Wealth Architects, LLC (Mountain View)

Name: Wealth Architects, LLC
Address: 800 West El Camino Real, Mountain View, CA, 94040
Telephone: 650-325-9044

Wealth Architects, LLC is a large advisory firm based in Mountain View. It manages $968.15 million of regulatory assets for 1,946 client accounts. It has been registered with the SEC as an adviser since 2005 and has operated in the jurisdictions of California, Florida, and Texas.

Wealth Architects provides financial planning services, portfolio management for individuals and small businesses, portfolio management for businesses and institutional clients, selection of other advisers, and investment consulting. It prepares financial plans for more than 250 clients. On top of advisory services, the firm doesn't engage in other business activities.

Wealth Architects: assets under management

The assets under management (AUM) of Wealth Architects, LLC is $968.15 million. The firm's AUM has grown by 808% since the beginning of its operation, and the company doesn't manage any assets belonging to foreign clients.

The firm manages $897.52 million in discretionary accounts and $70.63 million in non-discretionary accounts. On average, the discretionary accounts where all decisions are made on behalf of the client hold $518.8 thousand each. Non-discretionary accounts, where clients actively manage their portfolios, generally hold around $326.99 thousand.

Wealth Architects has custody of $598.33 million in cash and securities for 620 clients in total but doesn’t act as a qualified custodian.

Investments

The firm invests in investment and business development companies the most. They account for 66% of the total AUM. The second-largest asset type is exchange traded securities, which make up 24% of the firm’s portfolio. Investments in cash and cash equivalents form 7% of the total invested assets.

Fees & Commissions

The advisory firm has several streams of revenue. Clients pay Wealth Architects, LLC for their services and products based on a percentage of assets under management, hourly charges, and fixed fees. Compensation based on assets under management promotes a long-term relationship between a client and the adviser and helps align mutual interests. These fees don’t include brokerage commissions, interest, taxes, and other account expenses.

What kind of clients Wealth Architects serves?

The firm provides services to individuals, charitable organizations, and high net worth individuals. The largest group of clients of Wealth Architects is high net worth individuals with 235 clients and $932.24 million of assets under management. Among the 11 most similar advisory firms, Wealth Architects has the highest percentage of high net worth individuals out of all clients.

The amount of regulatory assets under management is $968.15 million for 323 clients that can include trusts, estates, and 401(k) plans and IRAs of individuals and their family members. 1% of the firm’s clients are foreign persons or businesses.

Wealth Architects doesn't advise any private funds.

Careers at Wealth Architects, LLC

The company employs 16 people that are either part- or full-time employees. 50 percent of the employees work as investment advisers or researchers. No employees are registered as investment adviser representatives with the state securities authorities.

There isn’t anyone with the role of looking for and bringing in new clients on behalf of the firm. The firm compensates employees in addition to the salary for bringing in new clients. Employees don’t receive compensation from other entities for client referrals.

Direct owners and executive officers

Name	Entity	Date acquired	Ownership	Employer ID
Kenneth Gerald Jones	Managing member / chief compliance officer	1 May 2005	75% - 100%	4956244
Mark Thomas Johnsen	President / chief executive officer	1 Jun 2005	Other	2349188
Lois Laudereau Cole	President / chief compliance officer	1 Jun 2005	25% - 50%	714201
Johnsen Family Living Trust Dated 12/5/2005	Owner	1 Dec 2005	75% - 100%	xxx-xx-xxxx
Samantha A Johnsen	Trustee of johnsen family living trust	1 Dec 2009	75% - 100%	5770141
Mark Thomas Johnsen	Trustee of johnsen family living trust	1 Dec 2009	75% - 100%	2349188
Mark Richard Gordon	Chief compliance officer	1 Jan 2012	Other	5069708
Patrick Neal Phillips	Chief wealth planning officer	1 Jan 2014	Other	6300288

Indirect Owners

The SEC currently registers 2 indirect owners.

Name	Entity	Date acquired	Ownership	Employer ID
Mark Thomas Johnsen	Trustee	1 Dec 2005	Other	2349188
Samantha Ammirato Johnsen	Trustee	1 Dec 2005	Other	5770141

Based in Mountain View

The principal office where Wealth Architects, LLC performs its advisory services is located at 800 West El Camino Real, Mountain View, CA 94040, which is also the mailing address of the firm. It doesn’t run an office outside of the United States.

You can reach the main office by calling the phone number 650-325-9044 or by fax 650-325-9047. The normal business hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm on Monday - Friday. You can find more information about the New York firm at wealtharchitects.com.