Archer Investment is a investment adviser based in Carmel, IN, that holds a 96.8/100 Fidelon TransparencyScore (95th percentile among SEC-registered advisers), with 80 registered advisors. Score based on public SEC and FINRA filings.
Archer Investment
Archer Investment Corp. · CRD #136403
A fee-only investment adviser with a clean regulatory record and fiduciary commitment.
Fidelon Fact Sheet
Archer Investment CORPORATION is an SEC-registered investment adviser in Carmel, IN. It used to be called Transitions Financial Indiana and Accupro Financial Services. Its 80 registered advisors typically serve individuals and families and pension and profit-sharing plans. It manages $1 billion across 5,147 client accounts. It charges a yearly percentage of your account that gets smaller as the account grows, and it does not report earning commissions. Its services include financial planning, retirement plan consulting for employers, educational seminars and market-timing advice. Its record shows no customer complaints, regulatory actions or fines.
Peer Context
497th of 10,815
SEC-registered advisers
Top 5%
8th of 140
SEC-registered advisers in IN
Top 6%
1st of 20
SEC-registered advisers in Carmel, IN
#1 ranked
How This Firm Works
Registration & Standard of Care
Investment Adviser — this firm is a registered investment adviser, held to a fiduciary standard — legally required to act in clients' best interests.
How This Firm Gets Paid
- Charges a percentage of assets under management
- Charges fixed fees for specific services
- Does not earn commissions on product sales
What you’d pay
Blended across 1 tiers, from $1,000,000 and above.
This fee is negotiable
“Although Archer has established the standard advisory fee schedule mentioned above, Archer retains the discretion to negotiate alternative fees on a client-by-client basis.”
From their Form ADV Part 2A. Most investors never ask.
Not included above
- • The advisory fee does not include mark-ups, markdowns, or payment of brokerage commissions, other transaction costs, or custodial fees that client will incur, as applicable
- • management or other fees imposed by the investment companies
- • for some 401k plans, fees may be charged monthly on the average balance or as a flat fee
- • Archer receives a 0.15% shareholder servicing fee for servicing certain institutional class shares of the Buffalo Funds
Estimated from the firm’s Form ADV Part 2A brochure — not a quote. Actual fees are set in your agreement and may differ. Costs charged by others (custodians, fund managers) are not included.
What This Firm Charges
| Account Size | Annual Fee |
|---|---|
| $0 - $500,000 | 1.00% |
| $500,001 - $999,999 | 0.75% |
| $1,000,000 and above | 0.50% |
Billed quarterly, in arrears
Extracted from Form ADV Part 2A brochure
Specializations
Extracted from Form ADV Part 2A brochure
Who They Typically Serve
Extracted from Form ADV Part 2A brochure
Key Findings
Strengths
- Fee-only compensation — no commission income reported
- Registered as investment adviser with fiduciary obligation
- No broker-dealer registration — advisory services only
- Clean regulatory record — no disclosures, arbitrations, or fines
- Transparent fee structure — charges advisory fees, no commissions
Conflict Audit
Zero material conflicts identified in regulatory filings.
Source: Form ADV Part 1, Items 6-8; Part 2A, Items 10-14
What this firm says about how it gets paid
“This presents a conflict of interest as we are financially incentivized to encourage you to place more assets in your advisory account[s] as you will ultimately pay more in advisory fees if the balance of the account[s] increase[s].”
“Each of The Archer Funds is authorized to pay our firm a management fee equal to 0.50% of the Funds’ average daily net assets, respectively.”
Source: the firm’s own Form CRS, filed 2025-11-18 — quoted directly
Regulatory Track Record
0
Disclosures
Clean record — no disclosures found
$0
Total Fines
Clean record — no fines found
Regulatory Events
TransparencyScore Dimensions
Disclosure Record
Customer complaints, arbitrations, and fines. Frequency and recency matter.
100/100
Strong
Avg for investment adviser firms: 82.6 | Top 10%: 99.5
Filing Quality
How clearly the firm describes services, fees, and investment approach in regulatory filings.
91/100
Strong
Avg for investment adviser firms: 84.1 | Top 10%: 100
Conflict Disclosure
How openly the firm explains who pays it and what it's paid to sell. The conflict isn't the problem — hiding it is.
65/100
Fair
Avg for investment adviser firms: 54 | Top 10%: 67
Enforcement History
Self-reported legal and disciplinary history from Form ADV Item 11.
100/100
Strong
Avg for investment adviser firms: 99.7 | Top 10%: 100
Their two-page relationship summary
The SEC requires every SEC-registered investment adviser to hand you this summary, called a Form CRS, and says what it must cover. We checked this firm's against that list. What is a Form CRS?
- Does it include everything the SEC requires?
- Required sections
- 95/100
- Does it explain how the firm's conflicts affect you?
- Conflicts of interest
- 69/100
- Can you tell what you would pay?
- What you pay
- 92/100
- Is it written in plain English?
- Plain language
- 92/100
This firm's Form CRS averages 87 out of 100 and adds 6.75 points to the score above.
What their brochure tells you
The firm must give you this brochure, Form ADV Part 2A, before you sign. We read it against the SEC's own instructions, item by item. Quotes are the firm's own words; page numbers refer to the filed brochure. What is in a brochure?
Can you tell what you'd pay and when?Brochure Fee Clarity100/100
The SEC asks every brochure to spell out the fee schedule, whether fees can be negotiated, how and when you are billed, the other costs you pay, and refunds.
The brochure answers every one of these.
- Can you tell what you'd pay?CoveredItem 5.A
Without a fee schedule you cannot compare this firm with any other.
The client can determine to engage Archer to provide discretionary or non-discretionary investment management services on a fee-only basis in accordance with the following schedule:p. 5
- Does it say whether the fee can be negotiated?CoveredItem 5.A
If fees are negotiable, other clients may be paying less than you for the same service.
Although Archer has established the standard advisory fee schedule mentioned above, Archer retains the discretion to negotiate alternative fees on a client-by-client basis.p. 5
- Does it say whether the fee comes out of your account or gets billed?CoveredItem 5.B
A fee taken straight from your account is easy to stop noticing.
Fees will be debited from the account in accordance with the client authorization in the Client Services Agreement.p. 5
- Does it say how often you're charged?CoveredItem 5.B
Monthly, quarterly, in advance or in arrears changes what you owe when you leave.
Archer’s annual investment management fee is prorated and charged quarterly, in arrears, based upon the average market value (except as noted below) of the assets of the previous quarter.p. 5
- Does it list the other costs you pay, like fund and custodian fees?CoveredItem 5.C
The advisory fee is rarely the whole bill; fund, trading and custody costs come on top.
The advisory fee does not include mark-ups, markdowns, or payment of brokerage commissions, other transaction costs, or custodial fees that client will incur, as applicable.p. 5
- Does it say how you get money back if you leave mid-period?CoveredItem 5.D
If you pay in advance and leave early, the refund rule decides what you get back.
Upon such termination, any unpaid fees for services received by the client are due and immediately payable to Archer.p. 6
Does it explain each conflict of interest and what it could cost you?Brochure Conflict Specificity65/100
The SEC asks the brochure to name each way the firm gets paid besides your fee, what that tempts the firm to do, and what it can cost you.
Each point is marked Covered or Not found. When a point is not found, we say what to ask.
If it has an affiliated adviser or private fund, does it explain what that means for you?
An affiliated adviser or private fund
- Does the brochure name this conflict where the SEC requires?CoveredItems 10/11/12.B/14
A conflict named in the right place is one the firm has thought about; one buried elsewhere is easy to miss.
Archer Investment Corporation may recommend the purchase of proprietary mutual funds (Mutual Funds of the Archer Investment Series Trust) to advisory clients.p. 11
- Does it explain what this arrangement tempts the firm to do?Not found in the brochureStaff Bulletin Q11
You can only judge advice when you know which way it is being pulled.
What to askAsk what this arrangement gives the firm a reason to recommend, and how often that happens.
- Does it describe what the arrangement actually is?Not found in the brochureStaff Bulletin Q11
A conflict described in one vague sentence tells you it exists but not how it works.
What to askAsk the advisor to explain this arrangement in plain terms, including who pays whom.
- Does it say what the firm is paid for it?CoveredStaff Bulletin Q11
The size of the payment tells you how strong the pull is.
A conflict of interest exists to the extent the total compensation to Archer is increased.p. 11
- Does it say how the firm comes out ahead?Not found in the brochureStaff Bulletin Q11
Benefits that are not cash, like free services or referrals, still shape advice.
What to askAsk what the firm gains from this arrangement beyond fees.
- Does it say what it can cost you?Not found in the brochureStaff Bulletin Q11
Every conflict has a price; the question is whether the brochure puts it in your hands.
What to askAsk what this arrangement can cost you, in fees, returns or choices you do not get.
- Does it say how the firm keeps this conflict in check?Not assessed yetItems 10.C-D, 11.B-D, 14.A
A conflict with no control on it is left to the advisor's goodwill.
What to askAsk whether any fund or adviser recommended to you is owned by or tied to the firm, and what fees that adds.
If the firm pays people who refer clients, does it explain those payments?
Payments to people who refer clients to the firm
- Does the brochure name this conflict where the SEC requires?CoveredItems 10/11/12.B/14
A conflict named in the right place is one the firm has thought about; one buried elsewhere is easy to miss.
If a client is introduced to Archer by a solicitor, Archer will pay that solicitor a fee in accordance with the applicable federal and state securities law requirements.p. 14
- Does it explain what this arrangement tempts the firm to do?Not found in the brochureStaff Bulletin Q11
You can only judge advice when you know which way it is being pulled.
What to askAsk what this arrangement gives the firm a reason to recommend, and how often that happens.
- Does it describe what the arrangement actually is?Not found in the brochureStaff Bulletin Q11
A conflict described in one vague sentence tells you it exists but not how it works.
What to askAsk the advisor to explain this arrangement in plain terms, including who pays whom.
- Does it say what the firm is paid for it?CoveredStaff Bulletin Q11
The size of the payment tells you how strong the pull is.
generally, the compensation will be based upon Archer’s engagement of new clients and the retention of those clients and would be calculated using a varying percentage of the fees paid to Archer by such clients until the account is closed by written authorization from the client.p. 14
- Does it say how the firm comes out ahead?Not found in the brochureStaff Bulletin Q11
Benefits that are not cash, like free services or referrals, still shape advice.
What to askAsk what the firm gains from this arrangement beyond fees.
- Does it say what it can cost you?Not found in the brochureStaff Bulletin Q11
Every conflict has a price; the question is whether the brochure puts it in your hands.
What to askAsk what this arrangement can cost you, in fees, returns or choices you do not get.
- Does it say how the firm keeps this conflict in check?Not assessed yetItems 10.C-D, 11.B-D, 14.A
A conflict with no control on it is left to the advisor's goodwill.
What to askAsk whether anyone was paid to refer you to the firm, and whether that affects what you pay.
Do they earn commissions on products, and do they say so?Brochure Sales CompensationNot applicable
Not applicable: the brochure describes no product-sales commissions
Do they get free research or services from brokers, and does it affect you?Brochure Soft DollarsNot applicable
Not applicable: the brochure describes no research or services from brokers
A point not found is not a finding against the firm; many points apply only when the firm has that arrangement, and state-registered firms file the same brochure form.
Next Steps
Advisor Roster
80 advisors
| Advisor | CRD | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Wendell Rosebrough | 2677560 | — | — |
| Tamara Everman Williams | 2942987 | — | — |
| Gabriel David Cena | 6576203 | — | — |
| Kevin Miles Davis | 5400496 | — | — |
| Troy Carter Patton | 2806817 | — | — |
| Michael Joseph Adrian III | 2285905 | — | — |
| Carl Frank Bosch Jr | 2288813 | — | — |
| Cheryl Ann Schwartz | 2415708 | — | — |
| Paul Francis Sullivan Jr | 2429622 | — | — |
| Bill Miranda Casarez | 2509701 | — | — |
Marketing Brands22 brands
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does the TransparencyScore measure?
The TransparencyScore measures how clearly and completely an advisor or firm discloses important information in their regulatory filings — things like fees, conflicts of interest, disciplinary history, and business practices. A higher score means better disclosure quality, not better investment performance.
Where does this data come from?
All data comes from public regulatory filings: SEC Form ADV (Parts 1, 2, and 3), FINRA BrokerCheck, and the SEC's Investment Adviser Public Disclosure (IAPD) database. These are official filings that firms and advisors are legally required to submit.
Does a low score mean they're a bad advisor?
Not necessarily. A low score means the firm's public filings are less transparent — they may use vague language about fees, skip details about conflicts, or have a more complex regulatory history. Some excellent advisors work at firms with poor disclosure practices. The score measures the filing, not the person.
How often is this data updated?
Fidelon refreshes data from SEC and FINRA sources on a regular schedule. Form ADV filings are updated annually by firms (with amendments throughout the year), and BrokerCheck data is updated as events are reported. Scores are recalculated after each data refresh.
Can an advisor or firm improve their score?
Yes. Scores are based on what's in public filings. A firm that rewrites its ADV brochure in clearer language, discloses conflicts more specifically, or resolves outstanding regulatory issues will see its score improve at the next refresh. The incentive structure is intentional.
Data Sources
Scores are generated using Fidelon's published scoring methodology and reflect the quality of public disclosures, not the quality of investment advice. A firm that improves its disclosures will see its score improve. Fidelon does not provide investment advice.
Verify on SEC IAPD
Last scored: · Score version: 3.15 · CRD #136403