AdvisorCensus / Financial advisors / California / Los Angeles / Cliffwater LLC
Cliffwater LLC is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm in Marina del Rey, CA, registered since 2004, reporting over $5 billion in regulatory assets under management in its Form ADV filing dated May 4, 2026.
Quick answers
From the filingHow is Cliffwater LLC compensated?
On its Form ADV (Item 5.E, October 2026), Cliffwater LLC reports these compensation arrangements: a percentage of assets under its management; fixed fees (other than subscription fees).
Where is Cliffwater LLC located?
Cliffwater LLC's principal office is in Marina del Rey, CA, according to its Form ADV; the June 2026 filing also lists 3 other offices (Schedule D, Section 1.F).
Is Cliffwater LLC registered with the SEC or a state?
Cliffwater LLC is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm, registered since 2004. Status as filed: Approved. CRD 132167.
How much does Cliffwater LLC manage?
Cliffwater LLC reports $48,506,898,979 in regulatory assets under management in its Form ADV filing dated May 4, 2026 (100% discretionary).
How have Cliffwater LLC's assets and staff changed since 2021?
In the Form ADV data for Cliffwater LLC: Regulatory assets under management: $4,097,380,306 in the October 2021 data and $48,506,898,979 in the October 2026 data, up 1084%. Total employees: 54 in October 2021 and 213 in October 2026. Assets under management move with markets as well as with clients coming and going.
What types of clients does Cliffwater LLC serve?
By number of clients on Form ADV Item 5.D: other (12); high net worth individuals (10); state or municipal government entities (including government pension plans) (9).
Which custodians does Cliffwater LLC use?
Cliffwater LLC's most recent Form ADV filing (Schedule D, Section 5.K(3)) lists Advisor Solutions, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, RBC Investor Service Trust, The Northern Trust Company and The Vanguard Group Inc as custodians holding 10% or more of its separately managed account assets.
Does Cliffwater 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/132167
What changed in Cliffwater LLC's recent Form ADV filings?
In the April 2026 filing data: Employees performing advisory functions went from 102 to 105. Regulatory assets under management went from $35,092,105,766 to $48,506,898,979 (+38%).
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 2ASee the firm's brochure (dated May 4, 2026) for its fees and any account minimum, on the SEC's IAPD site.
Regulatory assets under management
Item 5.F$48,506,898,979 as of October 2026, filing dated May 4, 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- Portfolio management for individuals and/or small businesses
- Portfolio management for investment companies (and business development companies)
- Portfolio management for pooled investment vehicles (other than investment companies)
- Portfolio management for businesses (other than small businesses) or institutional clients
- Pension consulting services
- Selection of other advisers (including private fund managers)
- Publication of periodicals or newsletters
- Other
Registration and firm details
Items 1, 2, 5- Registration
- SEC-registered investment adviser. Status as filed: Approved.
- Registered since
- 2004 (22 years)
- Employees
- Total: 213. Performing investment advisory functions: 105.
- 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.
- Other offices (Schedule D, Section 1.F)
-
3 other offices, as of the June 2026 filing
- States registered or notice-filed
-
4 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 | $48,506,898,979 | 213 | May 4, 2026 |
| October 2025 | $35,092,105,766 | 190 | July 15, 2025 |
| October 2024 | $26,711,555,154 | 137 | May 9, 2024 |
| October 2023 | $14,264,206,279 | 112 | August 28, 2023 |
| October 2022 | $11,159,222,167 | 86 | March 29, 2022 |
| October 2021 | $4,097,380,306 | 54 | April 28, 2021 |
Regulatory assets under management: $4,097,380,306 in the October 2021 data and $48,506,898,979 in the October 2026 data, up 1084%.
Total employees: 54 in October 2021 and 213 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 102 to 105.
- Regulatory assets under management went from $35,092,105,766 to $48,506,898,979 (+38%).
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. Cliffwater LLC (CRD 132167): Form ADV filing data as of October 2026. https://advisorcensus.com/firm/cliffwater-llc-marina-del-rey-ca-132167