Client Relationship Summary (Form CRS)
Is an Investment Advisory Account Right for You?
There are different ways you can get help with your investments. You should carefully consider which types of accounts and services are right for you.
Item 1. Introduction
Greenbelt Investment Advisors, LLC (“GIA”, “Firm”, “We”, “Us”, “Our”) is an SEC registered investment advisor and provides advisory services for a fee rather than for brokerage commissions. As a retail investor, it is important to understand the differences between services and fees of an investment advisor and a broker-dealer. www.investor.gov/CRS offers free and simple tools to research firms and financial professionals. Additionally, it also provides educational materials about broker-dealers, investment advisors, and investing.
Item 2. Relationships and Services
What investment services and advice can you provide me?
We offer the following investment advisory services to you:
Asset Management: We will offer you advice on a regular basis. We will discuss your investment goals, design with you a strategy to achieve your investment goals, and regularly monitor your account. We will monitor your account on a discretionary basis (we can buy and sell investments in your account without asking you in advance) and/or a non-discretionary basis (you make the ultimate decision regarding the purchase or sale of investments).
We do not limit advisors to proprietary products or a limited menu of products and types of investments. This service will continue pursuant to the terms of the executed Advisory Agreement. We have a minimum of $25,000 to open an account.
Financial Planning and Services: Services will be provided to you based on your selection on the Advisory Agreement and may include, but are not limited to, a review of investment accounts, including reviewing asset allocation and providing repositioning recommendations; strategic tax planning; a review of retirement accounts and plans that have recommendations; a review of insurance policies and recommendations for changes, if necessary; one or more retirement scenarios; estate planning review and recommendations; and education planning with funding recommendations. For hourly services, they will be considered complete upon delivery of the plan. For ongoing services, they will continue year over year until cancelled.
Additional Information
For more information about our services, we recommended reading our ADV Part 2A Items 4, 7, and Appendix 1.
Conversation Starters
“Given my financial situation, should I choose an investment advisory service? Why or why not?”
“How will you choose investments to recommend to me?”
“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?
We are paid for our services as follows:
Asset Management: The amount paid to our firm and your financial professional generally does not vary based on the type of investments selected on your behalf. The asset‐based fee reduces the value of your account and will be generally deducted from your account. Some investments (such as mutual funds and variable annuities) impose additional fees that will reduce the value of your investment over time. Also, with certain investments such as variable annuities, you may have to pay fees such as “surrender charges” to sell the investment. Fees are billed quarterly in advance. Our fees vary and are negotiable. Generally, the more assets you have in the advisory account, the more you will pay in total fees. We therefore have an incentive to increase the assets in your account in order to increase our fees. You may also pay a transaction fee when we buy and sell an investment for you if you do not participate in our wrap program. You will also pay fees to a broker‐dealer or bank that will hold your assets (called “custody”). You pay our advisory fee even if there were not transactions within the account.
Financial Planning and Services: We charge an hourly or fixed fee based on value of assets included within the plan.
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 regarding our fees and costs, review ADV Part 2A Item 5.
Conversation Starters
“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?”
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 have to 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.
Commissions: Our associated persons may receive commissions from the sale of insurance products and services. This conflict is mitigated by our fiduciary duty and adherence to our code of ethics. When referring clients to purchase insurance, the client’s best interest will be the main determining factor.
Conversation Starters
“How might your conflicts of interest affect me, and how will you address them?”
Additional Information
For more information about our conflicts of interest, we recommend reading our ADV Part 2A, Items 4 and 10.
How do your financial professionals make money?
Our financial services professionals are compensated based on a percentage of assets they manage, on a portion of the total advisory fees received by us, and /or on hourly fees or fixed fees,
This is a conflict of interest because our financial professionals have an incentive to encourage you to increase your assets in your accounts, recommend our advisory services to you, and recommend you purchase investments that result in additional compensation to them. For more information about our conflicts of interest, we recommend reading our ADV Part 2A, Items 4 and 10.
Item 4. Disciplinary History
Do you or your financial professionals have legal or disciplinary history?
No, please visit www.investor.gov/CRS for a free and simple search tool to research GIA and our financial professionals.
Conversation Starters
“As a financial professional, do you have any disciplinary history? For what type of conduct?”
Item 5. Additional Information
To find additional information about GIA, such as a full copy of the ADV Part 2, and to request a copy of the relationship summary, please go to www.greenbeltadv.com or send us an email at achristians@greenbeltadv.com. If you would like to request up-to-date information as well as to request a copy of the relationship summary, please contact us via phone at (800) 617-3900. You may also find a copy of the most recent ADV Part 2 here.
Conversation Starters
“Who is my primary contact person? Is he or she a representative of an investment advisor or a broker-dealer? Who can I talk to if I have concerns about how this person is treating me?”