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Independence. Personalized. Integrity.

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In a profession based on personalized advice, true independence offers many choices intended to benefit

you, the client. Your choice of an independent financial professional is the first step in getting

recommendations with impartial guidance based directly on your needs and goals.

 

What is an independent financial professional?

 

Personalized advice on pursuing your financial goals may be best delivered by an independent financial

professional. The independent financial professionals at Gateway Wealth Management, LLC are not

employees of an investment or financial services firm—they are independent business owners. We

have the freedom to structure our business in a manner that best serves our clients. Gateway Wealth

Management utilizes a broker/dealer who provides services that include processing investment

business, marketing assistance, practice management, and education. In addition, a broker/dealer

holds responsibility for regulatory compliance and adherence to securities laws.

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What is an independent broker/dealer?

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There are many different types of firms for Gateway Wealth Management to consider in choosing

a broker/dealer. You may be familiar with broker/dealers that are subsidiaries of conglomerates such

as commercial banks, investment banks, and investment companies. Independent broker/dealers

are different from such firms because they generally do not underwrite securities, they do not create

research, and they do not engage in investment banking.

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An independent broker/dealer allows financial professionals to offer nonproprietary products, such as mutual funds or life insurance, from a wide variety of companies. Gateway Wealth Management has chosen to work with an independent broker/dealer in order to offer you impartial investment advice compensated in the form of fees, commissions, or both.

 

Why is independence important?

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Just as you have the opportunity to choose your financial professional, we in turn choose our independent broker/dealer. Gateway Wealth Management has chosen LPL Financial as our independent broker/dealer. This means we are not forced to sell proprietary products or meet any sales quotas.

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Quality firms safeguarding your assets

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An independent broker/dealer can choose a clearing firm to provide the trade execution, clearing, custody, and other related services for clients of their financial professionals. Clearing relationships are typical throughout the industry and allow your financial professional to focus on helping you achieve your investment goals while taking advantage of the clearing firm’s safeguards for the physical protection of your assets.

Securities regulations are designed to protect clients’ funds and securities when they are in custody at a registered broker/dealer. The Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) is an agency of the U.S. government that oversees the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), which in turn oversees broker/dealers, clearing firms, and your financial professional. Both the SEC and FINRA require members to comply with various rules intended to minimize the chance of financial failure and maximize the protection of your assets. The SEC also requires a registered broker/dealer to segregate fully paid, investor-owned assets—meaning that if the broker/dealer fails, investors’ assets will remain safe, separate from the broker/dealer’s assets.

Client assets are protected by the Securities Investor Protection Act, which is administered by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC). SIPC is a nonprofit, nongovernment membership corporation funded by member broker/dealers. SIPC’s primary role is to return funds and securities to investors if the broker/dealer holding these assets becomes insolvent. SIPC does not insure against the rise and fall of the market but does insure your funds against theft, up to $500,000 in securities.

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