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Clifford Swan Investment Counselors

Pasadena, CASEC-registered investment adviserCRD 108033

Filed as CLIFFORD SWAN INVESTMENT COUNSELORS · Legal name Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC

Clifford Swan Investment Counselors is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm in Pasadena, CA, registered since 1999, reporting $1 billion to $5 billion in regulatory assets under management in its Form ADV filing dated February 10, 2026.

27 years
registered since 1999
$4,482,345,088
assets under management
3 arrangements
Percentage of assets, Hourly and more
None
disclosure items (Item 11)

Quick answers

From the filing

How is Clifford Swan Investment Counselors compensated?

On its Form ADV (Item 5.E, October 2026), Clifford Swan Investment Counselors reports these compensation arrangements: a percentage of assets under its management; hourly charges; fixed fees (other than subscription fees).

Where is Clifford Swan Investment Counselors located?

Clifford Swan Investment Counselors' principal office is in Pasadena, CA, according to its Form ADV.

Is Clifford Swan Investment Counselors registered with the SEC or a state?

Clifford Swan Investment Counselors is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm, registered since 1999. Status as filed: Approved. CRD 108033.

How much does Clifford Swan Investment Counselors manage?

Clifford Swan Investment Counselors reports $4,482,345,088 in regulatory assets under management in its Form ADV filing dated February 10, 2026 (88% discretionary).

How have Clifford Swan Investment Counselors' assets and staff changed since 2021?

In the Form ADV data for Clifford Swan Investment Counselors: Regulatory assets under management: $3,533,971,121 in the October 2021 data and $4,482,345,088 in the October 2026 data, up 27%. Total employees: 29 in October 2021 and 40 in October 2026. Assets under management move with markets as well as with clients coming and going.

What types of clients does Clifford Swan Investment Counselors serve?

By number of clients on Form ADV Item 5.D: high net worth individuals (588); individuals (other than high net worth individuals) (296); charitable organizations (62).

Which custodians does Clifford Swan Investment Counselors use?

Clifford Swan Investment Counselors' most recent Form ADV filing (Schedule D, Section 5.K(3)) lists Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. as a custodian holding 10% or more of its separately managed account assets.

Does Clifford Swan Investment Counselors 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/108033

Does Clifford Swan Investment Counselors state an account minimum?

Its Form ADV Part 2A brochure dated February 10, 2026 says: "In general, our minimum annual fee structure drives a minimum client relationship size of $1 million in liquid, actively managed assets."

What changed in Clifford Swan Investment Counselors' recent Form ADV filings?

In the March 2026 filing data: Employees performing advisory functions went from 15 to 17. Registered or notice-filed in PA.

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
  • Hourly charges
  • 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
In general, our minimum annual fee structure drives a minimum client relationship size of $1 million in liquid, actively managed assets.

Minimum annual fee: $10,000

The brochure's wording
The minimum Investment Counseling Fee is $10,000 per annum (which could be modified under extenuating circumstances).

As stated in the firm's Form ADV Part 2A brochure dated February 10, 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
$4,482,345,088

$4,482,345,088 as of October 2026, filing dated February 10, 2026.

Discretionary: $3,925,252,939.Non-discretionary: $557,092,149.

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 296 Assets $112,918,146 (3%)
High net worth individuals
Clients 588 Assets $3,659,325,702 (82%)
Banking or thrift institutions
Clients 0 Assets $0 (0%)
Investment companies
Clients 0 Assets $0 (0%)
Business development companies
Clients 0 Assets $0 (0%)
Pooled investment vehicles (other than investment companies and business development companies)
Clients 0 Assets $0 (0%)
Charitable organizations
Clients 62 Assets $533,124,557 (12%)
State or municipal government entities (including government pension plans)
Clients 0 Assets $0 (0%)
Other investment advisers
Clients 0 Assets $0 (0%)
Insurance companies
Clients 0 Assets $0 (0%)
Sovereign wealth funds and foreign official institutions
Clients 0 Assets $0 (0%)
Corporations or other businesses not listed above
Clients 24 Assets $176,976,683 (4%)
Other
Clients 0 Assets $0 (0%)

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
  • Selection of other advisers (including private fund managers)
  • Publication of periodicals or newsletters

Registration and firm details

Items 1, 2, 5
Legal name
Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC
Also doing business as
CLIFFORD SWAN, CLIFFORD SWAN INVESTMENT COUNSEL
Registration
SEC-registered investment adviser. Status as filed: Approved.
Registered since
1999 (27 years)
Employees
Total: 40. Performing investment advisory functions: 17.
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
18 states or jurisdictions
AZCACOFLHIIDLAMANCNHNMNVNYORPATXUTWA

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
$3.53B 2021 $4.19B 2022 $3.63B 2023 $3.85B 2024 $4.14B 2025 $4.48B 2026
Data periodAssets under managementEmployeesFiling dated
October 2026$4,482,345,08840February 10, 2026
October 2025$4,143,559,31933July 18, 2025
October 2024$3,848,216,40231September 26, 2024
October 2023$3,630,129,06231April 10, 2023
October 2022$4,186,718,53330March 22, 2022
October 2021$3,533,971,12129March 22, 2021

Regulatory assets under management: $3,533,971,121 in the October 2021 data and $4,482,345,088 in the October 2026 data, up 27%.

Total employees: 29 in October 2021 and 40 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. March 2026
    • Employees performing advisory functions went from 15 to 17.
    • Registered or notice-filed in PA.

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
cliffordswan.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. Clifford Swan Investment Counselors (CRD 108033): Form ADV filing data as of October 2026.
https://advisorcensus.com/firm/clifford-swan-investment-counselors-pasadena-ca-108033