Ward & Associates (Encinitas)

Name: Ward & Associates
Address: 511 Saxony Place, Encinitas, CA, 92024
Telephone: 858-759-5330

Ward & Associates is a large advisory firm based in Encinitas. It manages $192.59 million of regulatory assets for 54 client accounts. It has been registered with the SEC as an adviser since 2001 and has operated in the jurisdictions of California and New York.

Ward & Associates provides financial planning services, portfolio management for individuals and small businesses, portfolio management for businesses and institutional clients, and selection of other advisers. It prepares financial plans for more than 10 clients. On top of advisory services, the firm doesn't engage in other business activities.

Ward & Associates: assets under management

The assets under management (AUM) of Ward & Associates is $192.59 million. The firm's AUM has grown by 18% since the beginning of its operation, and the company doesn't manage any assets belonging to foreign clients.

The firm manages $183.6 million in discretionary accounts and $9 million in non-discretionary accounts. On average, the discretionary accounts where all decisions are made on behalf of the client hold $3.82 million each. Non-discretionary accounts, where clients actively manage their portfolios, generally hold around $1.5 million.

Investments

The firm invests in investment and business development companies the most. They account for 68% of the total AUM. The second-largest asset type is pooled investment vehicles, which make up 22% of the firm’s portfolio. Investments in exchange traded securities form 6% of the total invested assets.

Fees & Commissions

The advisory firm has several streams of revenue. Clients pay Ward & Associates for their services and products based on a percentage of assets under management and hourly charges. 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 Ward & Associates serves?

The firm provides services to individuals, charitable organizations, high net worth individuals, and pension and profit sharing plans. The largest group of clients of Ward & Associates is high net worth individuals with 35 clients and $177.87 million of assets under management. Among the 11 most similar advisory firms, Ward & Associates has the 2nd highest percentage of high net worth individuals out of all clients.

The amount of regulatory assets under management is $191.23 million for 52 clients that can include trusts, estates, and 401(k) plans and IRAs of individuals and their family members. None of the firm’s clients are foreign persons or businesses.

Ward & Associates doesn't advise any private funds.

Careers at Ward & Associates

The company employs 3 people that are either part- or full-time employees. 67 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 doesn’t compensate 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
Jr. William Thompson Ward	General partner	1 Jan 1997	25% - 50%	4366801
William T Ward	Partner	1 Jan 1997	25% - 50%	4366809
William Thompson Ward	Partner	1 Jan 1997	25% - 50%	4366801
Kevin Andrew Ward	General partner, chief compliance officer	1 Apr 2000	25% - 50%	4366815

Based in Encinitas

The principal office where Ward & Associates performs its advisory services is located at 511 Saxony Place, Encinitas, CA 92024 The mailing address of the firm is Po Box 8710, Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92067. It doesn’t run an office outside of the United States.

You can reach the main office by calling the phone number 858-759-5330 or by fax 858-759-5334. The normal business hours are 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. on Monday - Friday. You can find more information about the New York firm at wardinvest.com.