C 3 Financial Strategies is a investment adviser based in Newbury Park, CA, that holds a 77.3/100 Fidelon TransparencyScore (4th percentile among state-registered advisers), with 1 registered advisor. Score based on public SEC and FINRA filings.
C 3 Financial Strategies
Brenda Jean Coyle · CRD #166000
A registered investment adviser with a clean regulatory record.
Fidelon Fact Sheet
C 3 Financial Strategies is a state-registered investment adviser in Newbury Park, CA. It has one registered advisor. It manages $8.5 million across 63 client accounts. It charges a yearly percentage of your account that gets smaller as the account grows, and it can also earn commissions when it sells you a product. Its services include financial planning and portfolio management. Its record shows no customer complaints, regulatory actions or fines.
Peer Context
15,236th of 15,825
state-registered advisers
Bottom 4%
2,310th of 2,392
state-registered advisers in CA
Bottom 3%
5th of 5
state-registered advisers in Newbury park, CA
Bottom 1%
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
- Can earn money selling products alongside advice — the product company pays that, so it never appears on an advisory invoice
What you’d pay
Blended across 1 tiers, from $750,000 - $1,000,000.
Not included above
- • Financial planning on quoted project fee basis
- • workshops/seminars fees determined in advance
- • brokerage commissions, transaction fees, custodial fees, mutual fund internal fees, account termination fees ($0-$200 range)
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 - $250,000 | 1.00% |
| $250,000 - $500,000 | 0.95% |
| $500,000 - $750,000 | 0.90% |
| $750,000 - $1,000,000 | 0.85% |
| $1,000,000 - $1,500,000 | 0.80% |
| $1,500,000 - $2,000,000 | 0.70% |
| $2,000,000 and above | 0.60% |
Billed quarterly, in advance
Extracted from Form ADV Part 2A brochure
Specializations
Extracted from Form ADV Part 2A brochure
Key Findings
Strengths
- Registered as investment adviser with fiduciary obligation
- Clean regulatory record — no disclosures, arbitrations, or fines
Things You Should Know
- Its brochure says it receives research or services from brokers, but it does not say those perks can shape which broker it picks for you, the firm benefits by not paying for those things, or whether every client benefits or only some. Ask how the firm chooses the broker for your trades and whether perks play any part.Item 12.A.1
- Its brochure says some of its people can earn insurance commissions, but it does not say you can buy the same products elsewhere, commissions can shape what they recommend, or whether commissions lower your advisory fee. Ask whether you could buy any recommended product through another broker or insurer.Item 5.E
Conflict Audit
Our analysis identified 1 potential conflict of interest in regulatory filings.
Source: Form ADV Part 1, Items 6-8; Part 2A, Items 10-14
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.
51/100
Weak
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?
Not required
This firm is not required to file a Form CRS.
Without a Form CRS, the score above cannot go over 90. A firm that gives us one is scored on the same yardstick and can earn up to 10 more points.
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 Clarity90/100
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.
Each point is marked Covered or Not found. When a point is not found, we say what to ask.
- Can you tell what you'd pay?CoveredItem 5.A
Without a fee schedule you cannot compare this firm with any other.
C 3 Financial Strategies’ investment advisory fee is based upon a percentage (%) of the market value of the assets placed in under C 3 Financial Strategies’ management as follows:p. 8
- Does it say whether the fee can be negotiated?Not found in the brochureItem 5.A
If fees are negotiable, other clients may be paying less than you for the same service.
What to askAsk whether the fee is negotiable, and what other clients at your account size pay.
- 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.
Clients may provide written authorization to the custodian of their accounts to pay C 3 Financial Strategies’ fees from the client’s account.p. 9
- 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.
Investment advisory fees are billed quarterly, in advance, at the beginning of each calendar quarter based on the value (market value or fair market value in the absence of market value), of the client’s account at the end of the previous quarter.p. 8
- 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.
C 3 Financial Strategies’ fees are exclusive of brokerage commissions, transaction fees, and other related costs and expenses which shall be incurred by the client.p. 9
- 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 written termination of any account, any prepaid, unearned fees will be promptly refunded, with the refund calculations based pro rata to the date of termination.p. 10
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 its people can earn insurance commissions, does it explain them?
Insurance commissions
- 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.
Brenda Coyle is a licensed insurance agent through numerous insurance companies. In such a capacity, she may offer insurance products and receive normal and customary commissions as a result of such purchases.p. 19
- 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.
In such a capacity, she may offer insurance products and receive normal and customary commissions as a result of such purchases.p. 19
- 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 at the firm earns a commission on insurance recommended to you, and whether it lowers your fee.
Do they earn commissions on products, and do they say so?Brochure Sales Compensation40/100
When a firm or its people sell products for a commission, the SEC asks the brochure to say so, name the pull, and tell you whether you could buy elsewhere.
Each point is marked Covered or Not found. When a point is not found, we say what to ask.
- Does it say that earning commissions is a conflict of interest?CoveredItem 5.E.1
A firm paid to sell a product has a reason to recommend it that has nothing to do with you.
In such a capacity, she may offer insurance products and receive normal and customary commissions as a result of such purchases.p. 19
- Does it say commissions can shape what they recommend?Not found in the brochureItem 5.E.1
Naming the pull is the first step to controlling it; silence leaves it working on you.
What to askAsk how the firm keeps commissions from steering the advice you get.
- Does it say you can buy the same products elsewhere?Not found in the brochureItem 5.E.2
You may be able to buy the same product for less somewhere else.
What to askAsk whether you could buy any recommended product through another broker or insurer.
- Does it say whether commissions lower your advisory fee?Not found in the brochureItem 5.E.4
If the firm earns a commission and the full advisory fee, you pay twice for one recommendation.
What to askAsk whether any commission the firm earns is credited against your advisory fee.
Do they get free research or services from brokers, and does it affect you?Brochure Soft Dollars18/100
When brokers give the firm research or services in return for your trades, the SEC asks the brochure to say what the firm gets and what it may cost you.
Each point is marked Covered or Not found. When a point is not found, we say what to ask.
- Does it list what the firm gets from brokers for free?CoveredItem 12.A.1.e
Research, software and data paid for by your trades are a cost you never see.
Included within the support services that may be obtained by C 3 Financial Strategies may be investment-related research, pricing information and market data, software and other technology that provide access to client account data, compliance and/or practice management-related publicationsp. 23
- Does it say the firm benefits by not paying for those things?Not found in the brochureItem 12.A.1.a
A perk the firm would otherwise buy is money in the firm's pocket, paid with your trades.
What to askAsk what the firm would have to pay for those services if it bought them itself.
- Does it say those perks can shape which broker it picks for you?Not found in the brochureItem 12.A.1.b
Your trades should go where you get the best deal, not where the firm gets the best perks.
What to askAsk how the firm chooses the broker for your trades and whether perks play any part.
- Does it say whether those perks stay within what the law allows?Not found in the brochureItem 12.A.1.e note
The law allows research paid for with client trades only within limits; outside them, it is your money.
What to askAsk whether everything the firm receives from brokers is research the law lets it take in return for your trades.
- Does it say whether you pay more in trading costs because of those perks?Does not applyItem 12.A.1.c
Paying up for trades to earn the firm a perk comes straight out of your returns.
- Does it say whether every client benefits or only some?Not found in the brochureItem 12.A.1.d
Your trades may be paying for research that helps other clients' accounts, not yours.
What to askAsk whether the research your trades help pay for is used for your account.
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
1 advisor
| Advisor | CRD | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brenda Jean Coyle | 5917659 | — | — |
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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 #166000