We are headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We began business as a securities
broker-dealer in 1978. We began offering investment advisory services in 2000. Our principal
owners include Mario Bernardi, Ryan Diepstra, Randall L. Hansen, Kevin Kelly, James Klunder,
Michael Ochoa, and Katie Tuinstra.
Advisory Services
We offer discretionary and non-discretionary investment management and financial
planning services. Prior to engaging us to provide services, you will be required to enter
into a written agreement with us setting forth the terms and conditions under which we will
provide our services (“Investment Management Agreement”). Our specific services, terms
of our compensation, method of payment, and other important information are explained
in more detail below. Our clients include individuals, businesses, trusts and estates,
retirement plan sponsors and plan participants, foundations, endowments, and other
charitable organizations.
Our investment advisory services are provided by and through our firm’s
investment adviser representatives. We do not have an investment committee that
determines the investment advice or recommendations to be given to our clients. Instead,
each of our investment adviser representatives exercises his or her professional judgment
to provide investment advice, recommendations, and advisory services.
Our Services for Individually Managed Accounts
We offer investment management services through individually managed accounts
(“Individually Managed Accounts”), as described in the following paragraphs. There is no
minimum size for our Individually Managed Accounts.
Assessing Your Financial Needs and Objectives
In handling Individually Managed Accounts, our representatives will meet
or speak with you to learn about your investment objectives, your investment
timeline, your risk tolerance, and other information about your personal
circumstances. Based on the information gathered, your investment adviser
representative will tailor advice to your needs and recommend a portfolio consisting
of one or more categories of securities which we believe will serve your investment
objectives in light of your risk tolerance. You may impose restrictions on investing
in certain securities or types of securities.
During the interview process with our representatives, you should take care
to ensure that the information you provide is accurate and complete. The
information you provide us will play a key role in our ability to properly assess
your investment objectives and risk tolerance. We do not independently verify or
update the information you provide.
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You should promptly inform us of any material change in your personal
information, financial circumstances (including cash flow needs), investment
objectives, or risk tolerance. We will assume you have not had any material change
in your circumstances unless you tell us otherwise.
While we will use our best efforts to recommend investments that are
designed to address your investment objectives and risk tolerance, we cannot assure
you our recommendations will achieve your objectives. Past performance of
investments is not necessarily indicative of future performance.
Election of Discretionary or Non-Discretionary Investment Management Services
We offer both discretionary and non-discretionary accounts. In a non-
discretionary account, you must approve each of our investment recommendations
prior to implementing them. When making investment decisions yourself, you
should consider the important information contained in the current prospectus for
the mutual fund or other security, if applicable. We would be happy to answer any
investment-related questions you may have.
The other option we offer is to have your account managed on a
discretionary basis. Discretionary investment authority permits us to direct the
purchase or sale of securities held for your account in accordance with your
investment strategy and objective without obtaining your permission for each
specific transaction. Unless otherwise agreed, there are no specific limitations on
the securities to be bought or sold or on the amount of such securities for a particular
account other than the standard limitations inherent in actions prudently taken in
the context of your particular circumstances. Discretionary investment
management authority does not permit us to withdraw or transfer money from your
account, except to pay our fees as described below.
Customized Portfolios
We develop customized portfolios based on our professional judgment,
investment research, and analysis, as well as the experience of our representatives,
including the use of asset allocation software provided by our clearing broker-
dealer and qualified custodian, RBC Correspondent Services, a division of RBC
Capital Markets, LLC (“RBC”), headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Subject
to our firm’s general supervision, the investment adviser representative with whom
you choose to work will determine the investment advice you receive. Based on
your personal circumstances and risk tolerance, your representative will
recommend a customized investment portfolio.
In recommending one or more investment strategies, we seek to combine
various risk categories that, when considered as a whole, have a blended risk/return
characteristic that is consistent with your overall risk tolerance and investment
objectives, and time horizon. We may change the investments from time-to-time
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based on a variety of factors, including such things as our assessment of the stock
market, interest rates, the economy, recent developments impacting specific
securities, and other considerations. We change your portfolio’s composition or its
investment weighting by purchasing or selling securities held in your account.
Investment decisions will be driven primarily by changes in our
recommended asset allocation for your account, rather than the timing of your
purchase or sale of any particular investment or how long you have held it. We
will generally purchase, sell, and hold investments in your portfolio without
specific consideration of your other investments and without regard to the specific
tax consequences resulting from the purchase or sale of an investment in your
account. For specific tax questions or concerns, you should consult a tax
professional.
Our customized approach helps us to manage your account while providing
you with the appropriate amount of flexibility. For example, you may already own
some investments that you wish to hold for personal or other reasons. You may
own some securities that we would not have recommended, but that you may not
want to sell for tax reasons. We are not responsible for the suitability of
investments that you have selected without our recommendation whether or
not you continue to hold them after we begin managing your account.
Investment Management Services through Centennial’s Wrap Fee Program
In addition to the programs discussed in this brochure, we offer customized
portfolios through an advisory program that is our sponsored wrap fee program—
Centennial Select (our “Program”). We emphasize continuous personal client contact and
interaction in providing discretionary and non-discretionary investment management
services. If you participate in our Program,
we charge an asset-based fee which covers our
advisory services and transaction execution in lieu of commissions. Clients participating
in our Program are also typically charged fees incurred by the firm for holding client assets
on RBC’s advisory platform and mailing trade confirmations. These fees will apply unless
otherwise negotiated with your investment adviser representative. Fees collected may
exceed fees incurred, resulting in a profit to our firm or representatives. Our Program is
generally managed in the same fashion as the programs discussed in this brochure using
similar products and investment strategies as those discussed in more detail below.
A complete description of this Program and its fees are contained in our Part 2A
Appendix 1 (“Wrap Fee Brochure”). To request a copy of our Wrap Fee Brochure, please
contact your investment adviser representative or our office at 616-942-7680.
Investment Management Services outside of Advisory Programs
You are not obligated to participate in our Program, or any of the programs
discussed below, in order to implement our investment advice. If you engage us outside
of these programs, we will provide our investment advice to you, but we will implement
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your transactions through another broker-dealer/custodian of your choice. You may
impose reasonable restrictions or limitations on the types of investments in your account
by providing us with such restrictions or limitations in writing.
Third-Party Managers and Advisory Programs made available through RBC
We offer investment management services to identify, monitor, and manage
unaffiliated third-party investment managers (“Third-Party Managers”) through
investment programs offered by or through RBC. Accounts for these investment programs
are carried by RBC as the qualified custodian. Through our relationship with RBC, we
presently offer RBC Unified Portfolios (“RBC UP”) and Third-Party Mangers through
Envestnet Direct. For externally managed programs, we will select and recommend
managers based on a number of factors including, but not limited to, their investment
experience, specialty, and historical performance. We will discuss the background of these
managers with you to determine whether one or more of them may be suitable to manage
some or all of your account. We will also monitor your account on an ongoing basis and
recommend changes when and if necessary.
In conjunction with these Third-Party Managers’ programs, we act as a solicitor
for, and offer advice about these programs. Similar to our Program, the sponsor selects the
investments, monitors and evaluates investment performance, executes your portfolio
transactions without commission charges, and provides custodial services for your assets.
All of these services are generally provided for an asset-based fee which is paid to the
program sponsor, who in turn pays a portion of the fee to the to us. We will serve as your
primary contact for these Third-Party Managers and the related investment programs. .
We are not, however, responsible for investment advisory or brokerage services performed
by a Third-Party Manager.
In each of these advisory programs you will sign an Advisory Master Services
Agreement with RBC. Our related services will also be covered by their contract. RBC
will charge and collect the program-related fees and charges; in turn, RBC will pay us our
share of those fees. Some of these investment programs allow you to purchase and sell
mutual funds. These accounts may not be used for market timing strategies or activities
for mutual funds or any high frequency trading activity. Neither we and RBC will not be
responsible for any losses resulting from market timing activities or any action taken under
its market timing policies.
RBC Unified Portfolios (“RBC UP”):
RBC UP is a unified managed account that provides clients with access to multiple
model portfolios provide by Investment Managers, mutual funds and ETFs all within a
single account with RBC Wealth Management or Envestnet providing overlay services.
RBC UP allows you to bring your investments together in one account, receive professional
money management, strategic tax management services, overlay portfolio management
services for a single fee based on the value of your account. You’ll have access to a variety
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of investments, including mutual funds, professional money managers, and exchange
traded funds (ETFs).
The minimum investment to utilize this program is $10,000. At this level clients
will have access to several ETF portfolios and rebalancing capabilities. With a minimum
investment of $25,000, clients will also have access to a variety of RBC and other third-
party model portfolio providers. If interested, ask your representative for a list of all third-
party model portfolio providers. In addition to the negotiated advisory fee, RBC charges
a platform fee of 20 basis points and an overlay manager fee of 5 basis points. These fees
are charged to cover the cost of executing transactions in your account. The platform fee
may be reduced as accounts increase in assets.
Envestnet Direct (“Envestnet”):
Envestnet is a leading provider of integrated portfolio, practice management, and
reporting solutions to financial advisors and institutions. Their open architecture platform
encompasses a broad range of institutional-quality research, investment products, and
advisory resources. Envestnet provides access to a vast array of investment vehicles and
Third-Party Manager relationships that may be otherwise unavailable.
Account minimums and fees can range based on the program and manager selected
by you and your representative. In addition to the negotiated advisory fee, RBC charges a
10 basis point custody fee, Envestnet charges a platform fee, and the Third-Party Manager
charges a management fee. These fees are charged to cover the cost of holding your assets
and executing transactions in your account. Specific fee information should be discussed
with the representative with whom you decide to work.
Financial Planning and Consulting Services
We also offer tailored financial planning and consulting services. Whether you
decide to engage us to perform comprehensive financial planning or a more narrow
approach, you may select from a wide menu of financial topics, including: investment
product and services planning, tax planning, financial planning with needs analysis,
insurance planning, business planning, estate planning (other than legal services), real
estate and mortgage analysis, personal and business budgeting, purchase
recommendations, cash flow management, and retirement planning. Depending on which
of our representatives you decide to work with and their respective level of expertise and
certification, not all services may be available.
Our project or hourly fees for these services are described below in the “FEES
AND COMPENSATION” section. There is no firm-level minimum net worth required
for our financial planning and consulting services, although certain representatives may
personal minimums.
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Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2022, we provided continuous and regular management
services on a discretionary basis for accounts valued, in the aggregate, at approximately
$485,478,325 and on a non-discretionary basis for accounts valued, in the aggregate, at
approximately $459,314,551.