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AdvisorCensus / Financial advisors / Pennsylvania / Philadelphia / ETF Architect

ETF Architect

Newtown Square, PASEC-registered investment adviserCRD 171412

Filed as ETF ARCHITECT · Legal name Empowered Funds, LLC

ETF Architect is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm in Newtown Square, PA, registered since 2014, reporting over $5 billion in regulatory assets under management in its Form ADV filing dated March 18, 2026.

12 years
registered since 2014
$29,735,322,901
assets under management
2 arrangements
Percentage of assets, Fixed fees
None
disclosure items (Item 11)

Quick answers

From the filing

How is ETF Architect compensated?

On its Form ADV (Item 5.E, October 2026), ETF Architect reports these compensation arrangements: a percentage of assets under its management; fixed fees (other than subscription fees).

Where is ETF Architect located?

ETF Architect's principal office is in Newtown Square, PA, according to its Form ADV.

Is ETF Architect registered with the SEC or a state?

ETF Architect is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm, registered since 2014. Status as filed: Approved. CRD 171412.

How much does ETF Architect manage?

ETF Architect reports $29,735,322,901 in regulatory assets under management in its Form ADV filing dated March 18, 2026 (97% discretionary).

How have ETF Architect's assets and staff changed since 2021?

In the Form ADV data for ETF Architect: Regulatory assets under management: $1,024,287,340 in the October 2021 data and $29,735,322,901 in the October 2026 data, up 2803%. Total employees: 11 in October 2021 and 44 in October 2026. Assets under management move with markets as well as with clients coming and going.

What types of clients does ETF Architect serve?

By number of clients on Form ADV Item 5.D: investment companies (98); high net worth individuals (88); individuals (other than high net worth individuals) (28).

Which custodians does ETF Architect use?

ETF Architect's most recent Form ADV filing (Schedule D, Section 5.K(3)) lists Interactive Brokers LLC as a custodian holding 10% or more of its separately managed account assets.

Does ETF Architect 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/171412

What changed in ETF Architect's recent Form ADV filings?

In the April 2026 filing data: Employees performing advisory functions went from 8 to 6. Regulatory assets under management went from $16,048,563,627 to $29,735,322,901 (+85%).

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 2A

See the firm's brochure (dated March 18, 2026) for its fees and any account minimum, on the SEC's IAPD site.

Regulatory assets under management

Item 5.F
$29,735,322,901

$29,735,322,901 as of October 2026, filing dated March 18, 2026.

Discretionary: $28,736,228,031.Non-discretionary: $999,094,870.

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.D
Individuals (other than high net worth individuals)
Clients 28 Assets $62,814,478 (0%)
High net worth individuals
Clients 88 Assets $789,353,245 (3%)
Investment companies
Clients 98 Assets $28,736,228,031 (97%)
Corporations or other businesses not listed above
Clients 8 Assets $146,927,147 (0%)

A 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 investment companies (and business development companies)
  • Portfolio management for businesses (other than small businesses) or institutional clients
  • Other

Registration and firm details

Items 1, 2, 5
Legal name
Empowered Funds, LLC
Also doing business as
EA ADVISERS, ETF ARCHITECT
Registration
SEC-registered investment adviser. Status as filed: Approved.
Registered since
2014 (12 years)
Employees
Total: 44. Performing investment advisory functions: 6.
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
3 states or jurisdictions
PAPRWI

SEC-registered investment advisers are examined by the SEC. SEC, state, and exempt registration

Disclosures

Item 11

None 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
$1.02B 2021 $1.22B 2022 $2.17B 2023 $9.16B 2024 $16B 2025 $29.7B 2026
Data periodAssets under managementEmployeesFiling dated
October 2026$29,735,322,90144March 18, 2026
October 2025$16,048,563,62728April 1, 2025
October 2024$9,162,031,34619April 1, 2024
October 2023$2,173,245,82520March 31, 2023
October 2022$1,223,823,8659May 17, 2022
October 2021$1,024,287,34011February 15, 2021

Regulatory assets under management: $1,024,287,340 in the October 2021 data and $29,735,322,901 in the October 2026 data, up 2803%.

Total employees: 11 in October 2021 and 44 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
  1. April 2026
    • Employees performing advisory functions went from 8 to 6.
    • Regulatory assets under management went from $16,048,563,627 to $29,735,322,901 (+85%).

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.I
etfarchitect.com

Source: 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. ETF Architect (CRD 171412): Form ADV filing data as of October 2026.
https://advisorcensus.com/firm/etf-architect-newtown-square-pa-171412