Ta-Check Financial is a investment adviser based in Strongsville, OH, that holds a 75.9/100 Fidelon TransparencyScore (2nd percentile among state-registered advisers), with 3 registered advisors. Score based on public SEC and FINRA filings.
Ta-Check Financial
Ta-Check Financial LTD. · CRD #122953
A fee-only investment adviser with a clean regulatory record and fiduciary commitment.
Fidelon Fact Sheet
Ta-Check Financial LTD. is a state-registered investment adviser in Strongsville, OH. It has 3 registered advisors. It does not report earning commissions. Its services include investment newsletters. Its record shows no customer complaints, regulatory actions or fines.
Peer Context
15,446th of 15,825
state-registered advisers
Bottom 2%
530th of 550
state-registered advisers in OH
Bottom 4%
4th of 4
state-registered advisers in Strongsville, OH
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
- Does not earn commissions on product sales
Specializations
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
Things You Should Know
- Brochure fee terms — not found in the brochure: fee schedule; other costs clients pay; deducted from the account or billed (Item 5)
- Its brochure says its people can earn commissions on products, but it does not say you can buy the same products elsewhere or commissions can shape what they recommend. 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.
78/100
Fair
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.
64/100
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?
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 Clarity0/100
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?Not found in the brochureItem 5.A
Without a fee schedule you cannot compare this firm with any other.
What to askAsk for the fee schedule in writing, including what you would pay at your account size.
- 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?Not found in the brochureItem 5.B
A fee taken straight from your account is easy to stop noticing.
What to askAsk whether fees are taken from your account automatically, and how you will see each charge.
- Does it say how often you're charged?Not found in the brochureItem 5.B
Monthly, quarterly, in advance or in arrears changes what you owe when you leave.
What to askAsk how often you are billed and whether you pay before or after the service.
- Does it list the other costs you pay, like fund and custodian fees?Not found in the brochureItem 5.C
The advisory fee is rarely the whole bill; fund, trading and custody costs come on top.
What to askAsk what you will pay beyond the advisory fee, in dollars, over a typical year.
- Does it say how you get money back if you leave mid-period?Does not applyItem 5.D
If you pay in advance and leave early, the refund rule decides what you get back.
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.
The brochure answers every one of these.
The brochure states the firm has no conflicts of this kind, and its Form ADV Part 1 agrees.
- Does the brochure say the firm has no conflicts of this kind?CoveredItems 10/11/12.B/14 + Part 1A
A clear statement that the firm earns nothing from commissions, perks or referrals is the simplest answer there is.
Ta-Check does not pay other individuals or organizations (solicitors) for client referrals or to introduce potential clients to Ta-Check.p. 10
Do they earn commissions on products, and do they say so?Brochure Sales Compensation47/100
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.
The fees that would be charged and the compensation received for advisory services (“Solicitor Fees”) vary depending upon the Investment Advisor and the products and services provided to each client.p. 5
- 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?Does not applyItem 5.E.4
If the firm earns a commission and the full advisory fee, you pay twice for one recommendation.
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
3 advisors
| Advisor | CRD | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Joseph Ptacek | 2568884 | — | — |
| Anthony John Mercuri | 2245656 | — | — |
Marketing Brands1 brand
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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 #122953