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AdvisorCensus / Financial advisors / Illinois / Chicago / Chesley, Taft & Associates, LLC

Chesley, Taft & Associates, LLC

Chicago, ILSEC-registered investment adviserCRD 111578

Filed as CHESLEY, TAFT & ASSOCIATES, LLC

Chesley, Taft & Associates, LLC is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm in Chicago, IL, registered since 2000, reporting $1 billion to $5 billion in regulatory assets under management in its Form ADV filing dated March 19, 2026.

25 years
registered since 2000
$3,013,514,015
assets under management
2 arrangements
Percentage of assets, Fixed fees
None
disclosure items (Item 11)

Quick answers

From the filing

How is Chesley, Taft & Associates, LLC compensated?

On its Form ADV (Item 5.E, October 2026), Chesley, Taft & Associates, LLC reports these compensation arrangements: a percentage of assets under its management; fixed fees (other than subscription fees).

Where is Chesley, Taft & Associates, LLC located?

Chesley, Taft & Associates, LLC's principal office is in Chicago, IL, according to its Form ADV.

Is Chesley, Taft & Associates, LLC registered with the SEC or a state?

Chesley, Taft & Associates, LLC is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm, registered since 2000. Status as filed: Approved. CRD 111578.

How much does Chesley, Taft & Associates, LLC manage?

Chesley, Taft & Associates, LLC reports $3,013,514,015 in regulatory assets under management in its Form ADV filing dated March 19, 2026 (92% discretionary).

How have Chesley, Taft & Associates, LLC's assets and staff changed since 2021?

In the Form ADV data for Chesley, Taft & Associates, LLC: Regulatory assets under management: $2,146,046,808 in the October 2021 data and $3,013,514,015 in the October 2026 data, up 40%. Total employees: 13 in October 2021 and 18 in October 2026. Assets under management move with markets as well as with clients coming and going.

What types of clients does Chesley, Taft & Associates, LLC serve?

By number of clients on Form ADV Item 5.D: high net worth individuals (585); individuals (other than high net worth individuals) (32); charitable organizations (7).

Which custodians does Chesley, Taft & Associates, LLC use?

Chesley, Taft & Associates, LLC's most recent Form ADV filing (Schedule D, Section 5.K(3)) lists Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. and CIBC as custodians holding 10% or more of its separately managed account assets.

Does Chesley, Taft & Associates, LLC 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/111578

Does Chesley, Taft & Associates, LLC state an account minimum?

Its Form ADV Part 2A brochure dated March 19, 2026 says: "We prefer each client relationship to have minimum assets under management of $1 million. In certain circumstances, we will accept and/or maintain relationships below that threshold."

What changed in Chesley, Taft & Associates, LLC's recent Form ADV filings?

In the April 2026 filing data: Updated its list of owners and control persons (Schedule A).

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
  • 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 2A

The brochure lists different fees for different services or strategies; see the brochure for them.

Account minimum: $1,000,000

The brochure's wording
We prefer each client relationship to have minimum assets under management of $1 million. In certain circumstances, we will accept and/or maintain relationships below that threshold.

As stated in the firm's Form ADV Part 2A brochure dated March 19, 2026. Fees can differ by service and may be negotiable; the brochure is the complete statement. Read the brochure on the SEC's IAPD site

Regulatory assets under management

Item 5.F
$3,013,514,015

$3,013,514,015 as of October 2026, filing dated March 19, 2026.

Discretionary: $2,762,135,993.Non-discretionary: $251,378,022.

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.D
Individuals (other than high net worth individuals)
Clients 32 Assets $10,851,491 (0%)
High net worth individuals
Clients 585 Assets $2,897,347,015 (96%)
Pension and profit sharing plans (but not the plan participants or government pension plans)
Clients 5 Assets $7,367,761 (0%)
Charitable organizations
Clients 7 Assets $22,539,764 (1%)
Corporations or other businesses not listed above
Clients 6 Assets $75,407,984 (3%)

A 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

Registration and firm details

Items 1, 2, 5
Registration
SEC-registered investment adviser. Status as filed: Approved.
Registered since
2000 (25 years)
Employees
Total: 18. Performing investment advisory functions: 9.
Wrap fee program participation
No.
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
16 states or jurisdictions
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SEC-registered investment advisers are examined by the SEC. SEC, state, and exempt registration

Disclosures

Item 11

None 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
$2.15B 2021 $2.49B 2022 $2.06B 2023 $2.4B 2024 $2.79B 2025 $3.01B 2026
Data periodAssets under managementEmployeesFiling dated
October 2026$3,013,514,01518March 19, 2026
October 2025$2,794,834,55116March 7, 2025
October 2024$2,403,798,69316March 12, 2024
October 2023$2,059,313,54514March 9, 2023
October 2022$2,492,792,39214March 14, 2022
October 2021$2,146,046,80813June 1, 2021

Regulatory assets under management: $2,146,046,808 in the October 2021 data and $3,013,514,015 in the October 2026 data, up 40%.

Total employees: 13 in October 2021 and 18 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
  1. April 2026
    • Updated its list of owners and control persons (Schedule A).

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.I
chesleytaft.com

Source: 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. Chesley, Taft & Associates, LLC (CRD 111578): Form ADV filing data as of October 2026.
https://advisorcensus.com/firm/chesley-taft-and-associates-llc-chicago-il-111578