Terms and Conditions Addendum

Overview

This addendum to the engagement letter describes our standard terms and conditions (“Terms and Conditions”) related to our provision of services to you. This addendum, and the accompanying engagement letter, comprise your agreement with us (“Agreement”). If there is any inconsistency between the engagement letter and this Terms and Conditions Addendum, the engagement letter will prevail to the extent of the inconsistency.

For the purposes of this Terms and Conditions Addendum, any reference to “firm,” “we,” “us,” or “our” is a reference to Stephens & Company, PLLC, and any reference to “you,” or “your” is a reference to the party or parties that have engaged us to provide services.

Billing and Payment Terms

We base our fees primarily upon the value of the services we deliver to the client. Other factors in determining our fees may include the complexity of the issues and work to be performed; the existing demand for our services; the experience and ability of the personnel assigned; the organization, completeness, accuracy, and timeliness of the information provided to us; and the cooperation and responsiveness of the client throughout the process. We generally do not determine our fees based on increments of time or expenses incurred.

Upon request, we may be able to provide you an estimate of our fee for completing this engagement. If we provide you an estimate of our fee for completing this engagement, you should remember that it is only an estimate that is based upon the information we have available to us at the time and that, depending upon the factors noted in the preceding paragraph, the actual fee may be different than our estimate.

Circumstances may arise that impact our estimated fee such as, but not limited to, issues encountered with the timely delivery, availability, quality, or completeness of the information you provide to us, changes in your personnel or operations that impact our services or other unanticipated items that arise during our engagement and that require additional time in order to complete the agreed-upon services. You agree that you will deliver all records requested and respond to all inquiries made by our staff to complete this engagement on a timely basis. You agree to pay all fees and expenses incurred whether or not we prepare the tax returns.

Payment for service is due when rendered and interim billings may be submitted as work progresses. If we have not received payment within 30 days of our invoice, we reserve the right to suspend or terminate our work for non-payment of fees until your account is brought current.

If payment is not received by the due date, you may be assessed interest charges of 1.5 percent per month on the unpaid balance. You have thirty (30) days from the invoice date to review the invoice and to communicate to us, in writing, any disagreement with the charges, after which you waive the right to contest the invoice.

All outstanding invoices must be paid prior to the release of the deliverable(s) specified in the Agreement. If you fail to pay all outstanding invoices, you assume all risk associated with your failure to meet any governmental or other deadlines, including the assessment of penalties and interest. We do not release incomplete deliverables.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate our work for non-payment of fees. In the event that work is discontinued, either temporarily or permanently, as a result of delinquent payment, we shall not be liable for any damages you may incur as a result of the work stoppage.

We are responsible for preparing only the deliverables within this Agreement. Our fee does not include responding to inquiries or examination by taxing authorities. However, we are available to represent you. Our fees for such services are separate from the fee for completing this engagement.

In addition, in the event our firm or any of its employees or agents is called as a witness or requested to provide any information whether oral, written, or electronic in any judicial, quasi-judicial, or administrative hearing or trial regarding information or communications that you have provided to this firm, or any documents and workpapers prepared by Stephens & Company, PLLC in accordance with the terms of this agreement, you agree to pay any and all reasonable expenses, including fees and costs then in effect, as well as any legal or other fees that we incur as a result of such appearance or production of documents.

We will inform you if a deposit payment is required. These funds, if required, will not be held in a separate trust account. Any deposit will be applied to future invoices upon our submission of those invoices. If the engagement cannot be completed, or is completed for a fee that is less than the balance of the deposit, a refund will be provided within sixty (60) days of the termination or completion of the engagement.

Termination and Withdrawal

Either party may terminate this Agreement at any time, and we reserve the right to withdraw from the engagement without completing services for any reason, including, but not limited to, non-payment of fees, your failure to comply with the terms of this Agreement, or as we determine professional standards require. If our work is suspended or terminated, you agree that we will not be responsible for your failure to meet governmental and other deadlines, or for any liability, including but not limited to, penalties or interest that may be assessed against you resulting from your failure to meet such deadlines.

If this Agreement is terminated before services are completed, you agree to compensate us for the services performed and expenses incurred through the effective date of termination.

Proprietary Information

You acknowledge that proprietary information, documents, materials, management techniques and other intellectual property are a material source of the services we perform and were developed prior to our association with you. Any new forms, software, documents or intellectual property we develop during this engagement for your use shall belong to us, and you shall have the limited right to use them solely within your business. All reports, templates, manuals, forms, checklists, questionnaires, letters, agreements and other documents which we make available to you are confidential and proprietary to us. Neither you, nor any of your agents, will copy, electronically store, reproduce or make available to anyone other than your personnel, any such documents. This provision will apply to all materials whether in digital, “hard copy” format or other medium.

Conflicts of Interest

If we, in our sole discretion, believe a conflict has arisen affecting our ability to deliver services to you in accordance with either the ethical standards of our firm or the ethical standards of our profession, we may be required to suspend or terminate our services without issuing our work product.

Client Portals and Storage

To enhance our services to you, we will utilize SafeSend or ShareFile, collaborative, virtual workspaces in a protected, online environment. SafeSend or ShareFile permits real-time collaboration across geographic boundaries and time zones and allows Stephens & Company, PLLC and you to share data, engagement information, knowledge, and deliverables in a protected environment. In order to use SafeSend or ShareFile, you may be required by the provider of SafeSend or ShareFile to execute a client portal agreement and agree to be bound by the terms, conditions and limitations of such agreement. You agree that we have no responsibility for the activities of SafeSend or ShareFile and agree to indemnify and hold us harmless with respect to any and all claims arising from or related to the operation of SafeSend or ShareFile.

Stephens & Company, PLLC is not a host for any of your information. You are responsible for maintaining your own copy of this information. We do not provide back-up services for any of your data or records, including information we provide to you. Portals are utilized solely as a method of transferring data and are not intended for the storage of your information. Information on a portal may be deleted by Stephens & Company, PLLC.

If you decide to transmit your confidential information to us in a manner other than a secure portal, you accept responsibility for any and all unauthorized access to your confidential information. If you request that we transmit confidential information to you in a manner other than a secure portal, you agree that we are not responsible for any liability, including but not limited to, (a) any loss or damage of any nature, whether direct or indirect, that may arise as a result of our sending confidential information in a manner other than a secure portal, and (b) any damages arising as a result of any virus being passed on or with, or arising from any alteration of, any email message.

Third-Party Service Providers or Subcontractors

We may use a third-party service provider to assist us where necessary to help provide professional services to you or support the needs of our firm. This may include provision of your confidential information to the third-party service provider. We require our third-party service providers to have established procedures and controls designed to protect client confidentiality and maintain data security. As the paid provider of professional services, our firm remains responsible for exercising reasonable care in providing such services, and our work product will be subjected to our firm's customary quality control procedures.

By accepting the terms and conditions of our engagement, you consent to the disclosure of your confidential information to third-party service providers, if such disclosure is necessary to deliver professional services to you or provide support services to our firm. In certain circumstances, we may require a separate written consent from you before your information is transmitted to a third party.

Records Management

Record Retention and Ownership

We will return any original records and documents you provide to us on or before the conclusion of the engagement. Our copies of your records and documents are solely for our documentation purposes and are not a substitute for your own records and do not mitigate your record retention obligations under any applicable laws or regulations. You are responsible for maintaining complete and accurate books and records, which may include financial statements, schedules, tax returns and other deliverables provided to you by us. If we provide deliverables or other records to you via an information portal, you must download this information within 365 days. Professional standards preclude us from being the sole repository of your original data, records, or information.

Workpapers and other documents created by us are our property and will remain in our control. Copies are not to be distributed without your written request and our prior written consent. Our workpapers will be maintained by us in accordance with our firm’s record retention policy and any applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

Our firm policy is to destroy workpapers files after a period of seven (7) years. Catastrophic events or physical deterioration may result in damage to or destruction of our firm’s records, causing the records to be unavailable before the expiration of the retention period, as stated in our record retention policy.

By your signature, you acknowledge and agree that upon the expiration of the seven (7) year period, we shall be free to destroy our records related to this engagement.

Working Paper Access Requests by Regulators and Others

State, federal and foreign regulators may request access to or copies of certain workpapers pursuant to applicable legal or regulatory requirements. Requests also may arise with respect to peer review, an ethics investigation, the sale of your organization, or the sale of our accounting practice. If requested, access to such workpapers will be provided under the supervision of firm personnel. Regulators may request copies of selected workpapers to distribute the copies or information contained therein to others, including other governmental agencies.

If we receive a request for copies of selected workpapers, provided that we are not prohibited from doing so by applicable laws or regulations, we agree to inform you of such request as soon as practicable. You may, within the time permitted for our firm to respond to any request, initiate such legal action as you deem appropriate, at your sole expense, to attempt to limit the disclosure of information. If you take no action within the time permitted for us to respond, or if your action does not result in a judicial order protecting us from supplying requested information, we may construe your inaction or failure as consent to comply with the request.

If we are not a party to the proceeding in which the information is sought, you agree to reimburse us for our professional time and expenses, as well as the fees and expenses of our legal counsel, incurred in responding to such requests.

Summons or Subpoenas

All information you provide to us in connection with this engagement will be maintained by us on a strictly confidential basis.

If we receive a summons or subpoena which our legal counsel determines requires us to produce documents from this engagement or testify about this engagement, provided that we are not prohibited from doing so by applicable laws or regulations, we agree to inform you of such summons or subpoena as soon as practicable. You may, within the time permitted for our firm to respond to any request, initiate such legal action as you deem appropriate, at your sole expense, to attempt to limit discovery. If you take no action within the time permitted for us to respond, or if your action does not result in a judicial order protecting us from supplying requested information, we may construe your inaction or failure as consent to comply with the request.

If we are not a party to the proceeding in which the information is sought, you agree to reimburse us for our professional time and expenses, as well as the fees and expenses of our legal counsel, incurred in responding to such requests.

Confidentiality

In providing services to you, we may require information that is considered confidential and may include Personally Identifiable Information (PII), i.e. information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s’ identity such as address, bank account and social security information. We treat all client information, including PII, as confidential and have a duty to do so based on the standards promulgated by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants as well as applicable laws and regulations. You agree to only provide us with information, including PII, that is necessary for us to provide services to you in accordance with the Agreement.

Referrals

In the course of providing services to you, you may request referrals to products or professionals such as attorneys, brokers, or investment advisors. We may identify professional(s) or product(s) for your consideration. However, you are responsible for evaluating, selecting, and retaining any professional or product and determining if the professional or product meets your needs. You agree that we will not oversee the activities of and have no responsibility for the work product of any professional or the suitability of any product we refer to you or that you separately retain. Further, we are not responsible for any services we perform that fail to meet the intended outcomes as a result of relying on the services of other professionals or products you may retain.

Limitations on Oral and Email Communications

We may discuss with you our views regarding the treatment of certain items or decisions you may encounter. We may also provide you with information in an email. Any advice or information delivered orally or in an email (rather than through a memorandum delivered as an email attachment) will be based upon limited research and a limited discussion and analysis of the underlying facts. Additional research or a more complete review of the facts may affect our analysis and conclusions.

Due to these limitations and the related risks, it may or may not be appropriate to proceed with a decision solely on the basis of any oral or email communication from us. You accept all responsibility, except to the extent caused by our gross negligence or willful misconduct, for any liability, including but not limited to additional tax, penalties or interest resulting from your decision (i) not to have us perform the research and analysis necessary to reach a more definitive conclusion and (ii) to instead rely on an oral or email communication. The limitation in this paragraph will not apply to an item of written advice that is a deliverable of a separate engagement. If you wish to engage us to provide formal advice on a matter on which we have communicated orally or by email, we will confirm this service in a separate agreement.

Brokerage, Investment Advisory or Digital Asset Statements

If you provide our firm with copies of brokerage, investment advisor, or digital asset statements, we will use the information solely for the purpose described in the Engagement Objective and Scope section of this Agreement. We will rely on the accuracy of the information provided in the statements and will not undertake any action to verify this information. We will not monitor transactions, investment activity, provide investment advice, or supervise the actions of the entity or individuals entering into transactions or investment activities on your behalf.

Disclaimer of Legal and Investment Advice

Our services under this Agreement do not constitute investment advice unless specifically engaged in the Engagement Objectives and Scope section of this Agreement. Our services under this Agreement do not constitute legal advice.

Electronic Data Communication and Storage

In the interest of facilitating our services to you, we may send data over the Internet, temporarily store electronic data via computer software applications hosted remotely on the Internet, or utilize cloud-based storage. Your confidential electronic data may be transmitted or stored using these methods. In using these data communication and storage methods, our firm employs measures designed to maintain data security. We use reasonable efforts to keep such communications and electronic data secure in accordance with our obligations under applicable laws, regulations, and professional standards.

By signing this agreement, you consent to receive communications from us through all available electronic means, including but not limited to email, text messages, and other digital platforms. You acknowledge that these communications may include important information regarding your account, updates, and promotional materials. You understand that it is your responsibility to provide us with accurate contact information and to notify us of any changes to your communication preferences.

You recognize and accept that we have no control over the unauthorized interception or breach of any communications or electronic data once it has been transmitted or if it has been subject to unauthorized access while stored, notwithstanding all reasonable security measures employed by us. You consent to our use of these electronic devices and applications during this engagement.

Marketing and Educational Communications

Newsletters, updates, explanations of technical developments or similar communications we may periodically send to you are strictly for marketing or general educational purposes and should not be construed as professional advice on which you may rely. These communications, by themselves, do not create a contractual relationship between us and you, a binding obligation for us to provide services to you, nor a requirement on our part to monitor issues for you.

Federally Authorized Practitioner – Client Privilege

Internal Revenue Code §7525, Confidentiality Privileges Related to Taxpayer Communication, provides a limited confidentiality privilege applying to tax advice embodied in taxpayer communications with federally authorized tax practitioners in certain limited situations.

This privilege is limited in several important respects. For example, the privilege may not apply to your records, state tax issues, state tax proceedings, private civil litigation proceedings, or criminal proceedings.

While we will cooperate with you with respect to the privilege, asserting the privilege is your responsibility. Inadvertent disclosure of otherwise privileged information may result in a waiver of the privilege. Please contact us immediately if you have any questions or need further information about this federally authorized practitioner-client privilege.

Mediation

If a dispute arises out of or relates to this Agreement, including the scope of services contained herein, or the breach thereof, and if the dispute cannot be settled through negotiation, the parties agree first to try to settle the dispute by mediation administered by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) under the AAA Accounting and Related Services Arbitration Rules and Mediation Procedures before resorting to arbitration, litigation, or any other dispute resolution procedure. The mediator will be selected by mutual agreement of the parties. If the parties cannot agree on a mediator, a mediator shall be designated by the AAA. The mediation will be conducted in Arizona.

The mediation will be treated as a settlement discussion and, therefore, all discussions during the mediation will be confidential. The mediator may not testify for either party in any later proceeding related to the dispute. No recording or transcript shall be made of the mediation proceedings. The costs of any mediation proceedings shall be shared equally by all parties. Any costs of legal representation shall be borne by the hiring party.

This provision shall not apply to any dispute related to our billing and/or invoices.

Limitation of Liability

STEPHENS & COMPANY, PLLC’S LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS, DAMAGES, AND COSTS ARISING FROM NEGLIGENT ACTS, ERRORS, OR OMISSIONS COMMITTED BY US IN THE PERFORMANCE OF THIS ENGAGEMENT IS LIMITED TO TWO (2) TIMES THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF FEES PAID BY YOU TO STEPHENS & COMPANY, PLLC FOR THE SERVICE GIVING RISE TO THIS LIABILITY.

Limitation of Damages

NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING TO THE CONTRARY IN THIS AGREEMENT, STEPHENS & COMPANY, PLLC SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOST PROFITS, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR SIMILAR DAMAGES, TO THE EXTENT SUCH DAMAGES MAY BE LAWFULLY LIMITED OR EXCLUDED, OF ANY NATURE EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED BY YOU OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

Indemnification of Stephens & Company, PLLC

Unless otherwise stated in the Agreement, you agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Stephens & Company, PLLC and any of its partners, principals, shareholders, officers, directors, members, employees, agents or assigns with respect to any and all claims made by third parties arising from this engagement, regardless of the nature of the claim, and including the negligence of any party, excepting claims arising from the gross negligence or intentional acts of Stephens & Company, PLLC.

Designation of Venue and Jurisdiction

In the event of a dispute, the courts of the state of Arizona shall have jurisdiction, and all disputes will be submitted to the appropriate court in Coconino County, Arizona, which is the proper and most convenient venue for resolution. We also agree that the law of the state of Arizona shall govern all such disputes.

Timing for Disputes

You agree that any claim arising out of this Agreement shall be commenced within three (3) years from the date our services conclude, regardless of any longer period of time for commencing such claim as may be set by law. A claim is understood to be a demand for money or services, the service of a suit, or the institution of arbitration proceedings against Stephens & Company, PLLC.

Independent Contractor

When providing services to your company, we will be functioning as an independent contractor and in no event will we or any of our employees be an officer of you, nor will our relationship be that of joint venturers, partners, employer and employee, principal and agent, or any similar relationship giving rise to a fiduciary duty to you.

Our obligations under this Agreement are solely obligations of Stephens & Company, PLLC, and no partner, principal, employee or agent of Stephens & Company, PLLC shall be subjected to any personal liability whatsoever to you or any person or entity.

Severability

If any portion of this Agreement is deemed invalid or unenforceable, said finding shall not operate to invalidate the remainder of the terms set forth in this Agreement.

Survivability

The following sections of this Terms and Conditions Addendum shall survive termination of the Agreement: Limitation of Liability, Limitation of Damages, Indemnification, and Statute of Limitations.

Assignment

All parties acknowledge and agree that the terms and conditions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the parties’ successors and assigns, subject to applicable laws and regulations.

Force Majeure

Neither party shall be held liable for any delays resulting from circumstances or causes beyond our reasonable control, including, without limitation, fire or other casualty, act of God, strike or labor dispute, war or other violence, epidemics or pandemics as defined by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or any law, order or requirement of any governmental agency or authority. However, no Force Majeure event shall excuse you of any obligation to pay any outstanding invoice or fee or from any indemnification obligation under this Agreement.

Electronic Signatures and Counterparts

Each party hereto agrees that any electronic signature is intended to authenticate a written signature, shall be valid, and shall have the same force and effect as a manual signature. For purposes hereof, “electronic signature” includes, but is not limited to, a scanned copy of a manual signature, an electronic copy of a manual signature affixed to a document, a signature incorporated into a document utilizing touchscreen capabilities, or a digital signature. Documents may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be considered an original instrument, but all of which shall be considered one and the same agreement.

Non-Solicitation of Our Employees

We value each and every one of our clients as well as each and every one of our employees. We have spent a great deal of time and resources to locate, train, and retain our employees. We respectfully request that you do not solicit our employees to work for you. If you do hire one of our employees within 2 years of when they last worked for Stephens & Company, PLLC, we will be due a finder’s fee equal to 100% of the annual salary or annual wage they were earning as of their last day of employment. Payment will be due within 10 days of your receipt of our invoice.

Requests for Additional Services

We believe it is our responsibility to exceed your expectations and as part of that goal we want to ensure that you are never surprised by the price of any services we provide. If you request that we provide services beyond those outlined in this agreement we will do our best to accommodate that request. We will discuss the scope of the request, our additional fees, and the anticipated timeline for those services before we begin the work. Although we strive to meet your needs, we reserve the right to decline a request for additional services that is outside the scope of services we provide, our expertise, or for any other reason.

Entire Agreement

This Agreement, including this Terms and Conditions Addendum and any other attachments, encompass the entire agreement of the parties and supersedes all previous understandings and agreements between the parties, whether oral or written. Any modification to the terms of this Agreement must be made in writing and signed by both parties. This Agreement has been entered into solely between you and Stephens & Company, PLLC, and no third-party beneficiaries are created hereby.

Please note that you are affirming to Stephens & Company, PLLC your understanding of, and agreement to, the terms and conditions of this engagement letter by any one of the following actions: returning your signed engagement letter to our firm, returning your income tax information to us for use in the preparation of your returns, the submission of the tax returns we have prepared for you to the taxing authorities, or the payment of our return preparation fees.