The Clarius Group, LLC (Seattle)

The Clarius Group, LLC is a large advisory firm based in Seattle. It manages $1.4 billion of regulatory assets for 520 client accounts. It has been registered with the SEC as an adviser since 2015 and has operated in the jurisdictions of California, Texas, and Washington.

The Clarius Group provides financial planning services, portfolio management for individuals and small businesses, and selection of other advisers. It prepares financial plans for more than 100 clients. On top of advisory services, the firm doesn't engage in other business activities.

The Clarius Group: assets under management

The assets under management (AUM) of The Clarius Group, LLC is $1.4 billion. The firm's AUM has grown by 190% since the beginning of its operation, and the company doesn't manage any assets belonging to foreign clients.

The firm manages $804.45 million in discretionary accounts and $593.53 million in non-discretionary accounts. On average, the discretionary accounts where all decisions are made on behalf of the client hold $2.07 million each. Non-discretionary accounts, where clients actively manage their portfolios, generally hold around $4.5 million.

The Clarius Group has custody of $1.05 billion in cash and securities for 98 clients in total but doesn’t act as a qualified custodian.

Investments

The firm invests in investment and business development companies the most. They account for 35% of the total AUM. The second-largest asset type is pooled investment vehicles, which make up 28% of the firm’s portfolio. Investments in exchange traded securities form 23% of the total invested assets.

Fees & Commissions

The advisory firm has several streams of revenue. Clients pay The Clarius Group, LLC for their services and products based on a percentage of assets under management and fixed fees. Compensation based on assets under management promotes a long-term relationship between a client and the adviser and helps align mutual interests. These fees don’t include brokerage commissions, interest, taxes, and other account expenses.

What kind of clients The Clarius Group serves?

The firm provides services to individuals, charitable organizations, and high net worth individuals. The largest group of clients of The Clarius Group is high net worth individuals with 84 clients and $1.3 billion of assets under management. Among the 11 most similar advisory firms, The Clarius Group has the highest percentage of high net worth individuals out of all clients.

The amount of regulatory assets under management is $1.4 billion for 133 clients that can include trusts, estates, and 401(k) plans and IRAs of individuals and their family members. None of the firm’s clients are foreign persons or businesses.

The Clarius Group doesn't advise any private funds.

Careers at The Clarius Group, LLC

The company employs 23 people that are either part- or full-time employees. 17 percent of the employees work as investment advisers or researchers. 4 employees are registered as investment adviser representatives with the state securities authorities.

There isn’t anyone with the role of looking for and bringing in new clients on behalf of the firm. The firm doesn’t compensate employees in addition to the salary for bringing in new clients. Employees don’t receive compensation from other entities for client referrals.

Direct owners and executive officers

Name	Entity	Date acquired	Ownership	Employer ID
Keith Randolph Vernon	Managing member, cco	1 Oct 2014	75% - 100%	2345435
Matthew Parker Talbot	Managing member, cio	1 Apr 2015	50% - 75%	2538636
Karen Ann Obrietan	Partner, coo	1 Jul 2015	Other	6541998
Chelsea Luzier Brenegan	Chief compliance officer; investment operations director	1 Jul 2019	Other	4730141

Based in Seattle

The principal office where The Clarius Group, LLC performs its advisory services is located at 999 Third Avenue, Suite 3050, Seattle, WA 98104, which is also the mailing address of the firm. It doesn’t run an office outside of the United States.

You can reach the main office by calling the phone number 206-462-7400. The normal business hours are 8:00 - 5:00 on Monday - Friday.