AdvisorCensus / Financial advisors / California / San Francisco / Backer
Backer is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm in San Francisco, CA, registered since 2015, reporting $25 million to $100 million in regulatory assets under management in its Form ADV filing dated March 31, 2026.
Quick answers
From the filingHow is Backer compensated?
On its Form ADV (Item 5.E, October 2026), Backer reports these compensation arrangements: fixed fees (other than subscription fees).
Where is Backer located?
Backer's principal office is in San Francisco, CA, according to its Form ADV.
Is Backer registered with the SEC or a state?
Backer is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm, registered since 2015. Status as filed: Approved. CRD 281813.
How much does Backer manage?
Backer reports $62,882,199 in regulatory assets under management in its Form ADV filing dated March 31, 2026 (0% discretionary).
How have Backer's assets and staff changed since 2021?
In the Form ADV data for Backer: Regulatory assets under management: $19,336,062 in the October 2021 data and $62,882,199 in the October 2026 data, up 225%. Total employees: 11 in October 2021 and 15 in October 2026. Assets under management move with markets as well as with clients coming and going.
What types of clients does Backer serve?
By number of clients on Form ADV Item 5.D: individuals (other than high net worth individuals) (14,482).
Does Backer 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/281813
What changed in Backer's recent Form ADV filings?
In the April 2026 filing data: Regulatory assets under management went from $47,538,155 to $62,882,199 (+32%).
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- Fixed fees (other than subscription fees)
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 31, 2026) for its fees and any account minimum, on the SEC's IAPD site.
Regulatory assets under management
Item 5.F$62,882,199 as of October 2026, filing dated March 31, 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- Other
Registration and firm details
Items 1, 2, 5- Legal name
- Principly, Inc.
- Registration
- SEC-registered investment adviser. Status as filed: Approved.
- Registered since
- 2015 (10 years)
- Employees
- Total: 15. Performing investment advisory functions: 1.
- Wrap fee program participation
- No.
- States registered or notice-filed
-
52 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 | $62,882,199 | 15 | March 31, 2026 |
| October 2025 | $47,538,155 | 20 | April 2, 2025 |
| October 2024 | $38,598,587 | 20 | February 2, 2024 |
| October 2023 | $32,136,211 | 15 | March 31, 2023 |
| October 2022 | $26,064,267 | 15 | September 27, 2022 |
| October 2021 | $19,336,062 | 11 | May 24, 2021 |
Regulatory assets under management: $19,336,062 in the October 2021 data and $62,882,199 in the October 2026 data, up 225%.
Total employees: 11 in October 2021 and 15 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
- Regulatory assets under management went from $47,538,155 to $62,882,199 (+32%).
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. Backer (CRD 281813): Form ADV filing data as of October 2026. https://advisorcensus.com/firm/backer-san-francisco-ca-281813