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Stephens

Little Rock, ARSEC-registered investment adviserCRD 3496

Filed as STEPHENS · Legal name Stephens Inc.

Stephens is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm in Little Rock, AR, registered since 1980, reporting over $5 billion in regulatory assets under management in its Form ADV filing dated September 30, 2026.

46 years
registered since 1980
$18,044,844,233
assets under management
5 arrangements
Percentage of assets, Hourly and more
5
disclosure items (Item 11)

Quick answers

From the filing

How is Stephens compensated?

On its Form ADV (Item 5.E, October 2026), Stephens reports these compensation arrangements: a percentage of assets under its management; hourly charges; fixed fees (other than subscription fees); commissions; performance-based fees.

Where is Stephens located?

Stephens' principal office is in Little Rock, AR, according to its Form ADV; the October 2026 filing also lists 19 other offices (Schedule D, Section 1.F).

Is Stephens registered with the SEC or a state?

Stephens is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm, registered since 1980. Status as filed: Approved. CRD 3496.

How much does Stephens manage?

Stephens reports $18,044,844,233 in regulatory assets under management in its Form ADV filing dated September 30, 2026 (77% discretionary).

How have Stephens' assets and staff changed since 2021?

In the Form ADV data for Stephens: Regulatory assets under management: $14,050,426,123 in the October 2021 data and $18,044,844,233 in the October 2026 data, up 28%. Total employees: 624 in October 2021 and 611 in October 2026. Assets under management move with markets as well as with clients coming and going.

What types of clients does Stephens serve?

By number of clients on Form ADV Item 5.D: individuals (other than high net worth individuals) (18,080); high net worth individuals (3,088); other (338).

Which custodians does Stephens use?

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

Does Stephens report any disciplinary disclosures?

Reports 5 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), 11.C(5) (SEC or CFTC civil money penalty or cease-and-desist order), 11.D(2) (another regulator's finding of a violation), and 11.E(2) (self-regulatory organization's finding of a rule violation). 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/3496

What changed in Stephens' recent Form ADV filings?

In the August 2026 filing data: Changed its office addresses in Austin, TX. 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)
  • Commissions
  • Performance-based 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 July 30, 2026) for its fees and any account minimum, on the SEC's IAPD site.

Regulatory assets under management

Item 5.F
$18,044,844,233

$18,044,844,233 as of October 2026, filing dated September 30, 2026.

Discretionary: $13,826,378,185.Non-discretionary: $4,218,466,048.

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 18,080 Assets $4,125,401,840 (23%)
High net worth individuals
Clients 3,088 Assets $10,111,333,840 (56%)
Banking or thrift institutions
Clients 1 Assets $29,055,020 (0%)
Investment companies
Clients 0 Assets $0 (0%)
Business development companies
Clients 0 Assets $0 (0%)
Pooled investment vehicles (other than investment companies and business development companies)
Clients 0 Assets $0 (0%)
Pension and profit sharing plans (but not the plan participants or government pension plans)
Clients 249 Assets $226,541,669 (1%)
Charitable organizations
Clients 21 Assets $17,589,555 (0%)
State or municipal government entities (including government pension plans)
Clients 11 Assets $361,877,601 (2%)
Other investment advisers
Clients 0 Assets $0 (0%)
Insurance companies
Clients 15 Assets $123,129,132 (1%)
Sovereign wealth funds and foreign official institutions
Clients 0 Assets $0 (0%)
Corporations or other businesses not listed above
Clients 188 Assets $620,733,625 (3%)
Other
Clients 338 Assets $2,429,181,951 (13%)

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
  • 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)
  • Publication of periodicals or newsletters
  • Educational seminars/workshops

Registration and firm details

Items 1, 2, 5
Legal name
Stephens Inc.
Also doing business as
PROFESSIONAL WEALTH MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, STEPHENS ADVISOR NON-DISCRETIONARY PROGRAM, STEPHENS ALLOCATION STRATIGIES PROGRAM, STEPHENS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, STEPHENS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT - PENSION MANAGEMENT TRUST PROGRAM, STEPHENS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT FIXED INCOME STRATEGY, STEPHENS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT NON-DISCRETIONARY, STEPHENS CAPITAL MANGEMENT - HEALTH MANAGEMENT TRUST, STEPHENS FIXED INCOME MANAGEMENT, STEPHENS INC. EQUITY RESEARCH SERVICES PROGRAM, STEPHENS MANAGED ASSETS PROGRAM, STEPHENS RETIREMENT ACCESS, STEPHENS RETIREMENT SOLUTIONS PROGRAM, STEPHENS SMALL-MID CAP GROWTH PROGRAM, STEPHENS SPECTRUM 401K, STEPHENS SPECTRUM PROGRAM, STEPHENS UNIFIED MANAGED ACCOUNT, STEPHENSCHOICE
Registration
SEC-registered investment adviser. Status as filed: Approved.
Registered since
1980 (46 years)
Employees
Total: 611. Performing investment advisory functions: 247.
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.

Other offices (Schedule D, Section 1.F)
19 other offices, as of the October 2026 filing
Atlanta, GAAustin, TXCharlotte, NCChicago, ILColumbia, SCConway, ARDallas, TXFayetteville, ARHot Springs, ARHouston, TXJonesoboro, ARMemphis, TNNashville, TNNew York, NYPortland, MERidgeland, MSRogers, ARShreveport, LAWinston Salem, NC
States registered or notice-filed
51 states or jurisdictions
AKALARAZCACOCTDCDEFLGAHIIAIDILINKSKYLAMAMDMEMIMNMOMSMTNCNDNENHNJNMNVNYOHOKORPARISCSDTNTXUTVAVTWAWIWVWY

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

Disclosures

Item 11

5 Reports 5 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?
  • 11.D(2) Has another federal regulator, a state regulator, or a foreign financial regulator ever found that the firm or an advisory affiliate was involved in a violation of investment-related regulations or statutes?
  • 11.E(2) Has a self-regulatory organization or a commodities exchange ever found that the firm or an advisory affiliate was involved in a violation of its rules, other than a minor rule violation under a plan the SEC approved?

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
$14.1B 2021 $12.4B 2022 $13.3B 2023 $13.6B 2024 $15.6B 2025 $18B 2026
Data periodAssets under managementEmployeesFiling dated
October 2026$18,044,844,233611September 30, 2026
October 2025$15,612,784,011623June 24, 2025
October 2024$13,609,251,985629March 28, 2024
October 2023$13,304,755,860658September 12, 2023
October 2022$12,430,026,407619September 13, 2022
October 2021$14,050,426,123624September 1, 2021

Regulatory assets under management: $14,050,426,123 in the October 2021 data and $18,044,844,233 in the October 2026 data, up 28%.

Total employees: 624 in October 2021 and 611 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. August 2026
    • Changed its office addresses in Austin, TX.
    • Updated its list of owners and control persons (Schedule A).
  2. July 2026
    • Item 11 disclosure answers changed: 5 yes answers, previously 7 (now no: 11.D(4), 11.D(5)).
  3. April 2026
    • Employees performing advisory functions went from 246 to 247.
    • Changed its office addresses in Shreveport, LA.

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
apps.apple.com/us/app/stephens-events/id1480282538itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/this-is-capitalism-ceo-stories/id1270233928jacksontstephenscup.comopen.spotify.com/show/2ocMipFyc1ok2GbgcxWp0rstephens.comstephens.libsyn.comthisiscapitalism.libsyn.comthisiscapitalism.orgvimeo.com/user15195929

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. Stephens (CRD 3496): Form ADV filing data as of October 2026.
https://advisorcensus.com/firm/stephens-little-rock-ar-3496