2026-02-26
The Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities issued a Final Order against Pinnacle Financial Planning, LLC and Joshua Edward Makowiec for willful violations of the Pennsylvania Securities Act of 1972. The Respondents were found in default for failing to submit a required balance sheet and refusing to furnish information requested by the Department, resulting in an indefinite suspension of their investment adviser registrations and temporary bars from securities activities. The Commission ordered each Respondent to pay a $2,000 administrative assessment, with the suspensions and bars to be lifted upon full payment and compliance with the alleged violations.
1 COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF BANKING AND SECURITIES : COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA : DEPARTMENT OF BANKING AND : SECURITIES, BUREAU OF SECURITIES : COMPLIANCE AND EXAMINATIONS : Docket No.: 250028 (SEC-OSC) : v. : : PINNACLE FINANCIAL PLANNING, LLC : JOSHUA EDWARD MAKOWIEC : : NOTICE OF RIGHT TO APPEAL You are hereby notified that you have the right to appeal the attached Final Report and Order (“Order”) issued by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Banking and Securities Commission. If you wish to appeal the attached Order you may file a petition for review with the Prothonotary of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania that complies with the format and timing requirements of the applicable Pennsylvania Rules of Appellate Procedure. Pa. R.A.P. 1511-1561. Failure to file a petition for review within 30 days of the mailing date of this Order will result in the attached Order becoming final and unappealable. You may reach the Commonwealth Court at 717-255-1650. Please be advised that this Notice of Right to Appeal is not intended to and does not constitute legal advice. You may consult an attorney regarding your legal rights including your right to appeal the attached Order or your right to file an application for rehearing or reconsideration under the General Rules of Administrative Practice and Procedure. 1 Pa. Code § 35.241. FILED 2026 FEB 26 PM 3:30 PA DEPARTMENT OF BANKING AND SECURITIES
2 COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF BANKING AND SECURITIES : COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA : DEPARTMENT OF BANKING AND : SECURITIES, BUREAU OF SECURITIES : COMPLIANCE AND EXAMINATIONS : Docket No.: 250028 (SEC-OSC) : v. : : PINNACLE FINANCIAL PLANNING, LLC : JOSHUA EDWARD MAKOWIEC : : FINAL ORDER AND NOW, the Pennsylvania Banking and Securities Commission (“Commission”) issues this Final Order in the matter of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities, Bureau of Securities Compliance and Examinations v. Pinnacle Financial Planning, LLC and Joshua Edward Makowiec, Docket No. 250028 (SEC-OSC). The Commission reviewed the proposed report and proposed order of Hearing Officer Carlton M. Smith, which are attached. Pursuant to 1 Pa. Code § 35.207, the Commission served these documents on the parties by letter dated December 18, 2025, giving the parties 30 days to appeal the findings and recommendations by submitting exceptions to the Commission. No party filed exceptions. Accordingly, the Commission may proceed to issue a Final Order in the matter pursuant to the final adjudication authority granted it under Section 1122-A of the Department of Banking and Securities Code, 71 P.S. § 733-1122-A. The Department of Banking and Securities, Bureau of Securities, Compliance and Examination (“Bureau”) made certain allegations in an Order to Show Cause (“OSC”) that it served on Pinnacle Financial Planning, LLC and Joshua Edward Makowiec (“Respondents”) on
3 September 23, 2025. When Respondents failed to respond to such allegations, the Bureau filed a Motion to Deem Facts Admitted and Entry of Default Judgment on November 12, 2025. In his proposed report, the hearing officer deemed the Respondents to be in default and to have admitted the facts as alleged in the OSC. Based on these deemed facts admitted, as set forth in the attached proposed report, the hearing officer concluded that the Bureau has proven two willful violations of the Pennsylvania Securities Act of 1972 (“1972 Act”) and its regulations. First, Respondents failed to submit a balance sheet within 120 days of the end of the investment adviser’s 2018 fiscal year, a violation of section 305(a)(v) of the 1972 Act, 70 P.S. § 1-305(a)(v), and the Department regulation at 10 Pa. Code § 304.022(b) and (d). Second, Respondents refused to furnish information reasonably requested by the Department, which violated section 305(a)(xiii) of the 1972 Act, 70 P.S. § 1-305(a)(xiii) With this Final Order, the Commission adopts the hearing officer’s proposed report as written, but modifies the proposed order as to the amount of the assessment. The Commission ORDERS each Respondent, pursuant to section 602.1 (c) of the 1972 Act, 70 P.S. §1-602.1(c), to pay an administrative assessment in the amount of Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000.00), for a total amount of Four Thousand Dollars ($4,000.00). The Commission further ORDERS that, effective 30 days after the mailing date of this Final Order, the investment adviser registration issued to Pinnacle Financial Planning, LLC, CRD
CRD # 5223234, shall be INDEFINITELY SUSPENDED pursuant to section 305(a)(v) and (xiii) of the 1972 Act, 70 P.S. §1-305(a)(v) and (xiii), and that, pursuant to section 1-512(a) of the
4 1972 Act, 70 P.S. §1-512(a), Respondents shall be TEMPORARILY BARRED from each of the following activities:
6 COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF BANKING AND SECURITIES : COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA : DEPARTMENT OF BANKING AND : SECURITIES, BUREAU OF SECURITIES : COMPLIANCE AND EXAMINATIONS : Docket No.: 250028 (SEC-OSC) : v. : : PINNACLE FINANCIAL PLANNING, LLC : JOSHUA EDWARD MAKOWIEC : : CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE On behalf of the agency, I certify that I have this day caused to be served a copy of the foregoing Final Order upon the following persons pursuant to 1 Pa. Code §§ 33.31: BY CERTIFIED AND FIRSTCLASS MAIL: BY HAND DELIVERY: Joshua Edward Makowiec 71-A Dunnigan Lane Weatherly, Pennsylvania 18255 Pinnacle Financial Planning, LLC 71-A Dunnigan Lane Weatherly, Pennsylvania 18255 Kurt Geishauser, Assistant Counsel Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities 17 North Second Street, Suite 1300 Harrisburg, PA 17101 Counsel for the Bureau of Securities Compliance and Examinations Dated this day of , 2026 __________________________ Jamie Reed, Docket Clerk PA Banking and Securities Commission 17 N. 2nd Street, Suite 1300 Harrisburg, PA 17101 Telephone: (717) 787-5783 3 March FILED 2026 FEB 26 PM 3:30 PA DEPARTMENT OF BANKING AND SECURITIES
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF BANKING AND SECURITIES : COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA : DEPARTMENT OF BANKING AND : SECURITIES, BUREAU OF SECURITIES : COMPLIANCE AND EXAMINATIONS : Docket No.: 250028 (SEC-OSC) : v. : : PINNACLE FINANCIAL PLANNING, LLC : JOSHUA EDWARD MAKOWIEC : : CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE On behalf of the agency, I certify that I have this day caused to be served a copy of the foregoing Final Order upon the following persons pursuant to 1 Pa. Code §§ 33.31: BY CERTIFIED AND FIRSTCLASS MAIL: BY HAND DELIVERY: Joshua Edward Makowiec 71-A Dunnigan Lane Weatherly, Pennsylvania 18255 Pinnacle Financial Planning, LLC 71-A Dunnigan Lane Weatherly, Pennsylvania 18255 Kurt Geishauser, Assistant Counsel Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities 17 North Second Street, Suite 1300 Harrisburg, PA 17101 Counsel for the Bureau of Securities Compliance and Examinations Dated this 5 th day of March 2026 __________________________ Jamie Reed, Docket Clerk PA Banking and Securities Commission 17 N. 2nd Street, Suite 1300 Harrisburg, PA 17101 Telephone: (717) 787-5783 FILED 2026 MARCH 3 PM 2:28 PA DEPARTMENT OF BANKING AND SECURITIES