AdvisorCensus / Financial advisors / Massachusetts / Boston / Appleton Partners, Inc.
Appleton Partners, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm in Boston, MA, registered since 1987, reporting over $5 billion in regulatory assets under management in its Form ADV filing dated March 23, 2026.
Quick answers
From the filingHow is Appleton Partners, Inc. compensated?
On its Form ADV (Item 5.E, October 2026), Appleton Partners, Inc. reports these compensation arrangements: a percentage of assets under its management.
Where is Appleton Partners, Inc. located?
Appleton Partners, Inc.'s principal office is in Boston, MA, according to its Form ADV.
Is Appleton Partners, Inc. registered with the SEC or a state?
Appleton Partners, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm, registered since 1987. Status as filed: Approved. CRD 110049.
How much does Appleton Partners, Inc. manage?
Appleton Partners, Inc. reports $12,552,053,767 in regulatory assets under management in its Form ADV filing dated March 23, 2026 (100% discretionary).
How have Appleton Partners, Inc.'s assets and staff changed since 2021?
In the Form ADV data for Appleton Partners, Inc.: Regulatory assets under management: $12,431,966,957 in the October 2021 data and $12,552,053,767 in the October 2026 data, up 1%. Total employees: 54 in October 2021 and 59 in October 2026. Assets under management move with markets as well as with clients coming and going.
What types of clients does Appleton Partners, Inc. serve?
By number of clients on Form ADV Item 5.D: other (5,314); high net worth individuals (443); individuals (other than high net worth individuals) (339).
Which custodians does Appleton Partners, Inc. use?
Appleton Partners, Inc.'s most recent Form ADV filing (Schedule D, Section 5.K(3)) lists Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC as custodians holding 10% or more of its separately managed account assets.
Does Appleton Partners, Inc. report any disciplinary disclosures?
Reports no disclosure items on Form ADV Item 11. The detail of any item is on the firm's SEC record: https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/110049
What changed in Appleton Partners, Inc.'s recent Form ADV filings?
In the April 2026 filing data: Employees performing advisory functions went from 32 to 31.
From the Form ADV filing
Every figure below is as the firm filed it with regulators, as of October 2026.
How the firm is compensated
Item 5.E- A percentage of assets under your management
Item 5.E lists how the firm is compensated for its advice; Items 5.B, 6.A, and 7.A show whether its people or related companies can also earn commissions. Percentage of assets, fixed, hourly, subscription, and performance-based fees come from clients (a performance-based fee depends on investment results); commissions come with a sale or a trade, often from the company behind the product. How fees, commissions, and other arrangements differ
Fees and minimums
Form ADV Part 2ASee the firm's brochure (dated March 23, 2026) for its fees and any account minimum, on the SEC's IAPD site.
Regulatory assets under management
Item 5.F$12,552,053,767 as of October 2026, filing dated March 23, 2026.
A measure of scale, not skill or returns. Discretionary means the firm decides trades; non-discretionary means clients approve each one. What assets under management means
Who the firm serves
Item 5.DA firm with no individual clients is an institutional manager even if it manages billions; the mix tells you whom the practice is built around.
Advisory services
Item 5.G- Financial planning services
- Portfolio management for individuals and/or small businesses
- Portfolio management for businesses (other than small businesses) or institutional clients
- Selection of other advisers (including private fund managers)
- Publication of periodicals or newsletters
- Educational seminars/workshops
Registration and firm details
Items 1, 2, 5- Registration
- SEC-registered investment adviser. Status as filed: Approved.
- Registered since
- 1987 (39 years)
- Employees
- Total: 59. Performing investment advisory functions: 31.
- Wrap fee program participation
- Yes.
- Custodians (Schedule D, Section 5.K(3))
-
Custodians holding 10% or more of the firm's separately managed account assets, as filed on Form ADV (Schedule D, Section 5.K(3)). A custodian holds client assets; it does not endorse or supervise the firm. AdvisorCensus has no relationship with any custodian.
- States registered or notice-filed
-
53 states or jurisdictions
SEC-registered investment advisers are examined by the SEC. SEC, state, and exempt registration
Disclosures
Item 11None Reports no disclosure items on Form ADV Item 11. View on IAPD.
Item 11 asks about criminal, regulatory, and civil events involving the firm and its advisory personnel. The detail of each yes answer is on the IAPD record. Reading a firm's disclosures
Assets and staff over time
Items 5.A, 5.F| Data period | Assets under management | Employees | Filing dated |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | $12,552,053,767 | 59 | March 23, 2026 |
| October 2025 | $13,452,681,852 | 61 | July 7, 2025 |
| October 2024 | $12,650,265,281 | 58 | August 15, 2024 |
| October 2023 | $12,143,424,588 | 58 | March 8, 2023 |
| October 2022 | $12,509,801,332 | 54 | March 31, 2022 |
| October 2021 | $12,431,966,957 | 54 | April 13, 2021 |
Regulatory assets under management: $12,431,966,957 in the October 2021 data and $12,552,053,767 in the October 2026 data, up 1%.
Total employees: 54 in October 2021 and 59 in October 2026.
As filed in each year's data for the same month. Assets under management move with markets as well as with clients coming and going; they measure scale, not skill or returns. Most firms update these figures once a year.
Changes in the filing
Last 12 months- April 2026
- Employees performing advisory functions went from 32 to 31.
Compared month to month from the SEC's monthly adviser data and the state compilation feed. Owners and control persons are summarized, never named.
Websites listed on Form ADV
Item 1.ISource: Form ADV, as of October 2026. Values appear as filed; a value the firm did not report is shown as "Not reported."
Cite this page
AdvisorCensus. Appleton Partners, Inc. (CRD 110049): Form ADV filing data as of October 2026. https://advisorcensus.com/firm/appleton-partners-inc-boston-ma-110049