AdvisorCensus / Financial advisors / North Carolina / Charlotte / Defender Capital
Defender Capital is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm in Charlotte, NC, registered since 2015, reporting $500 million to $1 billion in regulatory assets under management in its Form ADV filing dated January 28, 2026.
Quick answers
From the filingHow is Defender Capital compensated?
On its Form ADV (Item 5.E, October 2026), Defender Capital reports these compensation arrangements: a percentage of assets under its management; hourly charges; fixed fees (other than subscription fees). The amounts are in Item 5 of its Form ADV Part 2A brochure.
Where is Defender Capital located?
Defender Capital's principal office is in Charlotte, NC, according to its Form ADV.
Is Defender Capital registered with the SEC or a state?
Defender Capital is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm, registered since 2015. Status as filed: Approved. CRD 159607.
How much does Defender Capital manage?
Defender Capital reports $510,000,000 in regulatory assets under management in its Form ADV filing dated January 28, 2026 (100% discretionary).
How have Defender Capital's assets and staff changed since 2021?
In the Form ADV data for Defender Capital: Regulatory assets under management: $367,000,000 in the October 2021 data and $510,000,000 in the October 2026 data, up 39%. Total employees: 6 in October 2021 and 3 in October 2026. Assets under management move with markets as well as with clients coming and going.
What types of clients does Defender Capital serve?
By number of clients on Form ADV Item 5.D: high net worth individuals (129); individuals (other than high net worth individuals) (57); pooled investment vehicles (other than investment companies and business development companies) (1).
Which custodians does Defender Capital use?
Defender Capital's 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 Defender Capital 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/159607
What changed in Defender Capital's recent Form ADV filings?
In the February 2026 filing data: Regulatory assets under management went from $442,000,000 to $510,000,000 (+15%).
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 2ASee the firm's brochure (dated January 28, 2026) for its fees and any account minimum, on the SEC's IAPD site.
Regulatory assets under management
Item 5.F$510,000,000 as of October 2026, filing dated January 28, 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 pooled investment vehicles (other than investment companies)
- Portfolio management for businesses (other than small businesses) or institutional clients
- Pension consulting services
Registration and firm details
Items 1, 2, 5- Legal name
- Defender Capital LLC
- Registration
- SEC-registered investment adviser. Status as filed: Approved.
- Registered since
- 2015 (11 years)
- Employees
- Total: 3. Performing investment advisory functions: 2.
- 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
-
6 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 | $510,000,000 | 3 | January 28, 2026 |
| October 2025 | $442,000,000 | 3 | March 21, 2025 |
| October 2024 | $413,725,000 | 7 | March 18, 2024 |
| October 2023 | $388,000,000 | 6 | September 26, 2023 |
| October 2022 | $374,000,000 | 6 | July 29, 2022 |
| October 2021 | $367,000,000 | 6 | September 1, 2021 |
Regulatory assets under management: $367,000,000 in the October 2021 data and $510,000,000 in the October 2026 data, up 39%.
Total employees: 6 in October 2021 and 3 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- February 2026
- Regulatory assets under management went from $442,000,000 to $510,000,000 (+15%).
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. Defender Capital (CRD 159607): Form ADV filing data as of October 2026. https://advisorcensus.com/firm/defender-capital-charlotte-nc-159607