GDS DISCLOSURES

GDS Wealth Management is an investment adviser in Flower Mound, TX. GDS Wealth Management is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Registration of an investment adviser does not imply any specific level of skill or training and does not constitute an endorsement of the firm by the Commission. GDS Wealth Management only transacts business in states in which it is properly registered or is excluded or exempted from registration. A copy of GDS Wealth Management's current written disclosure brochure filed with the SEC, which discusses, among other things, GDS Wealth Management’s business practices, services, and fees, is available through the SEC's website at adviserinfo.sec.gov.  

AUM

Adviser has $1.26 billion Assets Under Management (AUM) as of 12/31/24.

Retention Rate

Our retention rate between November 1, 2020, and November 1, 2023, stands at  99.37%. The retention rate is calculated based on the last three years of clients with over a million dollars in assets under management at GDS Wealth.

General Risk of Investing Disclosure

‍Investing carries inherent risks, including market volatility, potential loss of capital, and uncertainty in returns, which investors should carefully consider before making any financial decisions.

Liquidity Events and Liquidity Planning

GDS Wealth Management provides advisory services to clients, including pre-sale and post-sale liquidity event planning, business exit planning, business transition, and succession planning.

Fiduciary Oath

The Fiduciary Oath was created by the Committee for the Fiduciary Standard www.thefiduciarystandard.org.

NFLPA Disclosure

Glen D. Smith's status as a Registered Player Financial Advisor does not constitute an endorsement recommendation by the NFLPA of the Registered Player Financial Advisor, or his/her qualifications, or services. The NFLPA is not affiliated with GDS Wealth Management.  

Smart Vestor Disclosure

Investment advice offered through GDS Wealth Management, a registered investment adviser. SmartVestor is an advertising and referral service for investing professionals(“SmartVestor Pros”) operated by The Lampo Group, LLC d/b/a Ramsey Solutions(“Ramsey Solutions”). Pursuant to an arrangement between Ramsey Solutions, OneWay Holdings, LLC and your advisor, your advisor pays Ramsey Solutions a flat monthly fee to: (a) be a SmartVestor Pro, (b) advertise services through the SmartVestor website, and (c) receive client referrals in the form of an initial introduction to interested consumers who are located in your advisor’s Pros geographic region. One Way Holdings, LLC and its affiliates do not endorse and are not affiliated with Ramsey Solutions, except with respect to the arrangement described above, and neither Ramsey Solutions nor its agents are officers or employees of One Way Holdings, LLC. Further, neither Ramsey Solutions nor its agents are authorized to provide investment advice or act in any way on behalf of One Way Holdings, LLC, except in connection with providing your contact information to your advisor.  

Rankings and Awards

Third-party rankings, awards listings and/or recognition by unaffiliated third-party rating services and/or publications should not be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if Advisor is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services, nor should it be construed as a current or past endorsement of Advisor by any of its clients. Third-party rankings and recognition from rating services and publications do not guarantee future investment success. Working with a highly rated investment advisor also does not ensure that a client or prospective client will experience a higher level of performance. Generally, but not always, ratings, rankings and recognition are based on information provided by Advisor to be considered for the award and does not pay an application fee to participate.

Rankings are provided for informational purposes only and should not be used as the sole basis for engaging Advisor for advisory services. Please refer to the more thorough disclosure and additional information about the criteria used in making these rankings via the website of the publication and/or organization granting such recognition.  

2024 Forbes Best-in-State Disclosure

The Forbes America’s Top Wealth Advisors 2024 ranking, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on in-person and telephone due diligence meetings and a ranking algorithm that includes: a review of best practices, client retention, industry experience, review of compliance records, firm nominations; and quantitative criteria, including: assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. This ranking is based upon the period from 6/30/2022 to 6/30/2023 and was released on 4/3/2024. Investment performance is not a criterion because audited records rarely exist and clients have varying risk levels. Rankings are based on the opinions of SHOOK Research, LLC and not indicative of future performance or representative of any one client’s experience. Research Summary (as of April 2024): 44,990 Advisor nominations were received based on high thresholds. 23,876 Advisors were invited to complete the online survey. SHOOK has conducted over 20,412 telephone interviews with advisors. 4,926 Advisors were interviewed in-person at the Advisors' location and 1,507 interview were web-based. Final list of the top 250 advisors was then compiled based an algorithm that considers both quantitative and qualitative criteria. This ranking is not indicative of an advisor's future performance, is not an endorsement, and may not be representative of individual clients' experience. Neither GDS Wealth Management nor any of its Financial Advisors or RIA firms pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. GDS Wealth Management is not affiliated with Forbes or Shook Research, LLC. Please see https://www.forbes.com/lists/top-wealth-advisors/?sh=4281b4c61c7c for more info.

2023 Best of Denton County Disclosure

Best in Denton ranking was developed by Murray Media Group and is based on nominations and votes from Denton residents. Neither GDS Wealth Management nor any of its Financial Planners or RIA firms pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Rating based on voting that occurred between 07/20/23 and 08/17/23. Winners were announced 08/26/23. Visit https://bestofdentoncounty.com/ to learn more.

2024 Best of Denton County

‍Best in Denton ranking was developed by Murray Media Group and is based on nominations and votes from Denton residents. Neither GDS Wealth Management nor any of its Financial Planners or RIA firms pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Once nominated, voting took place between the top three nominees in each category. Voting occurred between 07/17/24 and 08/14/24. Winners were announced 08/28/24. Visit https://bestofdentoncounty.com to learn more.

Inc. 5000

Investment advice offered through GDS Wealth Management, a registered investment adviser. The Inc. 5000 list ranking was developed by Inc 5000. Companies on the 2024 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2020 to 2023. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2020. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2023. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2020 is $100,000;the minimum for 2023 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to four decimal places. Each applicant pays a$495 application processing fee. Neither GDS Wealth Management nor any of its Financial Planners or RIA firms pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. List is announced 08/13/24. Visit www.inc.comto learn more.

D Magazine

GDS is in no way affiliated with D Magazine and is not responsible for any content published by D Magazine. Neither GDS Wealth Management nor any of its Financial Planners or RIA firms pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. D Magazine accepted submissions from all Wealth Management Firms in the Dallas area between May 6 and June 3, 2024. Out of the 64 companies that submitted, about 50 qualified. The Editorial department of D Magazine does not send an official questionnaire for a feature or article to the firms named on the list. The submission form requests information about the practice of their business. D Magazine does not rank the qualifying firms for the Top Wealth Managers list. All firms that qualified for the 2024 list are printed in the November 2024 issue of D Magazine, which will be released October 31, 2024. Detailed eligibility requirements and process described here.

Great Place to Work

Great Place to Work ranking was developed by Great Place to Work and is based on a survey completed by GDS Wealth Management staff. GDS Wealth Management paid for the survey regardless of the outcome. Rating based on survey that occurred between 12/09/24 and 12/23/24. Visit https://www.greatplacetowork.com/ to learn more.

ClearMatch & EverSafe

Raymond James & Associates, Inc., receives a one-time referral fee from ClearMatch for each Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement application submitted. Raymond James and GDS Wealth Management are not affiliated with ClearMatch or EverSafe^®.

News Publications

All information provided herein is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be, and should not be interpreted as, an offer, solicitation, or recommendation to buy, sell, or otherwise invest in any of the securities, sectors, or countries that may be mentioned. GDS Wealth Management is a registered investment adviser. For additional information about GDS Wealth Management, including its services and fees, request the firm’s disclosure brochure using the contact information contained herein or visit https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/. This communication contains certain forward-looking statements that indicate future possibilities. Due to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, actual results may differ materially. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. The information contained herein is based upon certain assumptions, theories, and principles that do not completely or accurately reflect your specific circumstances. You should not assume that any discussion or information contained herein serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from GDS Wealth Management or the professional advisers of your choosing. GDS Wealth Management is not affiliated with and does not endorse the opinions, products, or services of Seeking Alpha, TheStreet, New York Post, or CNBC.

General Disclosures

GDS Wealth Management (“GDS”) is an SEC registered investment adviser located in Flower Mound, Texas. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a certain level of skill or training. GDS does not provide tax or legal advice. You should contact your tax advisor, accountant and/or attorney before making any decisions with tax or legal implications. All information is provided solely for convenience purposes, and you should be guided accordingly.

Social Media

This presentation contains general information that is not suitable for everyone and was prepared for informational purposes only. Nothing contained herein should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any security or as an offer to provide investment advice. GDS Wealth Management (“GDS”) is a registered investment adviser. For additional information about GDS, including its services and fees, send for the firm’s disclosure brochure using the contact information contained herein or visit advisorinfo.sec.gov. The information contained herein is based upon certain assumptions, theories, and principles that do not completely or accurately reflect any one client's situation or a whole exposition of the topic. All opinions or views reflect the judgment of the authors as of the publication date and are subject to change without notice. This communication contains certain forward-looking statements that indicate future possibilities. Due to known and unknown risks, other uncertainties and factors, actual results may differ materially. As such, there is no guarantee that any views and opinions expressed herein will come to pass.

Risk of Loss

The following list of risk factors does not purport to be a complete enumeration or explanation of the risks involved with respect to the Firm’s investment management activities. Clients should consult with their legal, tax, and other advisors before engaging the Firm to provide investment management services on their behalf.

Market Risks

Investing involves risk, including the potential loss of principal, and all investors should be guided accordingly. The profitability of a significant portion of GDS’s recommendations and/or investment decisions may depend to a great extent upon correctly assessing the future course of price movements of stocks, bonds, and other asset classes. In addition, investments may be adversely affected by financial markets and economic conditions throughout the world. There can be no assurance that GDS will be able to predict these price movements accurately or capitalize on any such assumptions.

Volatility Risks

The prices and values of investments can be highly volatile and are influenced by, among other things, interest rates, general economic conditions, the condition of the financial markets, the financial condition of the issuers of such assets, changing supply and demand relationships, and programs and policies of governments.

Cash Management Risks

The Firm may invest some of a client’s assets temporarily in money market funds or other similar types of investments, during which time an advisory account may be prevented from achieving its investment objective.

Equity-Related Securities and Instruments

The Firm may take long positions in common stocks of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers traded on national securities exchanges and over-the-counter markets. The value of equity securities varies in response to many factors. These factors include, without limitation, factors specific to an issuer and factors specific to the industry in which the issuer participates. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments, and the stock prices of such companies may suffer a decline in response. In addition, equity securities are subject to stock risk, which is the risk that stock prices historically rise and fall in periodic cycles. U.S. and non-U.S. stock markets have experienced periods of substantial price volatility in the past and may do so again in the future. In addition, investments in small-capitalization, mid-capitalization, and financially distressed companies may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements and may lack sufficient market liquidity, and these issuers often face greater business risks.

General Fixed Income Securities Risks

While the Firm emphasizes risk-averse management and capital preservation in its fixed-income bond portfolios, clients who invest in this product can lose money, including losing a portion of their original investment. The prices of the securities in our portfolios fluctuate. The Firm does not guarantee any particular level of performance. Below is a representative list of the types of risks clients should consider before investing in this product.

Interest rate risk: Prices of bonds tend to move in the opposite direction to interest rate changes. Typically, a rise in interest rates will negatively affect bond prices. The longer the duration and average maturity of a portfolio, the greater the likely reaction to interest rate moves.

Credit (or default) risk: A bond’s price will generally fall if the issuer fails to make a scheduled interest or principal payment, if the credit rating of the security is downgraded, or if the perceived creditworthiness of the issuer deteriorates.

Liquidity risk: Sectors of the bond market can experience a sudden downturn in trading activity. When there is little or no trading activity in a security, it can be difficult to sell the security at or near its perceived value. In such a market, bond prices may fall.

Call risk: Some bonds give the issuer the option to call or redeem the bond before the maturity date. If an issuer calls a bond when interest rates are declining, the proceeds may have to be reinvested at a lower yield. During periods of market illiquidity or rising rates, prices of callable securities may be subject to increased volatility.

Prepayment risk: When interest rates fall, the principal of mortgage-backed securities may be prepaid. These prepayments can reduce the portfolio’s yield because proceeds may have to be reinvested at a lower yield.

Extension risk: When interest rates rise or there is a lack of refinancing opportunities, prepayments of mortgage-backed securities or callable bonds may be less than expected. This would lengthen the portfolio’s duration and average maturity and increase its sensitivity to rising rates and its potential for price declines.

Currency Risks

An advisory account that holds investments denominated in currencies other than the currency in which the advisory account is denominated may be adversely affected by the volatility of currency exchange rates.

Interest Rate Risks

Interest rates may fluctuate significantly, causing price volatility with respect to securities or instruments held by clients.

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