Trust & Safety

Check the public record. Every registered investment adviser files a Form ADV, and it's free to read:

• Investment Adviser Public Disclosure - adviserinfo.sec.gov. Search our firm CRD #339329. You'll find our Form ADV Part 1, our Part 2 (A&B) brochure, and any disciplinary history.
• FINRA BrokerCheck - brokercheck.finra.org, which also covers our custodian.

Yes - for the whole relationship, not just at the moment of a recommendation.

As a registered investment adviser, Aston Sandel owes you a fiduciary duty at all times. That breaks into two legal obligations:

• Duty of loyalty. We put your interests ahead of our own, and we disclose material conflicts of interest fully and fairly so you can weigh them yourself.
• Duty of care. Advice must fit your actual circumstances, we must seek best execution on your behalf, and we monitor and advise on an ongoing basis.

This is an enforceable legal standard, not a marketing line, and it doesn't switch off between conversations. The full picture of our services, fees, and conflicts lives in our Form ADV Part 2A brochure - we deliver it to every client, and anyone can read it at the links above.

Logan H. Youngblood, Investment Adviser Representative, Aston Sandel, holds the Series 65 (Uniform Investment Adviser Law Examination), the qualifying exam required to register as an investment adviser representative. It's written by the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) and administered by FINRA. Our firm and representative registrations are filed through the Investment Adviser Registration Depository (IARD) and are publicly viewable through the sources above.

Registration and exam requirements are minimum standards. They don't imply a particular level of skill or training, and no regulator endorses or recommends any firm.

Aston Sandel is a state-registered investment adviser firm domiciled in Alabama, regulated by the Alabama Securities Commission. State-registered advisers are subject to the Alabama Securities Act, to periodic examination, to recordkeeping and financial requirements, and to the antifraud provisions of federal securities law.

If you'd like to verify our standing, ask about our conduct, or raise a concern, you can contact the Commission directly - no need to go through us:

Aston Sandel registers with other state securities regulators when and where required. If you live elsewhere, you can also contact the securities regulator in your own state.

In most cases, yes. Our registration is held in Alabama, which is where our regulator sits, and we register in additional states as our client base there grows. If you're outside Alabama, just mention where you live when we first speak and we'll confirm we're able to work together before anything begins.

Your assets are held at Altruist Financial LLC, an independent qualified custodian. Accounts are opened in your name, and what's in them belongs to you. Aston Sandel does not hold or take possession of client funds or securities.

In practice:

• Deposits and checks are made payable to the custodian - never to Aston Sandel and never to an individual. If anyone ever asks otherwise, that's a reason to give us a call.
• Our access is limited. We place trades in your account and deduct the advisory fee you've agreed to in writing. That fee appears on your custodial statements, so you can always see exactly what was charged and when.
• We can't direct your money to a third party. Moving funds out of your account requires your own authorization with the custodian.
• You can see everything independently, and you can revoke our access, without going through us.

This separation between the person advising you and the institution holding your money is an important structural safeguard.

Altruist Financial LLC is a member of SIPC. SIPC protects the custody function of a brokerage account - meaning it covers the failure of the brokerage firm itself, up to $500,000 per customer, including up to $250,000 for cash claims. Altruist also carries excess coverage through underwriters at Lloyd's of London beyond those limits. An explanatory brochure is available at sipc.org. For more information from Altruist visit altruist.com/legal/security/ and altruist.com/strength-stability-and-protection/.

Eligible cash swept to Altruist's partner banks may be covered by FDIC insurance, subject to program terms and per-bank limits. Altruist is not a bank.

• Neither SIPC nor FDIC protects against investment losses. If a security you own falls in value, no coverage applies - that's market risk, and it's part of investing.
• Coverage terms change over time. For current details, check altruist.com and sipc.org directly.

All investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal.

Altruist Financial LLC is a self-clearing broker-dealer registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and a member of FINRA and SIPC. As a custodian, it's subject to SEC and FINRA rules requiring client assets to be segregated from the firm's own assets, along with net capital, reporting, and examination requirements.

You can review its record at brokercheck.finra.org, confirm SIPC membership at sipc.org, and reach FINRA's investor line at 301-590-6500 or the SEC at 1-800-732-0330.

You have direct visibility, independent of us:

• Log in anytime. Your Altruist account is available on the web and in the mobile app - positions, transactions, and fees, in real time.
• Statements come from the custodian. Altruist sends account statements directly to you, not through us.
• Ask us anything. If something doesn't make sense, give us a call or send an email.