AdvisorCensus / Financial advisors / Connecticut / Hartford / Essex Financial Services, Inc.
Essex Financial Services, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm in Essex, CT, registered since 2003, reporting $1 billion to $5 billion in regulatory assets under management in its Form ADV filing dated August 25, 2026.
Quick answers
From the filingHow is Essex Financial Services, Inc. compensated?
On its Form ADV (Item 5.E, October 2026), Essex Financial Services, Inc. reports these compensation arrangements: a percentage of assets under its management; hourly charges; fixed fees (other than subscription fees).
What does Essex Financial Services, Inc.'s brochure say about its fees?
Its Form ADV Part 2A brochure dated August 25, 2026 states: Asset-based fee: 0.5% to 1.5% a year (a range, as the brochure states it). Fees can differ by service and may be negotiable; the brochure is the complete statement.
Where is Essex Financial Services, Inc. located?
Essex Financial Services, Inc.'s principal office is in Essex, CT, according to its Form ADV; the September 2026 filing also lists 3 other offices (Schedule D, Section 1.F).
Is Essex Financial Services, Inc. registered with the SEC or a state?
Essex Financial Services, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm, registered since 2003. Status as filed: Approved. CRD 127549.
How much does Essex Financial Services, Inc. manage?
Essex Financial Services, Inc. reports $4,169,984,114 in regulatory assets under management in its Form ADV filing dated August 25, 2026 (78% discretionary).
How have Essex Financial Services, Inc.'s assets and staff changed since 2021?
In the Form ADV data for Essex Financial Services, Inc.: Regulatory assets under management: $2,272,726,892 in the October 2021 data and $4,169,984,114 in the October 2026 data, up 83%. Total employees: 41 in October 2021 and 46 in October 2026. Assets under management move with markets as well as with clients coming and going.
What types of clients does Essex Financial Services, Inc. serve?
By number of clients on Form ADV Item 5.D: individuals (other than high net worth individuals) (1,885); high net worth individuals (895); pension and profit sharing plans (but not the plan participants or government pension plans) (108).
Which custodians does Essex Financial Services, Inc. use?
Essex Financial Services, Inc.'s most recent Form ADV filing (Schedule D, Section 5.K(3)) lists Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC and Pershing LLC as custodians holding 10% or more of its separately managed account assets.
Does Essex Financial Services, Inc. report any disciplinary disclosures?
Reports 3 disclosure items on Form ADV Item 11: yes answers to 11.C(2) (SEC or CFTC finding of a violation), 11.C(4) (SEC or CFTC order), and 11.C(5) (SEC or CFTC civil money penalty or cease-and-desist order). Each question covers the firm and its advisory affiliates, and one event can produce several yes answers. The detail of any item is on the firm's SEC record: https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/127549
Does Essex Financial Services, Inc. state an account minimum?
Its Form ADV Part 2A brochure dated August 25, 2026 says: "Essex Financial generally requires a minimum account size of $250,000 to effectively implement its investment process. The account minimum may be waived at the sole discretion of the Advisor."
What changed in Essex Financial Services, Inc.'s recent Form ADV filings?
In the September 2026 filing data: Updated its list of owners and control persons (Schedule A).
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 2AAsset-based fee: 0.5% to 1.5% a year (a range, as the brochure states it)
The brochure's wording
Investment advisory fees range from 0.50% to 1.50% annually based on several factors, including: the scope and complexity of the services to be provided; the level of assets to be managed; and the overall relationship with the Advisor.
Account minimum: $250,000 (the brochure says it may be waived or negotiated)
The brochure's wording
Essex Financial generally requires a minimum account size of $250,000 to effectively implement its investment process. The account minimum may be waived at the sole discretion of the Advisor.
As stated in the firm's Form ADV Part 2A brochure dated August 25, 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$4,169,984,114 as of October 2026, filing dated August 25, 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
- Pension consulting services
- Selection of other advisers (including private fund managers)
Registration and firm details
Items 1, 2, 5- Also doing business as
- ESSEX FINANCIAL
- Registration
- SEC-registered investment adviser. Status as filed: Approved.
- Registered since
- 2003 (23 years)
- Employees
- Total: 46. Performing investment advisory functions: 42.
- 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 September 2026 filing
- States registered or notice-filed
-
28 states or jurisdictions
SEC-registered investment advisers are examined by the SEC. SEC, state, and exempt registration
Disclosures
Item 113 Reports 3 disclosure items on Form ADV Item 11. View on IAPD.
Questions answered yes on this filing
Regulatory matters Items 11.C to 11.G
- 11.C(2) Has the SEC or the CFTC ever found that the firm or an advisory affiliate was involved in a violation of SEC or CFTC regulations or statutes?
- 11.C(4) Has the SEC or the CFTC ever entered an order against the firm or an advisory affiliate in connection with investment-related activity?
- 11.C(5) Has the SEC or the CFTC ever imposed a civil money penalty on the firm or an advisory affiliate, or ordered the firm or an advisory affiliate to cease and desist from an activity?
Each question covers the firm and its advisory affiliates: its current employees other than clerical staff, its officers, partners, and directors, and anyone who controls the firm or is controlled by it. One event can produce yes answers to several questions. SEC-registered advisers and exempt reporting advisers may leave out events more than ten years old, and may answer 11.A(2) and 11.B(2) for pending charges only. What happened, and who was involved, is on the Disclosure Reporting Pages of 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 | $4,169,984,114 | 46 | August 25, 2026 |
| October 2025 | $3,774,949,288 | 45 | June 2, 2025 |
| October 2024 | $3,383,035,717 | 41 | August 1, 2024 |
| October 2023 | $2,771,901,777 | 41 | January 3, 2023 |
| October 2022 | $3,084,924,290 | 39 | December 26, 2021 |
| October 2021 | $2,272,726,892 | 41 | September 29, 2021 |
Regulatory assets under management: $2,272,726,892 in the October 2021 data and $4,169,984,114 in the October 2026 data, up 83%.
Total employees: 41 in October 2021 and 46 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- September 2026
- Updated its list of owners and control persons (Schedule A).
- January 2026
- Item 11 disclosure answers changed: 3 yes answers, previously 5 (now no: 11.D(2), 11.D(4)).
- December 2025
- Employees performing advisory functions went from 43 to 42.
- Regulatory assets under management went from $3,774,949,288 to $4,169,984,114 (+10%).
- November 2025
- Updated its list of owners and control persons (Schedule A).
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. Essex Financial Services, Inc. (CRD 127549): Form ADV filing data as of October 2026. https://advisorcensus.com/firm/essex-financial-services-inc-essex-ct-127549