Sfe Investment Counsel Inc. (Los Angeles)

Name: Sfe Investment Counsel Inc.
Address: 801 S. Figueroa Street, Ste. 2100, Los Angeles, CA, 90017
Telephone: 213-612-0220

Sfe Investment Counsel Inc. is a large advisory firm based in Los Angeles. It manages $327.1 million of regulatory assets for 637 client accounts. It has been registered with the SEC as an adviser since 2008 and has operated in the jurisdictions of Arizona, California, Hawaii, New York, and Texas.

Sfe Investment Counsel provides portfolio management for individuals and small businesses and portfolio management for businesses and institutional clients. It doesn't provide financial planning services to its clients. On top of advisory services, the firm doesn't engage in other business activities.

Sfe Investment Counsel: assets under management

The assets under management (AUM) of Sfe Investment Counsel Inc. is $327.1 million. The firm's AUM has grown by 64% since the beginning of its operation, and $2.83 million of the total AUM is attributable to clients outside of the United States.

The firm manages $296.31 million in discretionary accounts and $30.78 million in non-discretionary accounts. On average, the discretionary accounts where all decisions are made on behalf of the client hold $495.51 thousand each. Non-discretionary accounts, where clients actively manage their portfolios, generally hold around $789.32 thousand.

Sfe Investment Counsel has custody of $816.03 thousand in cash and securities for 3 clients in total but doesn’t act as a qualified custodian.

Investments

The firm invests in exchange traded securities the most. They account for 87% of the total AUM. The second-largest asset type is cash and cash equivalents, which make up 7% of the firm’s portfolio. Investments in investment and business development companies form 5% of the total invested assets.

Fees & Commissions

The advisory firm has several streams of revenue. Clients pay Sfe Investment Counsel 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 Edward James Ternan serves?

The firm provides services to individuals, investment companies, charitable organizations, other investment advisers, high net worth individuals, and corporations or other businesses. The largest group of clients of Edward James Ternan is high net worth individuals with 71 clients and $155.04 million of assets under management. Among the 7 most similar advisory firms, Sfe Investment Counsel has the 3rd highest percentage of high net worth individuals out of all clients.

The amount of regulatory assets under management is $318.72 million for 616 clients that can include trusts, estates, and 401(k) plans and IRAs of individuals and their family members. 1% of the firm’s clients are foreign persons or businesses.

Sfe Investment Counsel also advises several private funds. Namely, two private equity funds. The minimum investment commitment required of non-related persons is $1,000,000 for each fund.

Careers at Sfe Investment Counsel Inc.

The company employs 10 people that are either part- or full-time employees. 100 percent of the employees work as investment advisers or researchers. 7 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.

Edward James Ternan has been acting as President since 1 Sep 2007. James Thomas Moylan joined the executive team most recently as the Vp, Director, Portfolio Management & Research.

Direct owners and executive officers

Name	Entity	Date acquired	Ownership	Employer ID
Jon Michael Kmett	President, director & cfo	1 Sep 2007	25% - 50%	1918840
Teri May Mccasland	Vp, director & chief compliance officer	1 Sep 2007	Other	1005907
Charles Eustis Bohlen	Vp, director & cio	1 Sep 2007	Other	2593273
David John Thomsen	Vp, director, business development	1 Sep 2007	Other	4809052
Edward James Ternan	Director	1 Sep 2007	Other	4942384
Earl Webster Fisher	Chairman	1 Sep 2007	50% - 75%	208574
Fred Max Edwards	Vice chairman	1 Sep 2007	Other	75773
Edward Joseph Butorac	Director	1 Sep 2007	Other	2626351
James Thomas Moylan	Vp, director, portfolio management & research	1 Feb 2011	Other	5292132

Based in Los Angeles

The principal office where Sfe Investment Counsel Inc. performs its advisory services is located at 801 S. Figueroa Street, Ste. 2100, Los Angeles, CA 90017, 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 213-612-0220 or by fax 213-612-0329. The normal business hours are 6:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Monday - Friday. You can find more information about the New York firm at sfeic.com.