design Consulting: RPA will perform a review of the Plan’s existing arrangements and will
provide recommendations that are designed to assist in identifying any limitations of existing
and/or proposed Plan arrangements as well as recommendations to assist the a client in its
decision to make additional services available through the Plan.
Investment Policy Statement: RPA will assist the client in developing a formal, written
Investment Policy Statement (“IPS”) or it may review and recommend amendments to the client
relating to the existing IPS. The IPS may contain the standards and processes for selecting and
monitoring Plan investments, and will set forth the number of general investment options and
asset class categories to be offered to Plan participants with a goal of providing a menu of
investments that will allow for the creation of well-diversified portfolios through a mix of asset
class exposures. The IPS is subject to the final approval of client, and RPA does not guarantee
that the client will achieve the investment objectives in the IPS. In providing IPS services, RPA
will not render any investment advice and will not be acting as an ERISA fiduciary.
Financial Wellness Coaching: RPA will conduct periodic group enrollment and education
meetings with Plan participants through its team of salaried (non-commission) retirement
consultants. The purpose of the meetings is to increase retirement plan participation among
employees and to assist Plan participants in making informed decisions about contribution
amounts, investment allocations and distributions. Only standardized investment education
materials, which are consistent with “investment education” as that term is defined in
Department of Labor Interpretative Bulletin 96-1, will be used in connection with providing
Financial Wellness Coaching. Such information may include information about the benefits of
Plan participation, investment objectives of Plan investment options, general financial and
investment information, asset allocation portfolios of hypothetical individuals with different
time horizons and risk profiles and interactive investment materials such as questionnaires to
assess the impact of different allocations on retirement income. RPA may also provide interactive
investment materials to assist participants in assessing their future retirement income needs. In
providing Financial Wellness Coaching services, RPA will not provide advice concerning the
appropriateness of any individual investment option for a particular participant or beneficiary
under the plan and will not be acting as an ERISA fiduciary in rendering, unless the client elects
“Participant Advice” Services as described below.
Administrative Support: RPA will make its representatives available to the Client to educate the
Client and its employees about the Plan’s features, including any web-based support offered by
RPA or other service providers.
ERISA Fiduciary Services
Investment Recommendations & Performance Monitoring: Unless the client elects RPA’s
Fiduciary Protection Program as described below, RPA will perform the following
nondiscretionary service as an ERISA fiduciary. RPA will review the investment options available
through the Plan and will provide recommendations to the client to assist in selecting the “core”
investments to be offered to Plan participants, including the Plan’s QDIAs, if applicable, that
meet the criteria set forth in the Plan’s IPS. RPA will provide reports on a regular basis that are
designed to assist the client in monitoring the core investment options and may provide
recommendations to assist the client in removing and replacing investments that no longer meet
the IPS criteria.
Participant Advice: RPA will meet with Plan participants that seek to engage RPA for Participant
Advice services to gather information concerning their retirement investments, time horizon,
risk tolerance and investment goals. RPA will review the information and provide individualized
investment advice that may include a recommendation to invest in a particular model portfolio
or percentages to be allocated among a number of the Plan’s core investment options. RPA will
not provide recommendations on investments held outside of the plan, and the Plan participant
retains the sole responsibility to implement the recommendations. RPA does not guarantee that
it will achieve the Plan participants’ investment objectives.
Additional Services - Fiduciary Services
ERISA Fiduciary Services:
Investment Management Services: RPA shall have discretionary investment authority to direct
the core investments offered to Plan participants in a manner that is consistent with the criteria
set forth in the Plan’s IPS. Such authority will include that necessary to select, monitor, remove,
and replace all investment alternatives that constitute the core investment menu. In the event
that RPA provides instructions directly to the plan’s record keeper or third-party administrator
with regard to the removal, or replacement of investments. In rendering Investment
Management Services, RPA will act as an ERISA fiduciary and will serve as an investment
manager as defined in Section 3(38) of ERISA. RPA shall retain final decision-making authority
with regard to all discretionary fiduciary services, and the Plan fiduciaries remain responsible
for demonstrating that RPA was prudently selected and monitored.
ERISA Non-Fiduciary Services:
Review of Fiduciary Liability Insurance Coverage: RPA will work with qualified insurance
professionals to review client’s fiduciary liability coverage. RPA may assist the Client in obtaining
additional or replacement insurance if necessary.
Monitoring of Qualified Fiduciary: The Client is responsible as a Plan fiduciary for selection of
RPA as a Plan fiduciary, and for monitoring the performance of RPA. To facilitate this
responsibility, RPA will provide Client with a structure for the annual review and monitoring of
the RPA as a Plan fiduciary.
Customization
RPA tailors all services to the individual parameters and restrictions of each Retirement Plan,
the plan documents and the instructions of the plan sponsors.
Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2019, RPA has assets under management totaling $11,994,871,368. Of that
total, $1,175,569,537 is managed on a discretionary basis and $10,769,301,831 is managed on a
non-discretionary basis.
The parent company of RPA, Cerity Partners and its subsidiaries have aggregate assets under
advisement of $28,201,119,685 as of December 31, 2019.
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RPA charges an annualized fee of up to 0.75% of the plan's assets, as valued by a third-party
pricing service, for the pension consulting services described above. In lieu of an asset-based fee,
RPA may charge a fixed fee based on the scope of the engagement Generally, a fixed fee will not
exceed 0.75% of the plan's assets unless there are special circumstances warranting a higher fee.
The type and amount of the fees charged to the client are negotiable and are generally based on
the size and complexity of the plan, the number of plan participants, the location of the
participants, the estimated number of meetings required, and other factors that may be deemed
relevant by RPA when negotiating with the client. An estimate of the total cost will be determined
at the start of the advisory relationship. The agreed upon fee will be deducted from Plan assets
or billed directly each quarter.
RPA’s fees are exclusive of, and in addition to, charges imposed by plan administrators,
custodians, brokers, third party investment managers, deferred sales charges, odd-lot
differentials, transfer taxes, wire transfer and electronic fund fees, and other fees and taxes on
brokerage accounts and securities transactions. In addition, mutual funds and exchange-traded
funds charge internal management fees, which the fund discloses in its prospectus. RPA will not
share in any of these additional fees.
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RPA does not charge performance-based fees or engage in side-by-side management of plan
accounts. However, RPA’s affiliates may recommend similar investment methodology and
employ identical risk based investment models.
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RPA provides its services to the plan sponsors or defined benefit and defined contribution plans
including 401(k) plans, corporate pension plans and profit-sharing plans.
RPA generally requires a minimum of $2,000,000 in plan assets and a minimum annual fee of
$15,000. These minimums may have the effect of making RPA’s service impractical for certain
plans. RPA, in its sole discretion, may waive its stated plan minimum or charge a lesser minimum
fee. Additionally, certain third-party managers recommended by RPA may impose more
restrictive account requirements and use different billing practices from those of RPA. In these
cases, RPA may alter its account requirements and/or billing practices to accommodate the
third-party manager.
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Asset allocation is a strategy, advocated by modern portfolio theory, for reducing risk in an
investment portfolio in order to maximize returns Specifically, asset allocation means dividing
plan/participant assets among different broad categories of investments, called asset classes
under the presumption that each different asset class performs differently as economic
conditions change. RPA employs its asset allocation strategy to select plan fund lineups and to
develop risk-based investment models for each plan. RPA uses three (3) primary assets classes
and eleven (11) sub-asset classes in developing its allocations:
Cash
Global Fixed Income
o Domestic
Govt./Agency
o Domestic Tax
Exempt
o Investment Grade
Credit
o High Yield Credit
o Global Bonds
o Emerging
Market Debt
Global Equity
o US Large Cap
o Small/Cap
o Global Equity
o Emerging Market
Equity
RPA has developed five (5) risk-based investment models for use inside of Retirement Plans at
the election of the Retirement Plan participants:
Conservative
Moderate
Balanced
Growth
Aggressive
RPA will create at the request of the Retirement Plan sponsor additional risk-based models. RPA
will rebalance, as necessary, the participants’ account within the plan from time to time to bring
the account within the parameters of the selected model. In addition, RPA will re-evaluate its
fund selections and risk-based models on a regular basis and make adjustments as necessary to
respond to changes in the market conditions. Diversification of investments among asset classes
does not insulate an investor from market risk and does not ensure a profit. There is no
guarantee that RPA will design a risk-based model that will meet a plan’s or plan participant’s
objectives or be profitable.
From time to time, RPA reviews all fund recommendations and risk-based models to assess their
effectiveness relative to market conditions. Each individual fund will be scored based upon 10
criteria. Whether or not a fund passed a predetermined threshold will determine whether the
fund earns points for the specific criteria. Funds that earn a total score above a certain threshold
will receive a passing rating. Those funds that fall below that threshold will be placed on a watch
list. Based on this scoring process, RPA may change the make-up of its investment models or plan
fund lineups. The underlying investments and the portfolio allocation ranges in each strategy
are subject to change from time to time without notice. More information on our fund scoring
process is available upon request.
Investing in securities involves risk of loss that clients should be prepared to bear. While no
list of risks could be exhaustive, the following is a list of risks associated with the asset classes
contained in RPA’s investment models and recommendations.
Risk Factors:
Cash
inflation risk, the risk that the rate of inflation will erode the purchasing power of cash
over time;
Global Fixed Income
interest rate risk, which is the chance that fixed income prices overall will decline because
of rising interest rates;
inflation risk, that the rate of return on fixed income investments will be lower than the
rate of inflation;
income risk, which is the chance that the income produced by investments will decline
because of falling interest rates;
credit risk, which is the chance that a bond issuer will fail to pay interest and principal in
a timely manner, or that negative perceptions of the issuer’s ability to make such
payments will cause the price of that bond to decline,; and
call risk, which is the chance that during periods of falling interest rates, issuers of callable
bonds may call (repay) securities with higher coupons or interest rates before their
maturity dates. The investment would then lose any price appreciation above the bond’s
call price and RPA would be forced to reinvest the unanticipated proceeds at lower
interest rates, resulting in a decline in the income produced by the investment. For
mortgage-backed securities, this risk is known as prepayment risk.
Global Equity
stock market risk, which is the chance that equity prices overall will decline;
country/regional risk, which is the chance that world events—such as political upheaval,
financial troubles, or natural disasters—will adversely affect the value of companies in a
particular country or region; and
currency risk, which is the chance that the value of a foreign investment, measured in
U.S. dollars, will decrease because of unfavorable changes in currency exchange rates.
In addition to the risks associated with the individual asset classes discussed above, RPA’
investment methodology is subject to:
asset allocation risk, which is the chance that the selection of underlying investments and
the allocation of assets to them, will cause the client’s portfolio to underperform other
investments or strategies with similar investment objectives; and
manager risk, which is the chance that poor security selection or focus on securities in a
particular sector, category, or group of companies will cause one or more of the
underlying third-party managers selected by RPA to underperform relevant benchmarks
or other strategies with similar investment objectives.
Exposure to the risk factors discussed above is proportionate with the percentage of their
portfolio allocated to a particular asset class. Where the retirement plan sponsor has requested
additional risk-based models, there may be additional risk factors that are not included in this
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Registered investment advisers are required to disclose all material facts regarding any legal or
disciplinary events that would be material to your evaluation of the adviser or the integrity of
adviser’s management. RPA has no information applicable to this Item.
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RPA is wholly owned by Cerity Partners. Cerity Partners is controlled by Cerity Partners Equity
Holding LLC, an entity controlled by Cerity Partners EOE LLC which is owned by certain
employees of Cerity Partners and Cerity Partners Holdings LLC, which is a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Lightyear Fund IV AIV-1, L.P. (“LY Fund IV”), an investment fund advised by an
affiliate of Lightyear Capital LLC (“Lightyear”), a registered investment adviser. However,
Lightyear, LY Fund IV, and their affiliates do not have any role in the Firm’s investment process
related to the management of client assets. See Item 11 for information regarding the Information
Barrier policy adopted by Cerity Partners and its subsidiaries, and Lightyear.
RPA is a subsidiary of Cerity Partners which is the 50% owner of Baja Wealth Advisors LLC
(“BWA”), an SEC registered investment adviser. RPA is under common control with Sage
Advisors LLC (“Sage”), which is also a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cerity Partners. Cerity
Partners provides its subsidiaries with office space, personnel and other resources pursuant to
an administrative services agreement with each firm.
Sage is the general partner of Hampshire Associates Fund, L.P., Hampshire Associates Fund QP,
L.P., Hampshire Institutional Fund, L.P., and Praesidio Low Volatility Fund, L.P. (collectively the
“Funds”) to engage primarily in the business of investing and trading in securities. Interests in
the Funds are privately offered pursuant to Regulation D under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended. Each of the Funds currently relies on an exemption from registration under the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. Sage has discretionary authority to determine
the broker or dealer to be used by the Funds. The Funds seek to achieve capital preservation and
above-average risk-adjusted returns through the use of a “multi-manager diversification”
strategy. Sage seeks to achieve these investment objectives by utilizing a “multi-style, multi-
manager diversification” strategy, an investment strategy under which assets are invested
through various non-affiliated third party managers.
Participation as an investor in the Funds is generally offered to investors that are qualified clients
pursuant to the requirements under Rule 205-3 under the Advisers Act, as well as are “accredited
investors” as defined under Rule 501 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and for
investments in Hampshire Associates Fund QP, L.P., “qualified purchasers” as defined under the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
Sage will devote its best efforts with respect to its management of the Funds. Given the above
discussion relative to the objectives, suitability, risk factors, and qualifications for participation
in the Funds, Sage may give advice or take action with respect to the Funds that differs from that
which RPA may give for its client accounts. To the extent that a particular investment is suitable
for both the Funds and certain client accounts, RPA and Sage have policies and procedures to
ensure such investments will be allocated between the Funds and the individual client accounts
pro rata based on the assets under management or in some other manner which RPA determines
is fair and equitable under the circumstances to all of its clients.
Kurt Miscinski, President and Chief Executive of RPA serves on the Schwab Advisor Services
Advisory Board (the “Board”). As described under Item 12 of this Form ADV, RPA or its affiliates
may recommend that clients establish brokerage accounts with certain qualified custodians,
which may include Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (“Schwab”), to maintain custody of the clients’
assets and effect trades for their accounts. The Board consists of approximately 20
representatives of independent investment advisory firms who have been invited by Schwab
management to participate in meetings and discussions of Schwab Advisor Services’ services for
independent investment advisory firms and their clients. Board members serve for two-year
terms. Mr. Miscinski’s term ends April 2021. Board members enter nondisclosure agreements
with Schwab under which they agree not to disclose confidential information shared with them.
Board members are not compensated by Schwab for their service, but Schwab does pay for or
reimburse Board members’ travel, lodging, meals and other incidental expenses incurred in
attending Board meetings.
Mr. Miscinski is a member of the Capital Group’s RIA Insider’s Advisory Board. RPA may
recommend investment products, such as American Funds or Private Client Solutions from
Capital Group to its clients which creates a potential conflict of interest. To mitigate this conflict,
Mr. Miscinski is an uncompensated member of the RIA Advisory Board and as stated previously
in Item 5, RPA does not share in fees or commissions charged on investments it recommends.
Philip Steele of RPA serves on the Schwab Trust and Custody Advisory Board (the “Trust and
Custody Board”). As described under Item 12 of this Form ADV, RPA or its affiliates may
recommend that clients, including employee benefit plan sponsor clients, establish brokerage
accounts with certain qualified custodians, which may include Schwab, to maintain custody of
the clients’ assets and effect trades for their accounts. Further, Charles Schwab Bank may also
serve as directed trustee for an employee benefit plan’s assets. The Trust and Custody Board
consists of approximately 21 representatives of independent investment advisory or independent
recordkeeping firms who have been invited by Schwab management to participate in meetings
and discussions of Schwab services for independent investment advisory and/or recordkeeping
firms and their employee benefit plan sponsor clients. Mr. Steele’s term ends April 2021. Trust
and Custody Board members are not compensated by Schwab for their service, but Schwab does
pay for or reimburse Trust and Custody Board members’ travel, lodging, meals and other
incidental expenses incurred in attending Trust and Custody Board meetings.
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RPA has adopted a Code of Ethics that sets forth the standards of conduct expected of its
associated persons and requires compliance with applicable securities laws. All supervised
persons at RPA must acknowledge the terms of the Code of Ethics annually, or when it is
amended. In accordance with Section 204A-1 of the Advisers Act, the Code of Ethics includes
provisions relating to the confidentiality of information, a prohibition on insider trading, and
personal securities trading procedures.
LY Fund IV has an ownership interest in RPA through its indirect investment in Cerity Partners.
However, Lightyear, LY Fund IV, and their affiliates do not have any role in RPA’s investment
process related to the management of client assets. In connection with the indirect investment in
Cerity Partners by LY Fund IV, an information barrier policy has been adopted by Cerity Partners
and Lightyear to protect Cerity Partners and its subsidiaries, its personnel and advisory clients
(i.e., individual and institutional managed accounts and other similar vehicles or arrangements),
on the one hand, and Lightyear and its affiliates, on the other hand, from being exposed to or
deemed to possess proprietary information or material, non-public information relating to the
other parties’ respective activities or investments, including information about specific issuers
or trades and positions in commodity interests.
Copies of the RPA’s Code of Ethics are available by contacting Robert J. Seco at (212) 850-4284
or
[email protected].
RPA anticipates that it will recommend, in appropriate circumstances and consistent with plan
objectives, the purchase or sale of securities in which it or an affiliate (including individual
employees) have a position. RPA, its employees and persons associated with RPA are required
to follow RPA’s Code of Ethics in these circumstances. The Code of Ethics is designed to prevent
the personal securities transactions, activities and interests of the employees of RPA from
harming the interests of RPA clients. Accordingly, the Code of Ethics prohibits RPA, its affiliates
and its employees from trading in any security that RPA is recommending until RPA either
executes the trade or decides not to trade. However, RPA, its affiliates and its employees may
trade in the same securities as Plan assets on an aggregated basis when consistent with RPA’s
obligation of best execution. In these circumstances, the affiliated and plan accounts will share
costs equally and receive securities at a total average price. RPA will retain records of the trade
order and its allocation. Completed orders will be allocated as specified in the initial trade order.
RPA will allocate partially filled orders on a pro rata basis. Employee and affiliate trading is
continually monitored under the Code of Ethics in order to reasonably ensure compliance.
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While RPA will not typically recommend a custodian or broker-dealer to the plan sponsors, in
the event that the plan sponsors request a recommendation, the following are the factors RPA
will consider in recommending a custodian or broker-dealer.
Factors in Selecting or Recommending a Custodian or Broker-Dealer
RPA considers the financial strength, reputation, execution, pricing, research, service, and
performance when selecting or recommending a broker-dealer, custodian, or third party
managers for its clients.
Research and Other Economic Benefits
Consistent with obtaining best execution, RPA may recommend that plans use the brokerage and
custody services of certain broker-dealers with which an affiliate of RPA has entered services
agreements. Under these services agreements RPA’s affiliates may receive cash credits toward
research (including evaluations of securities and portfolio managers) and portfolio management
and business support tools (including portfolio management software and trading tools) in
exchange for recommending the broker-dealer to clients and provided a certain amount of client
assets remain at the broker-dealer for custody services.
RPA will generally use the research and portfolio management tools that its affiliate may receive
to service all clients. Such service agreements are a conflict of interest because RPA receives
benefits that aid in its business operations without having to pay for them. Accordingly, RPA
may have an incentive to recommend to clients a broker-dealer based on that broker-dealers
willingness to provide benefits to RPA’s affiliate pursuant to a service agreement, rather than on
the client’s interest in receiving best trade execution.
RPA may accept sponsorship of client or prospect events from certain third-party managers that
it recommends to clients; however it does not accept any direct payments from any third-party
managers for recommending their investment products. This creates a conflict because it may
give RPA an incentive to recommend managers willing to sponsor RPA’s events. RPA has policies
and procedures in place to ensure its recommended managers meet its investment guidelines
regardless of their willingness to participate in sponsoring such events.
Directed Brokerage Permitted
RPA allows clients to direct the use a particular broker-dealer and/or custodian to execute some
or all transactions for their accounts. Where the client elects to direct a broker-dealer or
custodian, the client will be responsible to negotiate terms and arrangements for the account
with that broker-dealer or custodian. RPA will not seek better execution services or prices from
other broker-dealers or custodians.
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Account Reviews
RPA continuously monitors Retirement Plans to ensure compliance with the plan guidelines and
direction of the plan sponsors. RPA investment professionals review all Retirement Plan
accounts on a quarterly basis to assess the past quarter’s investment performance, manager
recommendations, portfolio risk, opportunities to rebalance, and the overall effectiveness of the
risk-based models. On an annual basis, the investment committee formally reviews all
Retirement Plan investment accounts. RPA shall contact all plan sponsors at least annually to
review its previous services and/or recommendations, and to discuss the impact resulting from
any changes in the market conditions and/or plan objectives.
Reporting
The broker-dealer, custodian or plan administrator of the Retirement Plan provides the plan
sponsors with transaction confirmation notices and regular summary account statements
independent of RPA. RPA will also provide a written report to plan sponsors that may include
such relevant account and/or market-related information such as an inventory of plan holdings
and plan and/or risk-based model performance on a quarterly basis.
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RPA may make or receive referrals to both affiliated and unaffiliated third parties and in doing
so may pay or accept referral fees consistent with Rule 206(4)-3 of the Investment Advisers Act
of 1940 and Section 406(a) of the ERISA.
RPA will pay any referral fee solely from its fee. RPA will not increase the client’s fee nor impose
any additional charge on the client. If the client is introduced to RPA by an unaffiliated party,
the client will be provided with a copy of RPA’s Brochure and a copy of a disclosure statement
containing the terms and conditions of the referral arrangement including compensation. Any
affiliated party of RPA making a referral will disclose the nature of the affiliation to the
prospective client at the time of the referral and all prospective clients will be provided with a
copy of RPA’s Brochure.
A client may engage certain individuals employed by RPA (but not the RPA entity) to provide
securities brokerage services under a commission arrangement. Under this arrangement, the
client may implement securities transactions through certain of RPA’s employees, in their
respective individual capacities as registered representatives of an unaffiliated SEC registered
broker-dealer (“BD”) and member of the FINRA.
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RPA typically receives discretionary authority from the Retirement Plan to select and replace
the investment options in the plan. Where a plan participant has elected automatic rebalancing
RPA will periodically rebalance the plan participant’s plan account. RPA only exercises its
investment discretion consistent with the plan documents and a plan participant’s investment
model election.
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The SEC, in certain circumstances, requires a registered investment adviser to disclose any
financial condition that is reasonably likely to impair its ability to meet contractual
commitments to clients. RPA has no financial commitment that impairs its ability to meet
contractual and fiduciary commitments to clients.
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Open Brochure from SEC website