Wealth manager, independent · Portsmouth, NH
Essential Planning, LLC
SEC-registered investment adviser · CRD 106651 · SEC 801-51363
At a glance
Essential Planning, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with $524 million in regulatory assets under management as of its Form ADV filed March 23, 2026. Its largest client group by assets is high-net-worth individuals, and it reports 573 individual clients. By Form ADV it is a wealth manager, ranked 2,799th of 8,915 wealth managers and 7,638th of 17,210 SEC-registered advisers by assets.
Main office 603-427-5164essential-planning.comLinkedInAs filed on Form ADV
- Regulatory AUM
- $524M
- Rank among wealth managers
- #2,799 of 8,915
- Rank among all SEC RIAs
- #7,638 of 17,210
- Rank in New Hampshire
- #23 of 78
- Individual clients
- 573
- High-net-worth clients
- 163
- Accounts
- 2,207
- Discretionary
- 100% of AUM
- Employees
- 11
- Advisory staff
- 3
- Offices
- 2
Owners and executives on its Form ADV
- Andrew C. LordMember, Chief Compliance Officer
Custody and brokerage
Broker-dealer
Hybrid RIA
Essential Planning, LLC is a hybrid RIA: 2 of its employees are also registered representatives of a broker-dealer.
Its Form ADV brochure (filed March 2026) names Valmark Securities as the broker-dealer its advisers are registered with.
nd non-investment implementation purpose (i.e., attorneys, accountants, insurance, etc.), including ESSENTIAL PLANNING, LLC’s representatives in their separate individual capacities as registered representatives of Valmark Securities, Inc.
Who it serves
| Client type | Clients | Regulatory AUM | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| High-net-worth individuals | 163 | $339M | 65% |
| Individuals | 410 | $185M | 35% |
Disciplinary disclosures
Essential Planning, LLC answers yes to 5 disclosure items in Item 11 of Form ADV (criminal, regulatory or civil matters involving the firm or its advisory affiliates). Read the details on the SEC’s adviser search ↗
Services
- Financial planning
- Portfolio management for individuals and small businesses
- Selecting other advisers
How it’s paid
- A percentage of assets under management
- Hourly charges
- Fixed fees
Form ADV and brochures on the SEC’s adviser search ↗essential-planning.com ↗
AtlasMembers
The full record on Essential Planning, LLC
Ten years of SEC filings, its owners and contacts, and how it stacks up against its peers. Atlas members see all of it.
- Assets, accounts, clients and staff, ten years of filings
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- Growth over one, three and five years
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- Rank against 5,326 peers of its type and size
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- Owners and executives, with titles and stakes
- 1 namedLocked
- Main office, fax and compliance officer
- Locked
- Filing changes this year, with alerts
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Free while Atlas launches: create a free account and confirm your email. Every figure comes from SEC filings.
Background
Questions
How much does Essential Planning, LLC manage?
Essential Planning, LLC reports $524 million in regulatory assets under management across 2,207 accounts, 100% of it on a discretionary basis, on its Form ADV filed March 23, 2026.
What kind of firm is Essential Planning, LLC?
Essential Planning, LLC is a wealth manager by its Form ADV answers. At least half of its regulatory assets are managed for individuals and high-net-worth individuals.
Who are Essential Planning, LLC’s clients?
By assets, its largest client types are high-net-worth individuals ($339 million, 163 clients); individuals ($185 million, 410 clients).
Does Essential Planning, LLC have any disciplinary history?
Essential Planning, LLC answers yes to 5 disclosure items in Item 11 of Form ADV, which covers criminal, regulatory and civil matters involving the firm or its advisory affiliates. The details are on the SEC’s adviser search.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure is Essential Planning, LLC’s own answer on its latest Form ADV, from the SEC’s registered-adviser list as of October 1, 2026: regulatory assets and accounts (Item 5.F), clients by type (5.D), employees (5.A and 5.B), compensation (5.E) and services (5.G). Custodians come from Schedule D 5.K(3) of its latest filing (2026-03-23), which lists those holding 10% or more of separately managed account assets and the amount at each. “Hybrid” means some employees are also registered representatives of a broker-dealer (Item 5.B(2)); affiliated broker-dealers are the related persons it lists in Item 7.A and Schedule D. Firm type comes from its own answers: broker-dealer firms are registered broker-dealers themselves (Item 6.A); private fund advisers manage mostly private funds (Item 7.B, 5.D); wealth managers manage at least half their assets for individuals (5.D). Ranks compare it by regulatory assets with every SEC-registered adviser and with firms of its type. Figures are as of the firm’s last annual update, so they can lag recent deals and market moves. Regulatory AUM counts assets the firm continuously supervises and can differ from what a firm markets.
Not an endorsement or a recommendation. Before hiring any adviser, read its Form ADV Part 2A brochure and check its record on the SEC’s adviser search. How to check a financial advisor →