Formulate Financial LLC

Formulate Financial, LLC is an independent registered investment adviser that provides discretionary portfolio management and retirement-plan fiduciary services to individuals, families, trusts, businesses and qualified retirement plans. The firm delivers customized asset allocation and income-focused strategies for retirement and also offers non‑discretionary and discretionary ERISA services as either a 3(21) advisor or a 3(38) investment manager.

Investment decisions are driven by a predominantly bottom‑up process: Formulate interviews clients to set objectives and risk tolerances, constructs individualized allocation guidelines, and generally implements portfolios using a mix of bonds, ETFs, and stocks while occasionally recommending private investments for eligible clients. Accounts are monitored on an ongoing basis with at least annual formal reviews, and the firm discloses that it may use short‑term trading or short sales when consistent with a client’s risk profile and transition assets over time rather than simultaneously.

What distinguishes Formulate from many peers is its scale relative to advisor headcount — the brochure reports about $229.4 million in assets under management across 104 discretionary accounts, reflecting an unusually high AUM-per-advisor profile for a small, supported firm. The practice also combines individual wealth management with formal ERISA plan roles, offers the option of fixed annual fees on a select basis, and discloses instances where principals and clients may participate in the same private investments (with conflict disclosures and a code of ethics), operational features that are less common among similar-sized advisors.