Van Strum & Towne Inc (San Francisco)


Van Strum & Towne Inc is a large advisory firm based in San Francisco. It manages $259.8 million of regulatory assets for 268 client accounts. It has been registered with the SEC as an adviser since 2001 and has operated in the jurisdictions of California, Oregon, and Texas.

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Van Strum & Towne provides financial planning services, portfolio management for individuals and small businesses, and portfolio management for businesses and institutional clients. It prepares financial plans for more than 50 clients. On top of advisory services, the firm doesn't engage in other business activities.

Van Strum & Towne: assets under management

The assets under management (AUM) of Van Strum & Towne Inc is $259.8 million. The firm's AUM has gone down by -45% since the beginning of its operation, and the company doesn't manage any assets belonging to foreign clients.


The firm manages $218.95 million in discretionary accounts and $40.84 million in non-discretionary accounts. On average, the discretionary accounts where all decisions are made on behalf of the client hold $916.12 thousand each. Non-discretionary accounts, where clients actively manage their portfolios, generally hold around $1.41 million.
Van Strum & Towne has custody of $1.41 million in cash and securities for 1 client in total but doesn’t act as a qualified custodian.

Investments

The firm invests in exchange traded securities the most. They account for 69% of the total AUM. The second-largest asset type is cash and cash equivalents, which make up 15% of the firm’s portfolio. Investments in government bonds form 8% of the total invested assets.

Fees & Commissions

The advisory firm has several streams of revenue. Clients pay Van Strum & Towne Inc 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 James Laird Collins serves?

The firm provides services to individuals, charitable organizations, high net worth individuals, corporations or other businesses, and pension and profit sharing plans. The largest group of clients of James Laird Collins is high net worth individuals with 67 clients and $213.77 million of assets under management. Among the 12 most similar advisory firms, Van Strum & Towne has the 3rd highest percentage of high net worth individuals out of all clients.


The amount of regulatory assets under management is $259.8 million for 108 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.

Van Strum & Towne doesn't advise any private funds.

Careers at Van Strum & Towne Inc

The company employs 5 people that are either part- or full-time employees. 60 percent of the employees work as investment advisers or researchers. 3 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.

James Laird Collins has been acting as President since 1 Jun 2010. Mark Andrew Sherman joined the executive team most recently as the Chief Compliance Officer And President.

Direct owners and executive officers



Name Entity Date acquired Ownership Employer ID
James Laird Collins Vice-president 1 Dec 1999 Other 4329798
Christopher Mcclellan Chairman 1 Dec 2000 25% - 50% 2743879
James Thomas Borden President 1 Dec 2000 25% - 50% 1350726
Mark Andrew Sherman Vice-president 1 Dec 2000 Other 3082006
Barbara Ann Wright Treasurer 1 Dec 2000 Other 4329799
Christopher J. Mcclellan Chairman 1 Dec 2000 75% - 100% 2743879
Christopher John Mcclellan Chairman 1 Dec 2000 75% - 100% 2743879
Barbara Ann Wright Treasurer and secretary 1 May 2001 25% - 50% 4329799
James Laird Collins President 1 Jun 2002 Other 4329798
Mark Andrew Sherman Chief compliance officer and vice-president 1 Oct 2004 Other 3082006
James Laird Collins Chairman 1 Jun 2010 25% - 50% 4329798
Mark Andrew Sherman Chief compliance officer and president 1 Jun 2010 25% - 50% 3082006

Based in San Francisco

The principal office where Van Strum & Towne Inc performs its advisory services is located at 505 Sansome Street, San Francisco, CA 94111, 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 415-981-3455 or by fax 415-981-3425. The normal business hours are 8:00 am - 4:30 pm on Monday - Friday. You can find more information about the New York firm at vanstrum.com.