AET INVESTMENT SERVICES, LLC
FORM CRS – CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP SUMMARY
JANUARY 1, 2024
Introduction
AET Investment Services, LLC ("Firm," "We," "Our") (CRD #40878; SEC #8-49217) is registered with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") as a broker-dealer and is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory
Authority ("FINRA'') and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation ("SIPC"). Brokerage and investment advisory
services fees differ, and it is important for you, the retail investor, to understand these differences. This document
provides information for you regarding the types of fees and services we provide to you as a broker-dealer. Free and
simple tools are available to research firms and financial professionals at
lnvestor.gov/CRS which also provides educational materials about broker-dealers, investment advisers, and investing.
What investment services and advice can you provide me?
Through our custodian, Apex Clearing Corporation (“Apex”), we offer brokerage services to retail investors. Apex
(CRD #13071; SEC #8-23522) is a broker-dealer registered with the SEC and is a member of FINRA and SIPC. Brokerage
services are offered on an unsolicited basis and include a limited menu of investment products which include (i) equities
(listed and over the counter); (ii) exchange traded funds ("ETFs"); (iii) exchange traded mutuals funds and (iv) corporate
debt securities. You will not be asked to open an account directly with the Firm whereby we take custody of your funds and/or
securities. Accounts are introduced and opened with Apex, which provides custody of your funds and securities at all times.
The Firm does not monitor your investments on an ongoing basis. We do not make investment recommendations for your brokerage accounts, nor do we provide investment or tax advice for the investments in your brokerage account. We do not require minimum accounts to open a brokerage account. However, there may be minimums to invest in certain mutual funds or other related products which are determined by the mutual fund company.
We also offer private placements which are unregistered securities. We can recommend private placements and if you establish a relationship with our firm as an investor, which we refer to as a customer, in a private placement offered by our firm on behalf of an issues of securities, we generally will not charge you a fee, as it is the issuer who will generally pay us as a transaction-based fee, most often referred to as a commission. Such fee would be based on a percentage of the funds we raised from you and, if applicable, other investors. You should be aware that whether directly or indirectly, a part of the funds you invest in a private placement may be used by the issuer to pay some or all of our fee. You should confirm with the issuer directly and also refer to the private placement documentation you are provided to further ascertain how your funds shall be used by the issuer. Private placements will be custodied by American Estate & Trust, Inc. or the custodian of your choice.
With respect to private placement securities, as a customer (an investor) the ultimate investment decision as to your investment strategy and the purchase or sale of investments will be yours. We do not offer account monitoring services.
The Firm has the following affiliates through common ownership:
What fees will I pay?
For brokerage accounts, we charge transaction-based fees, such as commissions, as well as other fees, such as account maintenance,
custody, and fees related to our brokerage services. A retail investor would incur more commissions or fees when there are more trades
in his or her account. The Firm therefore has an incentive to encourage a retail investor to trade often. Depending on the investment,
you will pay the following transaction-based and account fees: AETIS Fee Schedule
For Private Placements you will pay a commission on the purchase of private placement. The amount will depend on the offering. There will also be other expenses associated with the purchase. Please see the offering memorandum for more information along with the AET Fee Schedule.
You will pay fees and costs whether you make or lose money on your investments. Fees and costs will reduce any amount of money you make on your investments over time. Please make sure you understand what fees and costs you are paying.
What are your legal obligations to me when providing recommendations?
How else does your firm make money and what conflicts of interest do you have?
When we provide you with a recommendation, we have to act in your best interest and not put our interest ahead of yours. At the same time, the way we make money creates some conflicts with your interests. You should understand and ask us about these conflicts because they can affect the recommendations we provide you. Here are some examples to help you understand what this means:
How do your financial professionals make money?
Our financial professional's compensation is primarily based on a base salary; however, your financial professional also earns compensation include base salary, commissions, and bonuses. When financial professionals are compensated, in whole or in part, based on the number of products sold, it creates conflicts of interest. You should ask us about these conflicts and understand them, because conflicts of interest affect the investments we offer.
Do you or your financial professionals have legal or diciplinary history?
No. For a free and simple search tool to research the Firm and our financial professionals, visit Investor.gov/CRS.
Additional Information
You can find more information about the Firm and our brokerage services, as well as a copy of this relationship summary through FINRA's BrokerCheck system at BrokerCheck.finra.org. BrokerCheck is a free tool to research the background and experience of broker-dealers and their representatives. Please see our Regulation Best Interest Disclosure, and other applicable documents for more information.
For up-to-date information, a copy of this relationship summary, or any questions or concerns, you can contact us at (702) 534-4585 or by mailing a written request to our main office located at 3918 N. Post St, Spokane, WA 99205.
AET Investment Services, LLC plans to quickly recover and resume business operations after a Significant Business Disruption (“SBD”) and respond by safeguarding our employees and property, making a financial and operational assessment, protecting the firm’s books and records, and allowing our customers to transact business, including gain access to their funds or securities. In short, our Firm’s Business Continuity Plan (“BCP”) is designed to permit us to resume operations as quickly as possible, given the scope and severity of the SBD.
Our clearing firm, APEX Clearing (“APEX”) and our Order Management System ETNA Trader (“ETNA”) maintain separate BCP’s, which provide contingency plans on how it will respond to disruptions of a particular scope and takes into consideration, access to a customer’s funds and securities or other information about your account and access to the order management system. APEX & ETNA have generally designed its systems, procedures, and personnel structure such that there is significant redundancy and cross-capability. In addition, customers generally would still have the ability to place trades by telephone during a temporary disruption. Customers’ access to account functions other than trading (e.g., deposits and withdrawals, account management, etc.) likely would be unaffected, as connections for many internet-based functions other than trading are not location-dependent
Significant Business Disruptions: The Firm’s plan considers two kinds of SBD’s: internal and external.
Internal SBDs: In the event of a disruption in the Firm’s business operations due to an internal SBD, we will attempt to continue to conduct business as usual by utilizing alternative communication methods (if available), such as the Internet, cell phones, etc., or by moving our operations to an alternative location. If personnel or operations must be moved to an alternate location, we anticipate that we will resume regular operations with 24 to 48 hours.
External SBDs: In the event of a disruption in the Firm’s business operations due to an external SBD, we will attempt to continue to conduct business as usual by moving its operations to an alternative location outside the affected area, if possible, or by providing customers with alternative communication arrangements, as indicated below, to conduct business or to access their funds and securities. The Firm will attempt to resume business within 24 to 48 hours and to keep our customers informed regarding relevant events to the best of its ability based on the circumstances. In all cases, we will resume normal business operations as soon as it is able to do so, based on the type and the extent of the disrupting event.
Communications:
In the event of an SBD and you are unable to reach us at our main number:
(702) 534-4585, please proceed as follows:
Firm Contact information: Any questions regarding our Business Continuity Plans should be addressed to: Sarah Sutton, Chief Compliance Officer; Phone: (702) 534-4585; or E-mail: [email protected].