Foster Group, Inc. (“Foster Group”) is an SEC registered investment advisor with offices in West Des Moines, Iowa and Omaha, Nebraska. Foster Group and its representatives are in compliance with the current filing requirements imposed upon SEC registered investment advisors by those states in which Foster Group maintains clients. Foster Group may only transact business in those states in which it is registered, or qualifies for an exemption or exclusion from registration requirements. SEC registration does not constitute an endorsement of the firm by the Commission nor does it indicate that the advisor has attained a particular level of skill or ability.
Foster Group’s website is limited to the dissemination of general information pertaining to its advisory services, together with access to additional investment-related information, publications, and links. Accordingly, the publication of Foster Group’s website on the Internet should not be construed by any consumer and/or prospective client as Foster Group’s solicitation to effect, or attempt to effect transactions in securities, or the rendering of personalized investment advice for compensation, over the Internet. Any subsequent, direct communication by Foster Group with a prospective client shall be conducted by a representative that is either registered or qualifies for an exemption or exclusion from registration in the state where the prospective client resides. For information pertaining to the registration status of Foster Group, please contact the SEC or the state securities regulators for those states in which Foster Group maintains a notice filing. A copy of Foster Group’s current written disclosure statement discussing Foster Group’s business operations, services, and fees is available from Foster Group upon written request. Foster Group does not make any representations or warranties as to the accuracy, timeliness, suitability, completeness, or relevance of any information prepared by any unaffiliated third party, whether linked to Foster Group web site or incorporated herein, and takes no responsibility therefore. All such information is provided solely for convenience purposes only and all users thereof should be guided accordingly.
Certain portions of Foster Group’s website (i.e. newsletters, articles, commentaries, etc.) may contain a discussion of, and/or provide access to, Foster Group (and those of other investment and non-investment professionals) positions and/or recommendations as of a specific prior date. Due to various factors, including changing market conditions, such discussion may no longer be reflective of current position(s) and/or recommendation(s). Moreover, no client or prospective client should assume that any such discussion serves as the receipt of, or a substitute for, personalized advice from Foster Group, or from any other investment professional. Foster Group is neither a law firm nor a certified public accounting firm and no portion of the blog, article, or newsletter content should be construed as legal or accounting advice.
Neither rankings and/or recognitions by unaffiliated rating services, publications, media, or other organizations, nor the achievement of any designation, certification, or license should be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if Foster Group is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. Rankings published by magazines, and others, generally base their selections exclusively on information prepared and/or submitted by the recognized adviser. Rankings are generally limited to participating advisers (see link as to participation data/criteria, to the extent applicable). Foster Group is [recognized/designated] as a White Coat Advisor after submitting [an application/to vetting process] and payment of a fee. Unless expressly indicated to the contrary, Foster Group has not paid to be included in any other ranking or recognition. No ranking or recognition should be construed as a current or past endorsement of Foster Group by any of its clients.
To the extent that any client or prospective client utilizes any economic calculator or similar interactive device contained within or linked to Foster Group’s website, the client and/or prospective client acknowledges and understands that the information resulting from the use of any such calculator/device, is not, and should not be construed, in any manner whatsoever, as the receipt of, or a substitute for, personalized individual advice from Foster Group, or from any other investment professional.
Each client and prospective client agrees, as a condition precedent to his/her/its access to Foster Group’s website, to release and hold harmless Foster Group, its officers, directors, owners, employees and agents from any and all adverse consequences resulting from any of his/her/its actions and/or omissions which are independent of his/her/its receipt of personalized individual advice from Foster Group.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Center for Financial Planning, Inc. owns and licenses the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the United States to Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., which authorizes individuals who successfully complete the organization’s initial and ongoing certification requirements to use the certification marks.
IMPORTANT ADVERTISING DISCLOSURE
Past performance may not be indicative of future results. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk. Therefore, it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy (including the investments and/or investment strategies recommended and/or undertaken by Foster Group, Inc. [“Foster Group”]), or any non-investment related services, will be profitable, equal any historical performance level(s), be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful.
Foster Group is neither a law firm, nor a certified public accounting firm, and no portion of its services should be construed as legal or accounting advice. Moreover, you should not assume that any discussion or information contained in this document serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from Foster Group. Please remember that it remains your responsibility to advise Foster Group, in writing, if there are any changes in your personal/financial situation or investment objectives for the purpose of reviewing/evaluating/revising our previous recommendations and/or services, or if you would like to impose, add, or to modify any reasonable restrictions to our investment advisory services. A copy of our current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees is available upon request. The scope of the services to be provided depends upon the needs of the client and the terms of the engagement.
Historical performance results for investment indices, benchmarks, and/or categories have been provided for general informational/comparison purposes only, and generally do not reflect the deduction of transaction and/or custodial charges, the deduction of an investment management fee, nor the impact of taxes, the incurrence of which would have the effect of decreasing historical performance results. It should not be assumed that your account holdings correspond directly to any comparative indices or categories.
Note: (1) performance results do not reflect the impact of taxes; (2) comparative benchmarks/indices may be more or less volatile than your accounts; and, (3) a description of each comparative benchmark/index is available upon request.
Limitations: Neither rankings and/or recognitions by unaffiliated rating services, publications, media, or other organizations, nor the achievement of any designation, certification, or license should be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if Foster Group is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. Rankings published by magazines, and others, generally base their selections exclusively on information prepared and/or submitted by the recognized adviser. Rankings are generally limited to participating advisers (see link as to participation data/criteria, to the extent applicable). Unless expressly indicated to the contrary, Foster Group did not pay a fee to be included on any such ranking. No ranking or recognition should be construed as a current or past endorsement of Foster Group by any of its clients.
ANY QUESTIONS: Foster Group’s Chief Compliance Officer remains available to address any questions regarding rankings and/or recognitions, including the criteria used for any reflected ranking.
IMPORTANT INFORMATIONAL DISCLOSURE
Please remember that past performance may not be indicative of future results. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and there can be no assurance that the future performance of any specific investment, investment strategy, or product (including the investments and/or investment strategies recommended or undertaken by Foster Group, Inc. [“Foster Group”]), or any non-investment related content, made reference to directly or indirectly in this blog, article, or newsletter will be profitable, equal any corresponding indicated historical performance level(s), be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful. Due to various factors, including changing market conditions and/or applicable laws, the content may no longer be reflective of current opinions or positions. Moreover, you should not assume that any discussion or information contained in this blog, article, or newsletter serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from Foster Group.
Please remember that if you are a Foster Group client, it remains your responsibility to advise Foster Group, in writing, if there are any changes in your personal/financial situation or investment objectives for the purpose of reviewing/evaluating/revising our previous recommendations and/or services, or if you would like to impose, add, or to modify any reasonable restrictions to our investment advisory services. To the extent that a reader has any questions regarding the applicability of any specific issue discussed above to his/her individual situation, he/she is encouraged to consult with the professional advisor of his/her choosing. Foster Group is neither a law firm nor a certified public accounting firm and no portion of the blog, article, or newsletter content should be construed as legal or accounting advice. A copy of the Foster Group’s current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees is available for review upon request.
Foster Group does not make any representations or warranties as to the accuracy, timeliness, suitability, completeness, or relevance of any information prepared by any unaffiliated third party, whether linked to Foster Group’s web site or blog or incorporated herein, and takes no responsibility for any such content. All such information is provided solely for convenience purposes only and all users thereof should be guided accordingly.
CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP SUMMARY
Please view Foster Group’s Form Customer Relationship Summary (CRS) to view information about our services, costs and fees associated with those services, our legal obligations to clients as investment advisors, any conflicts of interest, disciplinary history for our firm and advisors, explanation of how Foster Group’s financial professionals are compensated, and sources of additional information about Foster Group.
PRIVACY NOTICE
The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act requires the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to establish standards to safeguard client information and records. As a result, the SEC adopted Regulation S-P which, among other things, requires investment advisors registered with the SEC to adopt appropriate policies and procedures that address safeguards to protect this information and to disclose its privacy policies to clients.
Foster Group, Inc. (“Foster Group”) always has taken great measures to protect and safeguard information it gathers on Foster Group clients. As a financial company, Foster Group can choose if or how it shares client personal information. Federal law gives consumers the right to limit some but not all sharing. Federal law also requires Foster Group to tell clients how it collects, shares, and protects client personal information. Please read this notice carefully to understand what Foster Group does.
Types of Information Collected
We collect non-public personal information about you from the following sources:
Foster Group’s web servers collect domain names and/or IP addresses of users to measure what pages and features visitors accessed. This information helps it administer the site, improve content, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use.
Foster Group may use “cookies” or similar files or scripts throughout its website to enhance client/visitor convenience in using its websites, to improve search functionality, or to hold information that clients/visitors would otherwise need to re-key. “Cookies” are text files collected by a user’s web browser. If clients/visitors do not wish to accept “cookies” from Foster Group’s website, clients/visitors may configure their web browser so that it does not accept “cookies.” However, certain functions available on Foster Group’s website may be lost.
In order to understand how advertising performs, Foster Group may collect certain information on its Site and other sites and mobile apps through advertising service providers using cookies, IP addresses, and other technologies. The collected information may include the number of page visits, pages viewed on Foster Group’s Site, search engine referrals, browsing activities over time and across other sites following clients/visitors accessing its Site, and responses to advertisements and promotions on the Site and on sites and apps where Foster Group advertises.
Foster Group uses information described in this Notice to help advertise its products and services, analyze the effectiveness of the advertising, and determine additional need for marketing.
If client/visitor prefer Foster Group not use information based on online Site behavior, clients may opt out of online behavioral advertising by going to https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
Use of Personal Information
Foster Group does not sell client personal information to anyone. It does not share client information for joint marketing with other financial companies or share information about client transactions and experiences or information about client creditworthiness. Foster Group does not share client information so its affiliates or non-affiliates can market to them.
Foster Group does not disclose or share nonpublic personal information about clients to third parties, unless one of the following limited exceptions applies or the client has specifically asked to do so:
Foster Group restricts access to client personal and account information to those employees who need to know that information in order to provide services to clients. Foster Group maintains physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to guard client nonpublic personal information.
Additionally, whenever Foster Group hires other organizations to provide services to Foster Group’s clients, Foster Group will require them to sign confidentiality agreements and/or the Privacy Policy.
From time to time it may be useful or convenient for Foster Group to discuss client’s financial information with other professionals engaged by the client, such as their attorney, CPA, or insurance agent. Foster Group will secure written authorization from client prior to the sharing of any information and may also request written authorization to receive information from these other professional advisors in serving the client.
Emergency Contact
From time to time due to unforeseen circumstances relating to the physical or mental health of a client, the best financial interests of the client may be served if Foster Group is able to communicate regarding the client with another individual. If the client has provided Foster Group with a properly executed copy of the client’s power of attorney, Foster Group may contact the client’s attorney-in-fact, if Foster Group reasonably believes doing so is in the best interest of the client. If the client has provided Foster Group with a properly executed copy of a Trusted Contact Form, Foster Group may communicate with the Trusted Contact. If the client’s attorney-in-fact or Trusted Contact is unavailable, Foster Group may communicate with a responsible family member Foster Group reasonably believes is an appropriate person with whom to communicate under the circumstances.
Sharing Practices Notification
Foster Group must provide clients with a copy of this statement which details its sharing practices when the client initially opens an account and each year while remaining a client.
Changes to Privacy Policy
In the future, Foster Group may offer new and different programs that necessitate a change in this Policy. Foster Group reserves the right to change its privacy policy at any time without prior notice. Any changes to the privacy policy will be posted on its website at www.fostergrp.com under the Privacy section and will be effective immediately upon posting.
Governing Law and Jurisdiction
Any disputes arising out of this Policy, and Foster Group’s collection and use of client information, shall be governed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the United States and the State of Iowa.
Phishing Scams
Foster Group does not send emails to clients requesting billing, login, or password information. If clients receive an email purporting to be from Foster Group that asks a client to provide personal or account information, or login and passwords, do not provide such information unless the client has first verified that the website or email is from Foster Group.
Such emails may be fraudulent and used in connection with scams known as phishing. Foster Group asks that clients report any suspicious emails or websites to Foster Group.
Disposal of Information
Foster Group has taken steps to reasonably ensure that the privacy of client nonpublic personal information is maintained at all times, including in connection with the disposal of information that is no longer required to be maintained. Such steps shall include whenever possible, shredding paper documents and records prior to disposal, requiring off-site storage vendors to shred documents maintained in such locations prior to disposal, and erasing and/or obliterating any data contained on electronic media in such a manner that the information can no longer be read or reconstructed.
Right to Limit Sharing
Federal law gives you the right to limit sharing only for:
State laws and individual companies may give you additional rights to limit sharing.
Contact and Modifying Personal Information
If clients should ever decide to close an account(s) or become an inactive client, Foster Group will continue to adhere to the privacy policies and practices as described in this notice.
Should clients have any questions about the privacy and protection of their records, please contact Foster Group and a representative will be happy to discuss this matter.
Please note that you cannot opt out of receiving any notifications or disclosures that we are required by Federal or State law to provide to you.
Definitions:
ANY QUESTIONS: Foster Group’s Chief Compliance Officer remains available to address any questions regarding rankings and/or recognitions, including the criteria used for any reflected ranking.