Wealth manager, bank-affiliated · Essex, CT
Essex Financial Services, Inc.
SEC-registered investment adviser · CRD 127549 · SEC 801-62242
At a glance
Essex Financial Services, Inc. is an SEC-registered investment adviser based in Essex, Connecticut, with $4.2B in regulatory assets under management as of its Form ADV filed August 25, 2026. It reports 2,780 individual clients, 895 of them high-net-worth, holding an average of about $1.2 million each, and 46 employees. That ranks it 269th among the nation’s 5,657 independent wealth management RIAs and 6th of 100 in Connecticut. It reports 2 custodians for its clients’ separately managed accounts: Fidelity and BNY Pershing.
Main office 860-767-4300essex.financialLinkedInAs filed on Form ADV
- Regulatory AUM
- $4.2B
- Rank among independent wealth managers
- #269 of 5,657
- Rank among all SEC RIAs
- #2,364 of 17,210
- Rank in Connecticut
- #6 of 100
- Individual clients
- 2,780
- High-net-worth clients
- 895
- Accounts
- 7,143
- Discretionary
- 78% of AUM
- Employees
- 46
- Advisory staff
- 42
- Offices
- 4
Owners and executives on its Form ADV
- Ronald C. NelsonDirector
- Charles R. CumelloPresident & Chief Executive Officer, Director
- Mary Emelia BooneDirector
- Susan K RothChief Operating Officer, Treasurer, Secretary
- John BauerDirector
- Stephen Deane GreshamDirector
- Nancy StillmanChief Compliance Officer
- Lynn K. GirouxDirector
Custody and brokerage
Broker-dealer
Hybrid RIA
Essex Financial Services, Inc. is a hybrid RIA: 8 of its employees are also registered representatives of a broker-dealer.
Its Form ADV brochure (filed August 2026) names Simplicity Investments as the broker-dealer its advisers are registered with.
Certain Advisory Persons are also registered representatives of Simplicity Investments.
Who it serves
| Client type | Clients | Regulatory AUM | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| High-net-worth individuals | 895 | $2.9B | 69% |
| Individuals | 1,885 | $581M | 14% |
| Pension and profit sharing plans | 108 | $565M | 14% |
| Charitable organizations | 60 | $104M | 3% |
| Corporations or other businesses | 15 | $43M | 1% |
| State or municipal government entities | – | $5M | <1% |
Disciplinary disclosures
Essex Financial Services, Inc. answers yes to 6 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
- Portfolio management for businesses and institutions
- Pension consulting
- 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 ↗essex.financial ↗
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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 984 peers of its type and size
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- Owners and executives, with titles and stakes
- 11 namedLocked
- Main office, fax and compliance officer
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- 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.
Similar-size RIAs in Connecticut
All of Connecticut →| Firm | Regulatory AUM | Clients |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal Bridge AdvisorsWestport | $5.0B | 1,846 |
| Northcoast Asset Management LLCStamford | $5.0B | 4,412 |
| Connecticut Wealth Management, LLCFarmington | $4.5B | 1,303 |
| Greenwich Wealth Management, LLCGreenwich | $3.5B | 589 |
| Principle WealthMadison | $3.2B | 1,173 |
| Johnson BrunettiWethersfield | $2.8B | 6,038 |
Background
Questions
How much does Essex Financial Services, Inc. manage?
Essex Financial Services, Inc. reports $4.2B in regulatory assets under management across 7,143 accounts, 78% of it on a discretionary basis, on its Form ADV filed August 25, 2026.
How many clients does Essex Financial Services, Inc. have?
It reports 2,780 individual clients: 895 high-net-worth individuals and 1,885 other individuals. Individuals account for about 83% of its regulatory assets.
Where is Essex Financial Services, Inc. headquartered?
Its main office is in Essex, Connecticut. It reports 4 offices in total and 46 employees, 42 of whom perform investment advisory functions.
How does Essex Financial Services, Inc. charge clients?
On Form ADV it lists these forms of compensation: a percentage of assets under management; hourly charges; fixed fees. Fees and minimums are set out in its Form ADV Part 2A brochure, available on the SEC’s adviser search.
What custodian does Essex Financial Services, Inc. use?
It reports 2 custodians for its clients’ separately managed accounts: Fidelity and BNY Pershing. On Schedule D of its Form ADV filed August 25, 2026, it reports these amounts held: Fidelity ($3.4B); BNY Pershing ($217M). Form ADV lists only custodians holding 10% or more of separately managed account assets.
Is Essex Financial Services, Inc. a hybrid RIA with a broker-dealer?
Essex Financial Services, Inc. is a hybrid RIA: 8 of its employees are also registered representatives of a broker-dealer. Those representatives can also earn commissions on brokerage business through the broker-dealer, where different rules apply than for advisory accounts.
Is Essex Financial Services, Inc. a fiduciary?
As an SEC-registered investment adviser, Essex Financial Services, Inc. owes its advisory clients a fiduciary duty under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, which includes duties of care and loyalty. 8 of its employees are also registered representatives of a broker-dealer, where different rules apply to brokerage recommendations.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure is Essex Financial Services, Inc.’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 (2026-08-25), 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). Its national rank compares it with every US-based independent wealth management RIA, the same field as The Largest RIAs. 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 →