Tidmore Retirement Planning Specialists is a investment adviser based in Beachwood, OH, that holds a 80.3/100 Fidelon TransparencyScore (23rd percentile among SEC-registered advisers), with 3 registered advisors. Score based on public SEC and FINRA filings.
Tidmore Retirement Planning Specialists
Premier Investment Advisors · CRD #121028
A registered investment adviser held to a fiduciary standard.
Fidelon Fact Sheet
Tidmore Retirement Planning Specialists is an SEC-registered investment adviser in Beachwood, OH. It used to be called Dennis Tidmore, Retirement Planning Specilaist and Dennis Tidmore, Wealth & Business Advisors. It has 3 registered advisors. It manages $112.9 million across 306 client accounts. It charges a yearly percentage of your account, 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.
Peer Context
8,282nd of 10,815
SEC-registered advisers
Bottom 23%
278th of 371
SEC-registered advisers in OH
Bottom 25%
9th of 12
SEC-registered advisers in Beachwood, OH
Bottom 25%
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 $100,000 - $1,000,000.
This fee is negotiable
“These fees are negotiable at the discretion of the Adviser, depending on the size and complexity and type of account.”
From their Form ADV Part 2A. Most investors never ask.
Not included above
- • Third-party fees including brokerage commissions, transaction fees, custodial fees, deferred sales charges, ETFs internal management fees
- • insurance commissions on annuities, life insurance, long-term care
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 |
|---|---|
| $100,000 - $1,000,000 | 1.00% |
| $1,000,000 - $2,000,000 | 0.50% |
| $1,000,000 and above | 0.80% |
| $2,000,000 - $5,000,000 | 0.40% |
| $5,000,000 - $10,000,000 | 0.35% |
| $10,000,000 - $15,000,000 | 0.30% |
| $15,000,000 - $25,000,000 | 0.25% |
Billed quarterly, in arrears
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
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.
99/100
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.
93/100
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.
69/100
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 read
We have not read a Form CRS for this firm yet.
We have not read this firm's Form CRS yet. Until we do, the score above cannot go over 90.
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.
Clients with assets between $100,000 to $1,000,000 shall be billed at 1.00% annually.p. 10
- 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.
These fees are negotiable at the discretion of the Adviser, depending on the size and complexity and type of account.p. 11
- 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 Client agrees to authorize the Custodian to pay directly to Tidmore Retirement Planning Specialists upon receipt of notice, the Account's investment advisory services fee.p. 12
- 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 are due quarterly, in arrears, based upon the quarterly ending balance of the accounts under managing.p. 11
- 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.
Our fees do not include brokerage commissions, transaction fees, and other related costs and expenses.p. 12
- 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 a client wishes to terminate his association with the Firm, the client may do so at any time, and any pre-paid fees will be refunded to the client on a pro-rated basis.p. 11
Does it explain each conflict of interest and what it could cost you?Brochure Conflict Specificity66/100
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 has an affiliated adviser or private fund, does it explain what that means for you?
An affiliated adviser or private fund
- 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.
Providing Co-Advisory services to other investment advisors may present a conflict of interest.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?CoveredStaff Bulletin Q11
A conflict described in one vague sentence tells you it exists but not how it works.
Providing Co-Advisory services to other investment advisors may present a conflict of interest.p. 19
- 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.
Belpointe shall pay us a negotiated portion of the advisory fee received by their clients for servicing their account.p. 12
- 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 any fund or adviser recommended to you is owned by or tied to the firm, and what fees that adds.
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.
Because soft dollar benefits could be considered to provide a benefit to the adviser that might cause the client to pay more than the lowest available commission without receiving the most benefit, they are considered a conflict of interest in recommending or directing custodial and third-party managerial services.p. 22
- 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.
Because soft dollar benefits could be considered to provide a benefit to the adviser that might cause the client to pay more than the lowest available commission without receiving the most benefit, they are considered a conflict of interest in recommending or directing custodial and third-party managerial services.p. 22
- 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.
The availability of these services from Schwab benefits us because we do not have to produce or purchase them.p. 24
- 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.
The account may pay to a broker-dealer a commission greater than another qualified broker-dealer might charge to affect the same transaction where the IAR determines in good faith that the commission is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services received.p. 22
- 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 its people can earn insurance commissions, does it explain them?
Insurance commissions
An adviser's own license, not the firm's — scored once under Sales Compensation
When such recommendations or sales are made, a conflict of interest exists as the insurance licensed IARs earn insurance commissions for the sale of those products, which may create an incentive to recommend such products.p. 19
- Hedged wording
Because soft dollar benefits could be considered to provide a benefit to the adviser that might cause the client to pay more than the lowest available commission without receiving the most benefit, they are considered a conflict of interest in recommending or directing custodial and third-party managerial services.p. 22
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.
When such recommendations or sales are made, a conflict of interest exists as the insurance licensed IARs earn insurance commissions for the sale of those products, which may create an incentive to recommend such products.p. 19
- 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.
When such recommendations or sales are made, a conflict of interest exists as the insurance licensed IARs earn insurance commissions for the sale of those products, which may create an incentive to recommend such products.p. 19
- 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.
Also, we require IARs to disclose that clients may purchase recommended insurance products from other insurance agents not affiliated with us.p. 13
- 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 Dollars60/100
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.
There may other benefits from recommending American Trust, Mid Atlantic Trust Co, or Schwab, or other third-party managers, such as software and other technology that (i) provide access to client account data (such as trade confirmations and account statements); (ii) facilitate trade execution and allocate aggregated trade orders for multiple client accounts; (iii) provide research, pricing and other market data; (iv) facilitate payment of fees from its clients' accounts; and (v) assist with back-office functions, recordkeeping and client reporting.p. 22
- 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.
The availability of these services from Schwab benefits us because we do not have to produce or purchase them.p. 24
- 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?CoveredItem 12.A.1.e note
The law allows research paid for with client trades only within limits; outside them, it is your money.
The Custodians may provide us with certain brokerage and research products and services that qualify as "brokerage or research services" under the rules.p. 22
- 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.
The account may pay to a broker-dealer a commission greater than another qualified broker-dealer might charge to affect the same transaction where the IAR determines in good faith that the commission is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services received.p. 22
- 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
3 advisors
| Advisor | CRD | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desiree Rose Fiktus | 7393863 | — | — |
| Dennis Lee Tidmore | 868783 | — | — |
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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 #121028