Robo Advisor is a investment adviser based in Lake Mary, FL, that holds a 81.8/100 Fidelon TransparencyScore (21st percentile among investing apps), with 1 registered advisor. Score based on public SEC and FINRA filings.
Robo Advisor
Robo Advisor, INC. · CRD #155976
A registered investment adviser held to a fiduciary standard.
Fidelon Fact Sheet
Robo Advisor, INC. is an SEC-registered investment adviser in Lake Mary, FL. It used to be called Financial Trade Center and Sovereign Legacy, INC. It has one registered advisor. It charges a percentage of the money it manages for you, and it can also earn commissions when it sells you a product. Its services include financial planning and portfolio management. It has regulatory actions on file, most recently in 2019.
This firm gives most advice through an app and also has 1 registered advisor. You may not be matched with a specific one.
Peer Context
Ranked among investing apps, not against advisory firms that work with you in person.
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
Your balance falls in the All accounts band, charged at 0.00%–0.25% on the full amount. The brochure files a range for this band, so the exact rate is set in your agreement.
This fee is negotiable
“Fees are negotiable.”
From their Form ADV Part 2A. Most investors never ask.
Other arrangements offered
- • A negotiated fee, agreed individually
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 |
|---|---|
| All accounts | 0.00%–0.25% |
Billed monthly or 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
Things You Should Know
- 1 regulatory complaint in public regulatory filings
Conflict Audit
Our analysis identified 2 potential conflicts of interest 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
“Representatives of Robo Advisor may also be licensed and registered as insurance agents to sell an annuity, life, accident, and other lines of insurance for various insurance companies.”
Source: the firm’s own Form CRS, filed 2024-04-01 — quoted directly
Regulatory Track Record
1
Disclosures
$0
Total Fines
Clean record — no fines found
Regulatory Events
TransparencyScore Dimensions
Disclosure Record
Customer complaints, arbitrations, and fines. Frequency and recency matter.
95/100
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.
74/100
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
What to askAsk for the parts the summary leaves out: services, what you pay, how the firm makes money, conflicts, and its record.
- 56/100
- 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.
- 36/100
- Can you tell what you would pay?
- What you pay
- 70/100
- Is it written in plain English?
- Plain language
- 91/100
This firm's Form CRS averages 63 out of 100. It adds 0.81 points once the firm's filings and record score 90 on their own; they score 81.82 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 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.
Investment Advisory fees range from 0% to 0.25% per annum but can be negotiated based on factors such as the size and nature of the client relationship or the complexity of the strategy.p. 7
- 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 are negotiable.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.
The fees are automatically deducted from the client's account on a quarterly basis by the Custodian as agreed upon in the contract.p. 7
- 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.
This fee is payable either monthly or quarterly in advance and is based on the assets in the account at the beginning of the period.p. 7
- 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.
However, clients may still pay ongoing costs for investing in packaged products, such as mutual funds' total expense ratios.p. 7
- 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.
d) There is no refund for monthly subscription fees.p. 9
Does it explain each conflict of interest and what it could cost you?Brochure Conflict Specificity70/100
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 uses an affiliated broker-dealer, does it explain what that means for you?
An affiliated broker-dealer
- 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.
Jeffrey J. Hovermale, Founder & CEO, and principal owner of Robo Advisor, Inc. is also a minority owner of the broker-dealer Sovereign Legacy Securities, Inc.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?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?CoveredStaff Bulletin Q11
Every conflict has a price; the question is whether the brochure puts it in your hands.
Clients that use Sovereign Legacy Securities for securities brokerage transactions or use the services of the Advisor’s Investment Advisor Representatives in their capacity as registered representatives of the broker-dealer, will incur transactional costs from the broker-dealer in addition to the management fee from the Advisor for advisory services.p. 11
- 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 your trades or products go through a company the firm owns or is tied to, and what that costs.
If its people earn commissions on securities, does it explain them?
Securities 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.
Where acting in the capacity of a registered representative, investment adviser representatives of Robo Advisor may, as broker or agent, affect securities transactions for typical and customary compensation.p. 9
- 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.
While Robo Advisor endeavors always to put the interests of its clients first as part of its fiduciary duty, clients should be aware that the receipt of additional compensation itself creates a conflict of interest and may affect the judgment of the individual making the recommendation.p. 13
- 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.
typical and customary compensation.p. 9
- 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 investments recommended to you, and whether it lowers your fee.
Do they earn commissions on products, and do they say so?Brochure Sales Compensation85/100
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.
This creates a conflict of interest.p. 11
- Does it say commissions can shape what they recommend?CoveredItem 5.E.1
Naming the pull is the first step to controlling it; silence leaves it working on you.
While Robo Advisor endeavors always to put the interests of its clients first as part of its fiduciary duty, clients should be aware that the receipt of additional compensation itself creates a conflict of interest and may affect the judgment of the individual making the recommendation.p. 13
- Does it say you can buy the same products elsewhere?CoveredItem 5.E.2
You may be able to buy the same product for less somewhere else.
Clients are not obligated to use the investment advisory representatives of Robo Advisor to execute such securities transactions.p. 9
- 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 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
1 advisor
| Advisor | CRD | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeffrey Joseph Hovermale | 2104629 | — | — |
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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 #155976