AdvisorCensus / Financial advisors / Illinois / Chicago / Dearborn Partners L.L.C.
Dearborn Partners L.L.C. is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm in Chicago, IL, registered since 1997, reporting $1 billion to $5 billion in regulatory assets under management in its Form ADV filing dated March 23, 2026.
Quick answers
From the filingHow is Dearborn Partners L.L.C. compensated?
On its Form ADV (Item 5.E, October 2026), Dearborn Partners L.L.C. reports these compensation arrangements: a percentage of assets under its management. The amounts are in Item 5 of its Form ADV Part 2A brochure.
Where is Dearborn Partners L.L.C. located?
Dearborn Partners L.L.C.'s principal office is in Chicago, IL, according to its Form ADV.
Is Dearborn Partners L.L.C. registered with the SEC or a state?
Dearborn Partners L.L.C. is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm, registered since 1997. Status as filed: Approved. CRD 108147.
How much does Dearborn Partners L.L.C. manage?
Dearborn Partners L.L.C. reports $2,741,716,548 in regulatory assets under management in its Form ADV filing dated March 23, 2026 (100% discretionary).
How have Dearborn Partners L.L.C.'s assets and staff changed since 2021?
In the Form ADV data for Dearborn Partners L.L.C.: Regulatory assets under management: $3,387,201,154 in the October 2021 data and $2,741,716,548 in the October 2026 data, down 19%. Total employees: 25 in October 2021 and 24 in October 2026. Assets under management move with markets as well as with clients coming and going.
What types of clients does Dearborn Partners L.L.C. serve?
By number of clients on Form ADV Item 5.D: high net worth individuals (142); individuals (other than high net worth individuals) (108); pension and profit sharing plans (but not the plan participants or government pension plans) (18).
Which custodians does Dearborn Partners L.L.C. use?
Dearborn Partners L.L.C.'s most recent Form ADV filing (Schedule D, Section 5.K(3)) lists Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC as custodians holding 10% or more of its separately managed account assets.
Does Dearborn Partners L.L.C. 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/108147
What changed in Dearborn Partners L.L.C.'s recent Form ADV filings?
In the April 2026 filing data: Employees performing advisory functions went from 14 to 13. Regulatory assets under management went from $3,533,103,194 to $2,741,716,548 (-22%). Registered or notice-filed in MA.
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$2,741,716,548 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 investment companies (and business development companies)
- Portfolio management for businesses (other than small businesses) or institutional clients
- Selection of other advisers (including private fund managers)
- Other
Registration and firm details
Items 1, 2, 5- Registration
- SEC-registered investment adviser. Status as filed: Approved.
- Registered since
- 1997 (29 years)
- Employees
- Total: 24. Performing investment advisory functions: 13.
- 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
-
36 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 | $2,741,716,548 | 24 | March 23, 2026 |
| October 2025 | $3,533,103,194 | 25 | March 21, 2025 |
| October 2024 | $3,817,339,463 | 25 | March 19, 2024 |
| October 2023 | $3,564,197,673 | 28 | March 23, 2023 |
| October 2022 | $4,046,891,535 | 24 | March 24, 2022 |
| October 2021 | $3,387,201,154 | 25 | September 20, 2021 |
Regulatory assets under management: $3,387,201,154 in the October 2021 data and $2,741,716,548 in the October 2026 data, down 19%.
Total employees: 25 in October 2021 and 24 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 14 to 13.
- Regulatory assets under management went from $3,533,103,194 to $2,741,716,548 (-22%).
- Registered or notice-filed in MA.
- January 2026
- No longer registered or notice-filed in DC, ID, IN, KS, MA, MT, NV.
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. Dearborn Partners L.L.C. (CRD 108147): Form ADV filing data as of October 2026. https://advisorcensus.com/firm/dearborn-partners-l-l-c-chicago-il-108147