Who is J.W. Cole and what is the company’s relationship to Financial Planning Hawaii?

Financial Planning Hawaii is a state of Hawaii Registered Investment Adviser.  J.W. Cole Financial is an SEC-Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) and J.W.Cole Financial is a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) broker-dealer. 

Financial Planning Hawaii and J.W. Cole are unaffiliated companies.  However, whenever Financial Planning Hawaii offers comprehensive financial planning guidance that includes ongoing asset-based investment management, Financial Planning Hawaii personnel operate as investment adviser representatives (IARs) under J.W. Cole Advisors’ RIA.  In this capacity, they fall under J.W. Cole’s compliance and regulatory supervision. 

When offering fee-only financial planning services that do not involve asset-based investment advisory services or the establishment of a brokerage account(s), Financial Planning Hawaii (DBA Fee-Only Planning Hawaii) operates as its own unaffiliated RIA subject to the State of Hawaii’s Security Commissioner’s regulatory oversight.

While Fee-Only Planning Hawaii clients will not establish investment advisor or brokerage accounts with J.W. Cole Advisors or J.W. Cole Financial, occasionally, asset-based financial planning clients under J.W. Cole Advisors may also establish separate brokerage accounts with J.W. Cole Financial.  In such instances, the appropriateness of this recommendation falls under the SEC’s “Best Interest” standard and benefits and potential conflicts of interests must be disclosed to the client in advance in SEC Form CRS.

For further details, please refer to the disclosure links provided on the PRICING page of this website.