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  • Who operates Granite Capital Wealth Management?
    David Andresen is the founder and co-owner of Granite Capital Wealth Management and is a Registered Investment Advisor with the State of Arizona. Dave has been a retail investor for over 35 years and in 2008 (along with his brother Dan) became a licensed Commodity Pool Operator (CPO) and opened M5 Capital Management LLC. Together, Dave and Dan developed and traded several proprietary futures trading systems. As part of their ongoing efforts of continually improving their futures trading programs, Dave began investigating how certain options positions could help hedge their existing futures portfolio they were trading. So in 2009, Dave began the long journey down the options education path. After a few years of studying different options strategies, Dave began to realize that the options strategies he was learning were often more consistent and more profitable than the futures trading they were engaging in. It eventually became more and more clear that the options trading was the more rewarding path forward. At that point, Dave and Dan slowly started to wind down their futures trading activity and focused their energy on mastering the complex field of options trading. Another huge area of interest and study for Dave was the concept of Strategic and Tactical Asset Allocation investing (SAA/TAA). After witnessing the 2000 dot-com crash and then the 2008 financial crisis market crash (where many investors watched their life savings get decimated), Dave found this concept of SAA and TAA extremely intriguing and sought how he could use these concepts to protect his own personal portfolio. After several years of intense training in both options and asset allocation strategies (and being mentored by some of the best and brightest in the industry), Dave eventually developed and perfected a comprehensive investment program. After several more years of live trading and fine tuning the system (and at the request of multiple friends and colleagues), Dave decided to obtain the proper registrations and establish the necessary business structure so he could offer his services and knowledge to the general public. This is how Granite Capital Wealth Management came to be. ----------------------------------------------- Darren Crume is co-owner and Chief Operations Officer at Granite Capital. While working together with Dave on the money management, he handles all back-office and compliance responsibilities for the firm. Darren earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Economics with a minor in Business Psychology from San Diego State University. Before entering the financial industry Darren worked in commercial Real Estate while also helping to found, grow and sell an Orange County based technology company. He uses his well-rounded business experience, together with his passion for money management, to act as a personal CFO for his clients. Darren spends his free time with family and friends. He’s an avid golfer, fitness enthusiast and sports fan. He loves live music, traveling and being outdoors. Darren is also active in the community and with local charities such as the Wounded Warriors, Orange County Rescue Mission and Watermark Church. He lives in Huntington Beach with his wife Alyson and two young sons Kenton & Kody. ----------------------------------------------- Granite Capital Wealth Management's Finra Firm CRD# is 307670 David Andresen's Individual Finra CRD# is 7236744 Darren Crume's Individual Finra CRD# is 6563577 Granite Capital was established in 2020.
  • What is the Keystone Advantage Hedge Fund?
    Granite Capital offers exclusive access to the Keystone Advantage Hedge Fund. The fund is a U.S. based fund, custodied at Charles Schwab, and administered and audited daily by independent third-party service providers in order to ensure fund integrity and compliance. This fund utilizes Granite's proprietary Keystone Options Strategy and is designed to provide professional management services for clients seeking to invest capital in the types of trades taught and discussed within Ron Bertino's Trading Dominion community. The fund allows us to trade all of the various Trading Dominion type trades for traditional investment capital, retirement accounts, as well as international clients.
  • What types of accounts can I open?
    We can open nearly all account types offered through Charles Schwab. This would include individual accounts as well as self-directed IRAs, trusts, and LLCs. We will help with all the setup and paperwork needed to get everything up and running.
  • Can I invest my IRA/401K funds into the Granite Program?
    In many cases, YES... Granite is able to accept most self-directed IRA/401k accounts. Please contact us for specific details.
  • Can investors who are not US citizens join?
    On a limited basis, YES. With Granite's Keystone Advantage Hedge Fund, we are able to accept many International Clients. Please contact us for specific details.
  • Is there a minimum initial dollar amount to join?
    The present minimum subscription threshold for participation in the Keystone Advantage Hedge Fund stands at $500,000. In specific situations, there exists the potential to lower this initial investment requirement. For additional details, please feel free to contact us for further information.
  • Is my money safe with Granite?
    Absolutely! Here's how the process functions: Your invested capital will be placed into the Keystone Advantage Hedge Fund. This fund is based in the U.S. and is held at Charles Schwab. It undergoes daily management, administration, and auditing through external third-party service providers, ensuring that the fund operates with utmost integrity and adherence to regulations. Each client will receive their individual access to a web portal through the fund's third-party administrator. This portal offers real-time updates on personal account particulars, daily reports on assets under management (AUM), and comprehensive monthly statements to maintain precision and accountability. A central principle of Granite's Keystone Advantage Hedge Fund is its commitment to transparency. This underscores the fund's unwavering dedication to providing clear insights into its operations.
  • How is my Separately Managed Account traded?
    For detailed information regarding how your Separately Managed Account is traded, please click this link: How is my Separately Managed Account traded?
  • How easy is it to make withdrawals?
    It’s very easy for you to make withdrawals. Simply submit a digital request through your personal account web portal giving Granite a 30 day notice of your intent to withdraw funds. Our fund administrator will process your request and inform you when your funds are available.
  • Does Granite use margin or leverage?
    The Keystone Strategy does use portfolio margin. If you are unfamiliar with what portfolio margin is, please see the next question directly below for a detailed answer. Even though the Keystone Strategy uses portfolio margin, we very rarely use traditional margin (where we actually borrow money to pay for an open position). We do use portfolio margin, which is a form of leverage, but we do so in a very concise, efficient, and measured manner. There are no margin interest fees for the use of portfolio margin in the manner we utilize it.
  • What is Portfolio Margin?
    Portfolio margin is a tool that allows you to increase your buying power significantly more than a standard margin account allows. This allows you to invest more capital, potentially better weather market events, diversify your portfolio, and potentially yield greater returns. It is important to remember that with the opportunity for greater returns also comes the risk of greater losses. Portfolio margin is calculated by netting ALL of the positions of a portfolio together. In other words, the margin requirement is based off the risk of the ENTIRE portfolio (rather than off of each individual position of that portfolio as standard margin is calculated). So one position that may be showing strong gains can offset the fact that another position is showing losses. Another way of putting it is that the risk facing the portfolio AS A WHOLE is the only relevant measure. Portfolio margin is viewed as a more “realistic” approach in determining one’s overall risk exposure. The ability to use portfolio margin opens up a wide area of opportunity for trading options that would otherwise not be available. It should also be noted that the PROPER use and utilization of portfolio margin can actually decrease a portfolio’s overall risk.
  • What are Granite's fees?
    The Keystone Advantage Hedge Fund has an annual management fee of 1.5% and a performance fee of 15% (subject to a high water mark).
  • What impact do taxes have on Granite's investment products?
    Since the Keystone Strategy is very actively managed, very few options positions will be held long enough to qualify for long-term capital gains. But there is some good news, the specific equity index options that we utilize are considered Section 1256 contracts. Under the Section 1256 rules, gains and losses on these contracts are considered to be 60% long term and 40% short term, regardless of how long they are held. The Keystone Advantage Hedge Fund will provide all members with a K1 at the end of the year detailing their individual tax obligations.
  • How can I get help when I need it?
    You can call or email us anytime at 949-556-5556 or at contact@teamgranite.com We are always available Monday through Friday 7:00 am to 5:00 pm PST and we’ll always make sure all your questions or concerns are immediately addressed.
  • How do I get started?
    It’s very easy. Give us a call or send us an email to get the ball rolling, or if you'd like, you can simply fill out and submit the “New Client Information Questionnaire” to get the process started. Once we have your contact information, our fund administrator will send you a new client package to fill out and get you all set up. The process is pretty easy and straightforward. After that, you’re all set, just sit back and let us get to work !!
  • How do I cancel my involvement?
    Cancellation is easy. Simply submit a digital request through your personal account web portal giving Granite a 30 day notice of your intent to cancel. Our fund administrator will process your request and inform you when your account is closed and your funds are available for withdrawal.
What is Portfolio margin
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