Disclosures

Last updated: August 29, 2026

This page explains how Richard Kirk is licensed and compensated, what his professional designations mean, and the legal limitations on the advice offered through this website. If anything here is unclear, ask before moving forward — that's what the Discovery Call is for.

Investment Advisory Services vs. Insurance Services

Richard Kirk offers two distinct types of services, and it's important to understand the difference:

  • Investment advisory services are offered as an Investment Advisor Representative (IAR) of Advisor Share Wealth Management LLC dba Advisor Share Wealth Management (ASWM), an SEC registered investment advisory firm. Portfolio management is provided through Synergy Financial Management LLC. These services are fee-based — Richard Kirk does not earn a commission on the accounts he manages, and is held to a fiduciary standard requiring him to act in your best interest.
  • Insurance and planning services — including fixed annuities, life insurance, and long-term care insurance — are offered independently through Lifeguard Retirement Planning, a licensed insurance agency. These are not securities or investment advisory products. When a strategy is implemented through an insurance product, the issuing insurance company pays a commission out of its own revenue — this is never deducted from your account, and is disclosed to you before you decide to move forward.

Lifeguard Retirement Planning is Richard Kirk's business name for his independent insurance and planning practice — it is not itself a Registered Investment Adviser.

Verify My Registration

You can independently verify Richard Kirk's licensing, registration, and disciplinary history through the SEC's Investment Adviser Public Disclosure (IAPD) database and FINRA BrokerCheck:

Richard Kirk's individual CRD number is 5896320. ASWM's firm-level CRD number is 307997. Search either number directly on IAPD or BrokerCheck above to pull up the full registration and disciplinary record.

Regulatory Filings

These are the disclosure documents ASWM is required to prepare and make available. You're entitled to read all of them before you engage anyone, and they're worth reading — Form CRS in particular is short, plain-English, and covers fees and conflicts of interest directly.

Copies above are hosted here so the links never break. For the authoritative, always-current versions as filed with the SEC, see ASWM's IAPD firm page . If anything on this page ever conflicts with what's on file with the SEC, the SEC filing governs.

Jurisdictional Limitation

ASWM and any investment advisor representatives of ASWM, including Richard Kirk, may only transact business in a state if first licensed, excluded, or exempted from the applicable licensing requirements. Any subsequent communications by ASWM and its investment advisor representatives that involve either effecting or attempting to effect transactions in securities, or rendering personalized investment advice for compensation, will not be made without complying with appropriate state registration requirements or obtaining an applicable exemption or exclusion.

As an insurance producer, Richard Kirk holds active insurance licenses in the states where he currently has clients. If a client from another state wishes to engage Richard Kirk as an advisor, he will obtain the appropriate insurance license in that state.

As an Investment Advisor Representative, Richard Kirk registers in a given state only once he has more than five clients residing there — consistent with the federal de minimis exemption under Section 222(d) of the Investment Advisers Act, which permits a state-registered adviser to serve a small number of clients (five or fewer) in a state without a physical place of business there, without separately registering in that state.

Investment Strategy and Performance Disclosures

Any descriptions involving risk management, investment philosophy, investment strategy, portfolio construction and management, or goals are provided for informational purposes only, are not complete, may not apply in all situations, may not be fully indicative of any present or future investments, and may be changed. No representation is made that any risk management technique, investment philosophy, investment strategy, portfolio construction and management technique, or goal described on this site will or are likely to be achieved or to be successful. Past performance of any investment or investment strategy is not indicative of future performance. With any investment, returns are variable and an investor could lose money.

Professional Designations

Richard Kirk holds the following professional designations. None of them are issued, endorsed, or regulated by any federal or state government agency, the Social Security Administration, or the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, unless stated otherwise below.

RFC® — Registered Financial Consultant

Issued by the International Association of Registered Financial Consultants (IARFC). Requires at least three years of full-time experience in financial planning or services, a Series 65 license or equivalent, a clean regulatory record, and 40 hours of continuing education every two years, including ethics training. RFC® and the associated globe logo are trademarks registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and owned by the International Association of Registered Financial Consultants; used here under license.

CAPP™ — Certified Asset Protection Planner

Issued by The Wealth Preservation Institute. Requires passing an essay examination covering domestic asset protection structures, estate planning, tax mitigation, stock market risk mitigation, and long-term care cost mitigation. This is not a senior designation, and it is not a financial or insurance credential reviewed or regulated by any state department of insurance or the SEC.

CSS™ — Certified Social Security and Medicare Specialist

Issued by the Institute of Business & Finance. Curriculum covers Social Security claiming strategies, Medicare enrollment, benefit taxation, and Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA) planning. This designation, and Richard Kirk's use of it, is not affiliated with or endorsed by Medicare, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or the Social Security Administration.

NSSA™ — National Social Security Advisor

Issued by the National Social Security Association, Inc., a private, for-profit organization founded in 2013 — not a government agency. Richard Kirk and this designation are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other government agency.

IRMAACP™ — IRMAA Certified Planner

Issued by IRMAA Certified Planner LLC, a private, for-profit entity — not a government agency. This training focuses on navigating Medicare's Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (the surcharge applied to Medicare Part B and Part D premiums for higher-income retirees). This designation is not a government credential.

Certifications and Affiliations Shown on This Site

Logos or badges shown elsewhere on this site (for example, the AdvisorShare, IRMAA, NSSA, and Asset Protection Society marks on the homepage) represent genuine professional certifications and business affiliations — not paid third-party awards, rankings, or endorsements. No compensation was paid to any organization to obtain or display these marks.

Advisory Fee Schedule

For a practice built on fee transparency, the actual numbers matter more than the word "transparency" does. These are ASWM's published fee ranges for investment advisory services, taken directly from ASWM's Form CRS (Item 3, dated March 28, 2025):

  • Investment management (AUM fee): 0.50%–1.90% annually, calculated as a percentage of the assets ASWM manages for you. This is negotiable and depends on the scope of services, any third-party managers used, and total asset value. It's deducted directly from your account(s), in arrears, monthly.
  • Financial planning and consulting: a fixed fee of $500–$25,000 depending on the scope and complexity of the engagement, or $250/hour. Up to 50% of the total fee may be required in advance.
  • Account minimum: $25,000, subject to waiver or reduction at ASWM's discretion.

These fees are separate from — and in addition to — any custodian charges (brokerage commissions, transaction fees, or fund-level expenses) and from the insurance commissions described below. Because the AUM fee is a percentage of the assets under management, ASWM earns more as your account grows, which is itself a disclosed conflict of interest: see Form CRS Item 3 for the full discussion, and Form ADV Part 2A Item 5 for the complete fee and compensation disclosure. These figures can change with a future ASWM filing — the linked PDFs above, not this summary, are the authoritative source.

Compensation and Conflicts of Interest

For investment advisory services, Richard Kirk is fee-based and does not earn a commission on the accounts he manages — his compensation is the advisory fee schedule above. For insurance products — fixed annuities, life insurance, and long-term care insurance — the issuing insurance company pays a commission out of its own revenue when a policy is issued. This commission is never deducted from your account, and is disclosed to you before you decide to move forward with any recommendation. Because insurance commissions vary by product and carrier, this creates a general conflict of interest common to the insurance industry — we disclose it here rather than claiming it doesn't exist.

General Disclosures

  • Past performance does not guarantee future results. Any hypothetical, back-tested, or illustrated figures shown on this site are for educational purposes only and are not a promise of any specific outcome.
  • All investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. No guarantee or representation is made that any investment strategy will achieve its objectives, generate profits, or avoid losses.
  • Nothing contained on this website should be interpreted to suggest that any investment or strategy is "safe," "conservative," "risk-free," or "risk-averse."
  • This website is for informational purposes only and does not constitute personalized investment, tax, or legal advice, or an offer to buy or sell any security. Individual results vary based on each client's specific facts and circumstances. Investors should consult their attorney, accountant, and tax advisor regarding their individual circumstances.
  • Insurance product guarantees (including any "principal protection" or "guaranteed income" features) are backed solely by the financial strength and claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company — not by Lifeguard Retirement Planning, Richard Kirk, or any government agency.
  • Any case studies or client stories referenced on this site are based on real, anonymized client situations, but individual results vary and are not a guarantee that any other client will achieve similar results.
  • Certain information contained on this website has been obtained from third-party sources believed to be reliable. However, neither Lifeguard Retirement Planning, Richard Kirk, nor Advisor Share Wealth Management LLC makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, regarding the accuracy or completeness of such information.

Contact Us

Questions about anything on this page can be directed to: