Financial Decisions, LLC (New York)


Financial Decisions, LLC is a large advisory firm based in New York. It manages $240.83 million of regulatory assets for 446 client accounts. It has been registered with the SEC as an adviser since 2016 and has operated in the jurisdictions of California, Connecticut, New York, and Texas.

Financial Decisions provides financial planning services, portfolio management for individuals and small businesses, portfolio management for businesses and institutional clients, selection of other advisers, and advice on matters not involving securities.. It prepares financial plans for more than 50 clients. On top of advisory services, the firm doesn't engage in other business activities.

Financial Decisions: assets under management

The assets under management (AUM) of Financial Decisions, LLC is $240.83 million. The firm's AUM has gone down by -1% since the beginning of its operation, and the company doesn't manage any assets belonging to foreign clients.

The firm manages $240.59 million in discretionary accounts and $238.83 thousand in non-discretionary accounts. On average, the discretionary accounts where all decisions are made on behalf of the client hold $543.09 thousand each. Non-discretionary accounts, where clients actively manage their portfolios, generally hold around $79.61 thousand.
Financial Decisions has custody of $14.58 million in cash and securities for 11 clients in total but doesn’t act as a qualified custodian.

Investments

The firm invests in investment and business development companies the most. They account for 36% of the total AUM. The second-largest asset type is state and local bonds, which make up 20% of the firm’s portfolio. Investments in exchange traded securities form 16% of the total invested assets.

Fees & Commissions

The advisory firm has several streams of revenue. Clients pay Financial Decisions, LLC for their services and products based on a percentage of assets under management, hourly charges, and fixed fees. Compensation based on assets under management promotes a long-term relationship between a client and the adviser and helps align mutual interests. These fees don’t include brokerage commissions, interest, taxes, and other account expenses.

What kind of clients Financial Decisions serves?

The firm provides services to individuals, high net worth individuals, and pension and profit sharing plans. The largest group of clients of Financial Decisions is high net worth individuals with 98 clients and $223.98 million of assets under management. Among the 10 most similar advisory firms, Financial Decisions has the highest percentage of high net worth individuals out of all clients.

The amount of regulatory assets under management is $237.8 million for 123 clients that can include trusts, estates, and 401(k) plans and IRAs of individuals and their family members. None of the firm’s clients are foreign persons or businesses.

Financial Decisions doesn't advise any private funds.

Careers at Financial Decisions, LLC

The company employs 7 people that are either part- or full-time employees. 57 percent of the employees work as investment advisers or researchers. 4 employees are registered as investment adviser representatives with the state securities authorities.

There isn’t anyone with the role of looking for and bringing in new clients on behalf of the firm. The firm doesn’t compensate employees in addition to the salary for bringing in new clients. Employees receive compensation from other entities for client referrals.

Direct owners and executive officers


Name Entity Date acquired Ownership Employer ID
Kenneth Gutwillig Chief compliance officer 1 Mar 2016 Other 4610174
Inc. Financial Decisions Member 1 Mar 2016 50% - 75% 13-3629641
Llc Fdi Holdings Member 1 Mar 2016 25% - 50% 81-1344793

Indirect Owners

The SEC currently registers 2 indirect owners.

Name Entity Date acquired Ownership Employer ID
Linda Karsh Schoenthaler Shareholder / president 1 Mar 2016 75% - 100% 1241462
Florence Myriam Dupont Member 1 Mar 2016 50% - 75% 2478743

Based in New York

The principal office where Financial Decisions, LLC performs its advisory services is located at 780 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, which is also the mailing address of the firm. It doesn’t run an office outside of the United States.

You can reach the main office by calling the phone number 212-920-3470 or by fax 212-920-3488. The normal business hours are 9am to 5pm on Monday - Friday. You can find more information about the New York firm at findec.net.