Freestate Advisors is a investment adviser based in Overland Park, KS, that holds a 87.3/100 Fidelon TransparencyScore (61st percentile among SEC-registered advisers), with 9 registered advisors. Score based on public SEC and FINRA filings.
Freestate Advisors
Freestate Advisors LLC · CRD #145800
A fee-only investment adviser with a clean regulatory record and fiduciary commitment.
Fidelon Fact Sheet
Freestate Advisors LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser in Overland Park, KS. It used to be called Freestate Capital Advisors LLC. Its 9 registered advisors typically serve high-net-worth individuals and pension and profit-sharing plans. It manages $181.8 million across 635 client accounts. It charges a yearly percentage of your account, and it does not report earning commissions. Its services include financial planning, portfolio management, educational seminars and market-timing advice. It reports that it can hold or access client money, which the SEC requires firms to disclose. Its record shows no customer complaints, regulatory actions or fines.
Peer Context
4,161st of 10,815
SEC-registered advisers
Top 39%
39th of 119
SEC-registered advisers in KS
Top 33%
15th of 66
SEC-registered advisers in Overland park, KS
Top 23%
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
- Does not earn commissions on product sales
What you’d pay
Blended across 1 tiers, from $0 - $2,000,000.
Not included above
- • Brokerage commissions and/or transaction ticket fees charged by the qualified custodian
- • mutual fund sales loads, 12b-1 fees, surrender charges, and IRA and qualified retirement plan fees
- • fees and expenses charged by Plan administrators, custodians, and platform providers
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 - $2,000,000 | 1.00% |
| $0 - $2,000,000 | 1.95% |
Billed quarterly calculation, collected monthly
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
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, whether every client benefits or only some, or whether those perks stay within what the law allows. Ask how the firm chooses the broker for your trades and whether perks play any part.Item 12.A.1
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
“Because our fee is based upon the value of your account, we have an incentive to recommend that you increase the level of assets in your account.”
Source: the firm’s own Form CRS, filed 2025-01-09 — 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.
88/100
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.
59/100
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?
- Does it include everything the SEC requires?
- Required sections
- 98/100
- Does it explain how the firm's conflicts affect you?
- Conflicts of interest
What to askAsk the advisor to name every way the firm gets paid besides your fee, and how each one can affect their advice.
- 42/100
- Can you tell what you would pay?
- What you pay
- 92/100
- Is it written in plain English?
- Plain language
- 95/100
This firm's Form CRS averages 82 out of 100. It adds 5.44 points once the firm's filings and record score 90 on their own; they score 87.26 today.
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.
Clients are charged for our Advisory Services based on a percentage of total assets under management in accordance with one of the following fee schedules.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.
Generally, fees are deducted directly 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.
Fees for Freestate Advisors LLC’s services are divided and calculated quarterly in advance based on the total assets under management at the beginning of the quarter.p. 9
- 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.
In addition, clients will incur certain charges imposed by third parties other than Freestate in connection with investments made through the account, including but not limited to, mutual fund sales loads, 12b-1 fees and surrender charges, and IRA and qualified retirement plan fees.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.
If services are terminated after the initial five-day period, Freestate will provide a refund pro-rated based on the number of days elapsed in the quarter.p. 9
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.
LaSandra Rice receives other incentive awards for the recommendation/sale of insurance products.p. 13
- Does it explain what this arrangement tempts the firm to do?CoveredStaff Bulletin Q11
You can only judge advice when you know which way it is being pulled.
clients should be aware that the receipt of commissions and additional compensation itself creates a conflict of interest and can affect their decision-making process when making recommendations.p. 13
- Does it describe what the arrangement actually is?CoveredStaff Bulletin Q11
A conflict described in one vague sentence tells you it exists but not how it works.
The receipt of compensation and other incentive benefits can affect her judgment when recommending products to her clients.p. 13
- Does it say what the firm is paid for it?Not found in the brochureStaff Bulletin Q11
The size of the payment tells you how strong the pull is.
What to askAsk how much the firm or its people receive from this arrangement in a typical year.
- 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.
If the firm gets research or services from a custodian or broker, does it explain them?
Research or services received from a custodian or broker (soft dollars)
- 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.
Schwab and Fidelity also make available to Freestate other products and services that benefit the Firm but not benefit its clients' accounts.p. 16
- 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?CoveredStaff Bulletin Q11
A conflict described in one vague sentence tells you it exists but not how it works.
While as a fiduciary, Freestate endeavors to act in its clients' best interests, the Firm’s recommendation that clients maintain their assets in accounts at Schwab or Fidelity is based in part on the benefit to Freestate of the availability of some of the foregoing products and services and not solely on the nature, cost or quality of custody and brokerage services provided, which is a conflict of interest.p. 16
- Does it say what the firm is paid for it?Not found in the brochureStaff Bulletin Q11
The size of the payment tells you how strong the pull is.
What to askAsk how much the firm or its people receive from this arrangement in a typical year.
- Does it say how the firm comes out ahead?CoveredStaff Bulletin Q11
Benefits that are not cash, like free services or referrals, still shape advice.
These services include consulting, publications and conferences on practice management, information technology, business succession, regulatory compliance, and marketing.p. 16
- 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 what the firm receives from the custodian or broker it uses for you, and whether that costs you anything.
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 Dollars41/100
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.
These include software and other technology that provide access to client account data (such as trade confirmation and account statements); facilitate trade execution (and allocation of aggregated trade orders for multiple client accounts); provide research, pricing information and other market datap. 16
- Does it say the firm benefits by not paying for those things?CoveredItem 12.A.1.a
A perk the firm would otherwise buy is money in the firm's pocket, paid with your trades.
Schwab and Fidelity also make available to Freestate other products and services that benefit the Firm but not benefit its clients' accounts.p. 16
- 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
9 advisors
| Advisor | CRD | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polly Peters | 2801070 | — | — |
| Lasandra Leeann Rice | 3087557 | — | — |
| Tom Russell Halvorson | 5458463 | — | — |
| Philip David Taylor | 6179116 | — | — |
| Melinda Eisenhour Parks | 2324094 | — | — |
| Nathan Emerson Haskins | 6852825 | — | — |
| David Matthew Barth | 7404207 | — | — |
| Kelly Bryan Holloway | 6926668 | — | — |
| Michael Edward Thomas | 2119910 | — | — |
Preparing for a meeting?
Pick an advisor at this firm to get a prep kit with their fees, conflicts, track record, and the questions worth asking.
Monitor this firm
Get notified when something changes — new complaints, score movements, firm changes. Free.
Free: 1 advisor, monthly status report. Pro ($7/mo): up to 5, instant alerts, pending complaints.
Is this your profile?
Claim it to understand your TransparencyScore, see your level, and track changes over time.
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 #145800