Madrone Investment Advisory is a investment adviser based in San Rafael, CA, that holds a 97.4/100 Fidelon TransparencyScore (97th percentile among SEC-registered advisers), with 1 registered advisor. Score based on public SEC and FINRA filings.
Madrone Investment Advisory
Madrone Investment Advisory, LLC · CRD #149549
A fee-only investment adviser with a clean regulatory record and fiduciary commitment.
Fidelon Fact Sheet
Madrone Investment Advisory, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser in San Rafael, CA. It used to be called Edgewood Investment Management, L.L.C. and Madrone Retirement Advisors, LLC. Its one registered advisor typically serves pension and profit-sharing plans. It manages $254.3 million across 375 client accounts. It charges one yearly percentage of your account, and it does not report earning commissions. Its services include financial planning, portfolio management and market-timing advice. Its record shows no customer complaints, regulatory actions or fines.
Peer Context
265th of 10,815
SEC-registered advisers
Top 3%
35th of 1,277
SEC-registered advisers in CA
Top 3%
3rd of 23
SEC-registered advisers in San rafael, CA
Top 13%
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 fixed fees for specific services
- Does not earn commissions on product sales
What you’d pay
Your balance falls in the $2,000,000 and above band, charged at up to 0.50% on the full amount. The brochure files this rate as a maximum, not a price. What you actually pay is set in your agreement and may be lower.
This fee is negotiable
“Fees may be negotiable.”
From their Form ADV Part 2A. Most investors never ask.
Not included above
- • Custodians may charge transaction fees and other related costs on the purchases or sales of mutual funds, equities, bonds, options and exchange-traded funds. Mutual funds, money market funds and exchange-traded funds also charge internal management fees, which are disclosed in the fund’s prospectus.
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 |
|---|---|
| $2,000,000 and above | Up to 0.50% |
Billed quarterly in advance
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 names research or services received from a custodian or broker (soft dollars) as a conflict, but it does not explain what this arrangement tempts the firm to do, say what the firm is paid for it, or say what it can cost you. Ask what the firm receives from the custodian or broker it uses for you, and whether that costs you anything.Items 10, 11, 12.B and 14
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
“Generally, the more assets you have in the advisory account, the more you will pay in total fees. We therefore have an incentive to increase the assets in your account in order to increase our fees.”
Source: the firm’s own Form CRS — 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.
100/100
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.
60/100
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
- 94/100
- Does it explain how the firm's conflicts affect you?
- Conflicts of interest
- 92/100
- Can you tell what you would pay?
- What you pay
- 78/100
- Is it written in plain English?
- Plain language
- 95/100
This firm's Form CRS averages 90 out of 100 and adds 7.44 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.
As shown in the fee schedule below, the annual fee is based on a general range of assets under management.p. 8
- 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.
Fees may be negotiable.p. 9
- 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 for asset management services are: • Deducted from a designated Client account.p. 10
- 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.
The annual fee is billed on a quarterly basis in advance and is generally billed in middle of that particular 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.
Custodians may charge transaction fees and other related costs on the purchases or sales of mutual funds, equities, bonds, options and exchange-traded funds.p. 10
- 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.
Any fees paid to Madrone which gave not been earned by Madrone will be refunded to the client within ten days of termination.p. 9
Does it explain each conflict of interest and what it could cost you?Brochure Conflict Specificity46/100
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 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.
Charles Schwab & Co. also makes available to Madrone other products and services that benefit Madrone but may not directly benefit our clients’ accounts.p. 17
- 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?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 what the firm receives from the custodian or broker it uses for you, and whether that costs you anything.
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.
As permitted by Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Madrone receives economic benefits as a result of commissions generated from securities transactions by the custodian or broker-dealer from the accounts of Madrone.p. 18
- 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?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 what the firm receives from the custodian or broker it uses for you, and whether that costs you anything.
- Hedged wording
In evaluating whether to recommend or require that clients custody their assets at Schwab, we may take into account the availability of some of the foregoing products and services and other arrangements as part of the total mix of factors we consider and not solely on the nature, cost or quality of custody and brokerage services provided by Schwab, which may create a potential conflict of interest.p. 18
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 Dollars100/100
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.
The brochure answers every one of these.
- 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.
Madrone may receive products, research and/or other services from custodians or broker-dealers connected to client transactions or “soft dollar benefits”.p. 18
- 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.
Charles Schwab & Co. also makes available to Madrone other products and services that benefit Madrone but may not directly benefit our clients’ accounts.p. 17
- Does it say those perks can shape which broker it picks for you?CoveredItem 12.A.1.b
Your trades should go where you get the best deal, not where the firm gets the best perks.
A conflict of interest exists when Madrone receives soft dollars which could result in higher commissions charged to clients.p. 18
- Does it say whether those perks stay within what the law allows?CoveredItem 12.A.1.e note
The law allows research paid for with client trades only within limits; outside them, it is your money.
As permitted by Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Madrone receives economic benefits as a result of commissions generated from securities transactions by the custodian or broker-dealer from the accounts of Madrone.p. 18
- Does it say whether you pay more in trading costs because of those perks?CoveredItem 12.A.1.c
Paying up for trades to earn the firm a perk comes straight out of your returns.
A conflict of interest exists when Madrone receives soft dollars which could result in higher commissions charged to clients.p. 18
- Does it say whether every client benefits or only some?CoveredItem 12.A.1.d
Your trades may be paying for research that helps other clients' accounts, not yours.
Madrone does not seek to proportionately allocate benefits to client accounts to any soft dollar benefits generated by the accounts.p. 18
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Harry Zaidlin Mr. | 5643109 | — | — |
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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 #149549