No commissions, no ads, no advice. This Ballentine Partners profile draws only on public records, each linked so you can confirm it yourself.

---

1. Check the SEC adviser record. Open the SEC's IAPD record for Ballentine Partners (CRD #152802) and confirm its registration.

2. Read the filings. Review the Form ADV / Form CRS and any disclosure section linked from the IAPD page.

3. Confirm the entity. Match CRD #152802 / Ballentine Partners so you're reading the right firm.

The short answer: is Ballentine Partners a fiduciary?

Yes. As a registered investment adviser, Ballentine Partners is held to a fiduciary standard under the Advisers Act. It reports being fee-only, and it isn't a broker-dealer. Ballentine Partners is an SEC-registered investment adviser (CRD #152802) and reported $15.3 billion in regulatory assets under management as of its latest Form ADV (filed September 23, 2026), across 353 clients. Because it's fee-only, it's paid by clients and earns no commissions on products. Its Form ADV (Item 5.E) lists how it is paid: a percentage of assets under management, hourly charges, fixed fees, and other.

Its Form ADV doesn't report a broker-dealer registration or a related broker-dealer, so the adviser's fiduciary standard is the one that applies to its advice.

What "fiduciary" means: a fiduciary is legally bound to place a client's interests above its own. (More on fiduciary duty)

Ballentine Partners at a glance

✅ Verified from public filings, last checked October 5, 2026. Ballentine Partners (SEC CRD #152802) is a registered investment adviser held to the Advisers Act fiduciary standard, on a fee-only basis, with $15.3 billion in regulatory assets under management. Every figure below links to its primary source.

---

Ballentine Partners fees: what you'll pay

The firm is fee-only: according to its Form ADV (Item 5.E), clients pay it through a percentage of assets, hourly charges or fixed fees, and it reports no commissions. That structure avoids commission conflicts. Because the form lists four compensation methods rather than one, two Ballentine Partners households may be billed in different ways, so ask which method applies to you before comparing it with another firm. The schedule itself sits in its Form ADV Part 2A. Fee-only doesn't automatically mean low-cost. It means the cost is the advisory fee, stated plainly. (Fee-only financial advisor: costs and how to find one)

Fee-only means the firm is paid only by its clients, never by commissions on the products it recommends. Whether the fee is worth it is a separate question; Are you paying too much? Why that might be the wrong question walks through it.

Who owns Ballentine Partners, and what conflicts does it disclose?

Ballentine Partners is owned by Ballentine & Co LLC, as listed in Schedule A of its Form ADV. (Form ADV Schedule A)

Its Form ADV Part 2A describes the firm's conflicts of interest, including how it and its advisers are paid.

Ballentine Partners SEC record: disclosures

For Ballentine Partners complaints, the first stop is the disciplinary section of its own filing. On its Form ADV, Ballentine Partners answers No to the firm-level disciplinary-history questions. You can confirm that on the public record. Individual advisers can have their own records, so look them up on IAPD and BrokerCheck too. Any Ballentine Partners disclosures sit on the public record, not on anyone's characterization of them.

On the record, it has been registered with the SEC since January 25, 2010, makes notice filings in 33 jurisdictions, and reports 125 employees, 87 of them (about 70%) in investment advisory roles. Wondering whether Ballentine Partners is legit? Its public CRD and more than 16 years of SEC registration settle the regulatory part of that question. Registration shows it's a real, regulated adviser, not that it's the right fit for you.

Reading Ballentine Partners reviews against the public record

Star ratings describe what working with a firm felt like, not what it reports to regulators. That gap is worth noting here: according to its Form ADV, about 97% of Ballentine Partners' regulatory assets ($14.85 billion) are managed for 342 high-net-worth individuals. Any public reviews would come from a small, private client base. Before weighing them, check three things this profile draws from the record: how the firm is paid (fee-only, no commissions), who owns it (Ballentine & Co LLC) and what conflicts Part 2A discloses, and whether its Form ADV reports disciplinary history. Read reviews alongside the record, not instead of it.

How to verify Ballentine Partners yourself

The checklist at the top tells you where to go. Here's what to look for once you're there:

1. SEC adviser record (IAPD): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/152802. Look for the SEC registration date of January 25, 2010, and notice filings in 33 jurisdictions.

2. Form ADV / Form CRS: find the fee schedule and conflicts discussion in Part 2A, and the firm-level disciplinary answers summarized above.

3. Schedule A and the entity name: confirm Ballentine & Co LLC as owner and Ballentine Partners (CRD #152802) as the firm, so you're reading the right one.

What Ballentine Partners does and who it serves

On its Form ADV, Ballentine Partners reports providing financial planning, portfolio management for individuals, small businesses and institutions, selection of other advisers, and educational seminars.

It reports providing financial planning to 251 to 500 clients in its last fiscal year (Form ADV Item 5.H), a count the form keeps separate from the client totals below.

Its Form ADV (Item 5.D) breaks its clients down by type, about 353 in all:

It reports 7,401 client accounts (Item 5.F). That's more than the roughly 353 clients counted above, because many clients hold more than one account. Of those accounts, 4,403 (about 59%) are discretionary, meaning the firm can trade without seeking your approval first, and 2,998 are non-discretionary. Its main office is in Waltham, MA.

Put the two filings side by side and a pattern shows up. The average client has about 21 accounts, and the average high-net-worth client about $43 million under management. Those are averages, not a typical client, but they point to households whose wealth is spread across many accounts.

It reports that it or a related person has custody of certain client assets, which brings extra safeguards such as surprise examinations. The specifics are in its Form ADV.

---

Great advice runs on the truth. Here's how to bring yours to the table.

Those 21 or so accounts per client are only the ones Ballentine Partners counts. A household's full picture is often wider: the held-away 401(k), a spouse's accounts and fund costs that never reach a statement usually arrive in pieces, none of it reconciled. Even a great advisor can only act on what reaches them. This is where Truthifi comes in.

How Truthifi can help

Truthifi links your accounts read-only and shows what you own, how it's allocated, how it's performing and where the risk sits, including single-stock exposure, returns next to a benchmark, a fee breakdown of the fees on each account, by type, and your Truthifi Score. You can share the accounts you choose with your advisor at Ballentine Partners.

Prefer your own AI? Paid Truthifi plans let you connect an AI assistant that supports MCP sign-in, such as Claude. MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a standard way for an AI assistant to sign in to an app like Truthifi with your permission. Truthifi Connect is the lighter membership for people who only want to use their own assistant. Questions about your fees need Monitoring or Monitoring Plus+. (How to ask AI about your real investment accounts)

Ask AI about your Ballentine Partners accounts

Once your accounts are connected read-only, you can ask in plain English:

• "What do I own across my Ballentine Partners accounts and everything else, and how is it allocated?"

• "What am I paying in fees across all of these accounts?"

Try it with Truthifi: start for free at app.truthifi.com and run a Monitoring Checkup (limits apply).

No commissions, no ads, no advice: Truthifi is not an investment adviser and doesn't give investment, tax or legal advice. Its access to your bank and brokerage accounts is read-only. Start free (limits apply). Per Truthifi's published plan limits, Monitoring Checkup is free and links up to 10 connections. Plans and limits are on the pricing page → truthifi.com.

---

FAQ

Is Ballentine Partners a fiduciary? Yes. It's a registered investment adviser (CRD #152802), so it owes a fiduciary duty when it advises you. Its Form ADV doesn't report a broker-dealer registration or a related broker-dealer.

Is Ballentine Partners fee-only? Its Form ADV (Item 5.E) doesn't report commissions as compensation. It's paid by clients through fees such as a percentage of assets, hourly or fixed fees. The fee schedule is in its Form ADV Part 2A.

Who owns Ballentine Partners? Ballentine Partners is owned by Ballentine & Co LLC, as listed in Schedule A of its Form ADV.

Does Ballentine Partners have complaints or disclosures? Its Form ADV answers No to the firm-level disciplinary-history questions. Individual advisers can have their own records on IAPD and BrokerCheck.

Is Ballentine Partners legit? Ballentine Partners is registered with the SEC (CRD #152802) and its filings are public on the SEC's IAPD site, which confirms it is a real, regulated firm. Registration doesn't tell you whether it's the right fit or what you'll pay, so read the fee and conflict sections of its Form ADV.

Can AI help me check whether I'm getting good value? Yes. Start free (limits apply): Monitoring Checkup is free and lets you link up to 10 connections. You can also connect an AI assistant you already use (such as Claude). On Monitoring or Monitoring Plus+ you can ask it, in plain English, about the fees on each of your accounts. Truthifi is not an investment adviser and doesn't give investment, tax or legal advice.

---

About this profile

Truthifi built this profile from the firm's own SEC filings (Form ADV and, where filed, Form CRS). Every page is reviewed by the Truthifi Team before publishing. The Truthifi advisor fact packs are an ongoing series checking U.S. investment advisers against their public filings, one firm at a time. Browse other firms from the Truthifi /advisors hub.

Read next from the Truthifi blog

• Fee-only financial advisor: costs and how to find one

• What is a fiduciary?

• Are you paying too much? Why that might be the wrong question

• How to ask AI about your real investment accounts

• Robo-advisor vs. human financial advisor: which is better?

• All advisor fact packs on Truthifi

---

A note on sources

The facts on this page come from publicly available documents, Ballentine Partners' SEC filings, each linked inline so you can verify it yourself (SEC data current as of October 5, 2026). This is general information, not financial or legal advice, and Truthifi is not affiliated with Ballentine Partners. Regulatory records change, so always confirm against the official sources linked above. A firm-level No covers the firm; individual advisers have their own records, so look up the person advising you on IAPD or BrokerCheck, especially whenever that person changes. Spot something that should be corrected? Email us at support@truthifi.com.