Relationship Policy
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Form CRS (Customer Relationship Summary), July 2020
Fort Pitt Capital Group (“Fort Pitt”) is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as an
Investment Adviser. For more information about Fort Pitt, investors may visit www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. Brokerage and investment advisory services and fees differ. It is important for a retail investor to understand the differences. Free and simple tools are available for investors to research firms and financial professionals at Investor.gov/crs which also provides educational materials about broker-dealers, investment advisers, and investing.
WHAT INVESTMENT SERVICES AND ADVICE CAN YOU PROVIDE ME?
Fort Pitt offers investment advisory services to retail investors. Fort Pitt’s standard is to provide wealth management, which is a holistic set of services that includes investment management and advice on matters such as asset accumulation, elder care costs, estate/retirement planning, and education planning. When you engage Fort Pitt, you are assigned to a service team, led by a Financial Consultant who will assist you in creating a customized investment plan that provides investment recommendations (in stocks, bonds, mutual funds and account types) that are specific to your investment objectives and risk tolerance. By signing the Investment Management Agreement, you give Fort Pitt full discretionary authority to buy, hold and sell securities on your behalf. Your service team is dedicated to monitoring your investments on an ongoing basis with formal client reviews occurring at least annually. You will also receive holdings and performance reports from Fort Pitt on a quarterly basis. On a limited basis, you may exclude assets (such as legacy positions) from management. Such segregated assets are excluded from reporting and you are not charged fees on them. Fort Pitt may also recommend an investment in the Fort Pitt Capital Total Return Fund (the “Fund”) when deemed appropriate. Fort Pitt requires a minimum investment of $500,000; however, the firm reserves the right to accept lower amounts. Finally, Fort Pitt offers you the option of obtaining certain financial solutions from unaffiliated third-party financial institutions with the assistance of our affiliate Focus Client Solutions. For more detailed information about our services, refer to our Form ADV Part 2A (www.adviserinfo.sec.gov), especially Item 4 (services), Item 7 (types of clients), Item 13 (account monitoring) and Item 16 discretionary authority.
Questions you should ask us:
• 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?
WHAT FEES WILL I PAY?
Description of Principal Fees and Costs
Fort Pitt charged an asset-based fee which is a fee that is calculated based on a percentage of the total value of the assets in your account. We charge a maximum annual investment management fee of 1.00%. Specific fee schedules are provided to you via the investment management agreement. If you have less than the minimum initial investment amount, you may be subject to a minimum annual fee, resulting in a fee rate of more than 1.00%. From time to time, client fee schedules are subject to negotiation.
Fees are paid in advance, are calculated quarterly and are based on the value of your account, including any margin and/or cash balance, on the last trading day of the preceding month. Fees are prorated from the date that management begins and are charged at the start of the next month. All fees are automatically deducted from your accounts on a quarterly basis, unless otherwise agreed. You may terminate your relationship with Fort Pitt at any time. A pro rata portion of any pre-paid fees paid will be promptly refunded to you.
Description of Other Fees and Costs
You are responsible for any fees (including transactional and account maintenance fees) imposed by mutual funds, ETFs, retirement plans, broker-dealers, custodians or insurance companies. Such fees are imposed based on the recommendations made by Fort Pitt. These fees are charged separately and are in addition to the fees charged by Fort Pitt. Fort Pitt does not receive any portion of fees paid by you to any other party.
Fort Pitt may recommend an investment in the Fund. This creates a conflict of interest because Fort Pitt, as the investment adviser to the Fund, collects an annual management fee of 1.00% of the average daily balance of the Fund; but, Fort Pitt does not charge management fees for client assets invested in the Fund. We also pay a percentage of management fees to certain third parties (including the custodian of your assets) for referrals.
Additional Information
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. The fees for investment advisory services are described in further detail in our Form ADV Part 2A (www.adviserinfo.sec.gov), in particular, Item 5 (fees and compensation).
Questions you should ask us:
• 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 with 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 that we provide you. Here are some examples to help you understand what this means.
The more assets a retail investor’s advisory account holds, the more an investor will pay in fees, and Fort Pitt may therefore have an incentive to encourage you to increase the assets in your account. For more detailed information regarding conflicts of interest, please see our Form ADV Part 2A (www.adviserinfo.sec.gov).
Questions you should ask us:
• How might your conflicts of interest affect me, and how will you address them?
HOW DO YOUR FINANCIAL PROFESSIONALS MAKE MONEY?
Fort Pitt’s Financial Consultants are paid a salary and other non-cash compensation in the form of an employee benefits package and can earn a bonus based on the firm’s profits, exceptional client service, retaining and developing new client relationships. For example, Fort Pitt’s Financial Consultants are entitled to receive a portion of your management fees when they bring additional assets to the firm. This internal incentive does not result in additional fees paid by you. Certain of Fort Pitt’s Financial Consultants are also licensed insurance agents and in limited circumstances, they can recommend life insurance products to you. Such products are sold through unaffiliated insurance companies and all compensation to the Financial Consultant is separate and apart from the fees paid by you to Fort Pitt.
DO YOU OR YOUR FINANCIAL PROFESSIONALS HAVE LEGAL OR DISCIPLINARY HISTORY?
No. Fort Pitt does not have any legal or disciplinary history. Please see Investor.gov/CRS for a free and simple search tool to research Fort Pitt and our firm’s financial professionals.
Questions you should ask us:
• As a financial professional, do you have any disciplinary history? If so, for what type of conduct?
You can find additional information about our firm and our investment advisory services at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. You can also call Mary Jean Giconi at 412-921-1822 to request a copy of our current Form CRS Relationship Summary or Form ADV Part 2A.
• Who is my primary contact person?
• Is he or she a representative of an investment adviser or a broker-dealer?
• Who can I talk to if I have concerns about how this person is treating me?