Barber & Associates

Barber & Associates provides investment advisory services to individual clients by recommending and referring them to third‑party managed account programs and sub‑advisors, and by assisting with the establishment of investment objectives and ongoing oversight. The firm reports approximately $50.0 million in regulatory assets under management on a discretionary basis and does not impose account minimums.

The firm does not perform securities analysis or trade client portfolios itself; instead, it helps clients select third‑party money managers who execute investment strategies and enter into separate advisory agreements with those managers. Custody and execution are handled by independent custodians — the firm participates in the Charles Schwab Institutional program — and clients receive statements from their custodians and sub‑advisors.

The brochure discloses regulatory and customer events, including a 2011 administrative complaint resolved by stipulation and a $5,000 fine, and a 1995 customer complaint that resulted in an insurer‑funded settlement and a six‑month insurance license suspension in 2000. The firm is affiliated with an insurance business: its principal and representatives are licensed insurance agents who receive commission compensation and the principal devotes roughly 75% of his time to insurance‑related activities, and the combination of insurance affiliations plus a referral‑based model (rather than direct portfolio management for individuals) is uncommon among peers.