AdvisorCensus / Financial advisors / California / San Diego / Essential Partners LLC
Essential Partners LLC is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm in Rancho Santa Fe,, CA, registered since 2022, reporting $100 million to $500 million in regulatory assets under management in its Form ADV filing dated March 30, 2026.
Quick answers
From the filingHow is Essential Partners LLC compensated?
On its Form ADV (Item 5.E, October 2026), Essential Partners LLC reports these compensation arrangements: a percentage of assets under its management; fixed fees (other than subscription fees).
How much does Essential Partners LLC charge?
Its Form ADV Part 2A brochure dated March 30, 2026 states: Flat fee: $20,000 to $300,000 (Financial Planning and Consulting). Fees can differ by service and may be negotiable; the brochure is the complete statement.
Where is Essential Partners LLC located?
Essential Partners LLC's principal office is in Rancho Santa Fe,, CA, according to its Form ADV.
Is Essential Partners LLC registered with the SEC or a state?
Essential Partners LLC is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm, registered since 2022. Status as filed: Approved. CRD 315959.
How much does Essential Partners LLC manage?
Essential Partners LLC reports $401,110,000 in regulatory assets under management in its Form ADV filing dated March 30, 2026 (100% discretionary).
How have Essential Partners LLC's assets and staff changed since 2021?
In the Form ADV data for Essential Partners LLC: Regulatory assets under management: $0 in the October 2021 data and $401,110,000 in the October 2026 data. Total employees: 1 in October 2021 and 2 in October 2026. Assets under management move with markets as well as with clients coming and going.
What types of clients does Essential Partners LLC serve?
By number of clients on Form ADV Item 5.D: high net worth individuals (56); other investment advisers (1); corporations or other businesses not listed above (1).
Which custodians does Essential Partners LLC use?
Essential Partners LLC's most recent Form ADV filing (Schedule D, Section 5.K(3)) lists Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. and Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC as custodians holding 10% or more of its separately managed account assets.
Does Essential Partners 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/315959
Does Essential Partners LLC state an account minimum?
Its Form ADV Part 2A brochure dated March 30, 2026 says: "We do not have a minimum account size for our asset management services."
What changed in Essential Partners LLC's recent Form ADV filings?
In the April 2026 filing data: Employees performing advisory functions went from 1 to 2. Regulatory assets under management went from $325,080,000 to $401,110,000 (+23%). Registered or notice-filed in FL, LA, NV, TX.
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 2AAccount minimum: None
The brochure's wording
We do not have a minimum account size for our asset management services.
Flat fee: $20,000 to $300,000 (Financial Planning and Consulting)
The brochure's wording
Fixed Fee $20,000 - $300,000
As stated in the firm's Form ADV Part 2A brochure dated March 30, 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$401,110,000 as of October 2026, filing dated March 30, 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 businesses (other than small businesses) or institutional clients
Registration and firm details
Items 1, 2, 5- Also doing business as
- ELEMENT PARTNERS
- Registration
- SEC-registered investment adviser. Status as filed: Approved.
- Registered since
- 2022 (4 years)
- Employees
- Total: 2. 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 | $401,110,000 | 2 | March 30, 2026 |
| October 2025 | $325,080,000 | 1 | March 31, 2025 |
| October 2024 | $224,734,000 | 1 | March 28, 2024 |
| October 2023 | $408,406,000 | 1 | October 3, 2023 |
| October 2022 | $360,044,631 | 1 | September 13, 2022 |
| October 2021 | $0 | 1 | September 8, 2021 |
Regulatory assets under management: $0 in the October 2021 data and $401,110,000 in the October 2026 data.
Total employees: 1 in October 2021 and 2 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 1 to 2.
- Regulatory assets under management went from $325,080,000 to $401,110,000 (+23%).
- Registered or notice-filed in FL, LA, NV, TX.
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. Essential Partners LLC (CRD 315959): Form ADV filing data as of October 2026. https://advisorcensus.com/firm/essential-partners-llc-rancho-santa-fe-ca-315959