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

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1. Check the SEC adviser record. Open the SEC's IAPD record for Clearstead Advisors (CRD #105674) 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 #105674 / Clearstead Advisors so you're reading the right firm.

The short answer: is Clearstead Advisors a fiduciary?

Yes. Clearstead Advisors is a fiduciary. As a fee-only registered investment adviser, it owes you a duty to act in your interest for the whole advisory relationship, and it isn't a broker-dealer. Clearstead Advisors is an SEC-registered investment adviser (CRD #105674). According to its latest Form ADV (filed July 31, 2026), it reported $33.9 billion in regulatory assets under management across 4,819 clients, who between them hold 14,707 accounts. 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. You can verify all of this yourself in the filings.

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)

Clearstead Advisors at a glance

✅ Verified from public filings, last checked October 5, 2026. Clearstead Advisors (SEC CRD #105674) is a fiduciary for the whole advisory relationship, on a fee-only basis, with $33.9 billion in regulatory assets under management. Every figure below links to its primary source.

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Clearstead Advisors fees: what you'll pay

Here's what Clearstead Advisors charges, and where those fees come from. Clearstead Advisors is fee-only: according to its Form ADV (Item 5.E), it collects client-paid fees, such as a percentage of assets, hourly or fixed fees, and no commissions. That structure avoids commission-based conflicts. An asset-based fee still carries its own incentive, since a larger account means a larger fee. 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, not by commissions on the products it recommends.

Whether a fee is fair depends on what it buys, not only its size. (Are you paying too much? Why that might be the wrong question)

Who owns Clearstead Advisors, and what conflicts does it disclose?

The Clearstead Advisors ownership picture is on file with the SEC. According to Schedule A of its Form ADV, Clearstead Advisors is owned by Moses Buyer Holdings, LLC. (Form ADV Schedule A)

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

Clearstead Advisors SEC record: disclosures

To check Clearstead Advisors' regulatory record, start with the firm's own filings. On its Form ADV, Clearstead Advisors 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.

According to the record, the firm has been registered with the SEC since December 29, 1988, makes notice filings in 52 jurisdictions, and reports 280 employees, 104 of them in investment advisory roles. "Is Clearstead Advisors legit?" comes up a lot. Its registration, CRD and filings are public and verifiable, which confirms it's registered with the SEC. Registration doesn't tell you whether the firm is a good fit or whether its fee matches the service you get.

Reading Clearstead Advisors reviews against the public record

Star ratings and client comments describe what working with a firm felt like. They usually don't show what the firm reports to regulators. Before you weigh Clearstead Advisors reviews, check three things this profile takes from the public record. First, how the firm is paid: it reports being paid only by its clients and takes no commissions, which makes it fee-only. Second, who owns it and what conflicts it discloses. Third, whether its Form ADV reports any disciplinary history. Read reviews alongside the record, not instead of it.

How to verify Clearstead Advisors yourself

You can verify everything above yourself in three steps:

1. SEC adviser record (IAPD): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/105674.

2. Form ADV / CRS: linked from the IAPD page.

3. Confirm the entity: match Clearstead Advisors (CRD #105674) so you're reading the right firm.

What Clearstead Advisors does and who it serves

On its Form ADV, Clearstead Advisors reports providing financial planning, portfolio management for individuals and small businesses, portfolio management (pooled vehicles), portfolio management for businesses and institutions, pension consulting, selection of other advisers, and newsletters.

It reports providing financial planning to about 1,000 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 4,819 in all:

The firm's assets are concentrated among a subset of clients, which the total AUM figure alone does not show. High-net-worth individuals make up about 45% of clients but hold roughly 60% of the firm's $33.9 billion, and 468 businesses hold another 31% or so. The 2,136 other individuals hold $782.6 million combined. Clients with smaller accounts can ask how service and fee tiers apply across account sizes.

It reports 14,707 client accounts, more than the roughly 4,819 clients counted above (many clients hold more than one account). Of those, 12,837 (about 87%) are discretionary, meaning the firm can trade without seeking your approval first, and 1,870 are non-discretionary (Item 5.F). Its main office is in Cleveland, OH.

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.

One thing no filing can show is how your own accounts have fared under that discretion. That answer sits in your statements, not on IAPD. To compare Clearstead with other firms, browse the Truthifi /advisors hub.

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You've vetted the firm. Now make sure the advice runs on the full picture.

Confirming Clearstead Advisors is registered takes a few minutes. Any advisor can only act on what they can see, and what they see is partial: scattered accounts, an old rollover, costs that never surface on a statement. 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 Clearstead Advisors.

Already use an AI assistant? Paid Truthifi plans let you connect one that supports MCP sign-in, such as Claude, so it can see your Clearstead Advisors accounts next to the ones held elsewhere. 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+.

Ask AI about your Clearstead Advisors accounts

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

• "What do I own across my Clearstead Advisors 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). Monitoring Checkup is free. Link up to 10 connections, per Truthifi's published plan limits. Plans and limits are on the pricing page → truthifi.com.

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FAQ

Is Clearstead Advisors a fiduciary? Yes. It's a registered investment adviser (CRD #105674), 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 Clearstead Advisors 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 Clearstead Advisors? Clearstead Advisors is owned by Moses Buyer Holdings, LLC, as listed in Schedule A of its Form ADV.

Does Clearstead Advisors 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 Clearstead Advisors legit? Clearstead Advisors is registered with the SEC (CRD #105674) 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.

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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.

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

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A note on sources. The facts on this page come from publicly available documents, Clearstead Advisors' 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 Clearstead Advisors. Regulatory records change, so confirm against the official sources linked above before relying on them. Spot something that should be corrected? Email us at support@truthifi.com.