Cogent Advisory Group LLC (Houston)

Name: Cogent Advisory Group LLC
Address: 3737 Buffalo Speedway, Houston, TX, 77098
Telephone: 713-355-9910

Cogent Advisory Group LLC is a large advisory firm based in Houston. It manages $158.16 million of regulatory assets for 1,029 client accounts. It has been registered with the SEC as an adviser since 2014 and has operated in the jurisdictions of Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas.

Cogent Advisory Group provides financial planning services, portfolio management for individuals and small businesses, portfolio management for businesses and institutional clients, and pension consulting services. It prepares financial plans for less than 10 clients. On top of advisory services, the firm doesn't engage in other business activities.

Cogent Advisory Group: assets under management

The assets under management (AUM) of Cogent Advisory Group LLC is $158.16 million. The firm's AUM has grown by 89% since the beginning of its operation, and the company doesn't manage any assets belonging to foreign clients.

The firm manages $158.03 million in discretionary accounts and $130.07 thousand in non-discretionary accounts. On average, the discretionary accounts where all decisions are made on behalf of the client hold $154.78 thousand each. Non-discretionary accounts, where clients actively manage their portfolios, generally hold around $16.26 thousand.

Investments

The firm invests in exchange traded securities the most. They account for 44% of the total AUM. The second-largest asset type is investment and business development companies, which make up 41% of the firm’s portfolio. Investments in cash and cash equivalents form 10% of the total invested assets.

Fees & Commissions

The advisory firm has several streams of revenue. Clients pay Cogent Advisory Group LLC for their services and products based on a percentage of assets under management, hourly charges, 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 Cogent Advisory Group serves?

The firm provides services to individuals, high net worth individuals, and pension and profit sharing plans. The largest group of clients of Cogent Advisory Group is individuals with 706 clients and $108.33 million of assets under management. Among the 8 most similar advisory firms, Cogent Advisory Group has the highest percentage of individuals out of all clients.

The amount of regulatory assets under management is $157.37 million for 741 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.

Cogent Advisory Group doesn't advise any private funds.

Careers at Cogent Advisory Group LLC

The company employs 7 people that are either part- or full-time employees. 71 percent of the employees work as investment advisers or researchers. 5 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 compensates employees in addition to the salary for bringing in new clients. Employees don’t receive compensation from other entities for client referrals.

Direct owners and executive officers

Name	Entity	Date acquired	Ownership	Employer ID
Devin Anthony Carroll	Managing member & chief compliance officer	1 Oct 2013	50% - 75%	4590788
Jeffrey Don Peace	Managing member	1 Oct 2013	25% - 50%	4752148
Brandon Renfro	Managing member & chief compliance officer	1 Jan 2014	25% - 50%	5752564
Jeffrey Don Peace	Managing member	1 Feb 2014	50% - 75%	4752148
Llc Carroll Investment Management	Managing member	1 Jun 2015	50% - 75%	45-4435455
Llc Intrua Financial Holdings	Llc member	1 Nov 2018	75% - 100%	82-0812889
Christopher Aaron Merla	Chief operations officer	1 Nov 2018	Other	4790661
Andrew Clifton Keller	Cco	1 Nov 2018	Other	4682790

Indirect Owners

The SEC currently registers 2 indirect owners.

Name	Entity	Date acquired	Ownership	Employer ID
Andrew Clifton Keller	Managing member	1 Jan 2007	75% - 100%	4682790
Devin Anthony Carroll	Managing member	1 Feb 2012	75% - 100%	4590788

Based in Houston

The principal office where Cogent Advisory Group LLC performs its advisory services is located at 3737 Buffalo Speedway, Houston, TX 77098, which is also the mailing address of the firm. An additional office of the firm is in Shreveport, LA. It doesn’t run an office outside of the United States.

You can reach the main office by calling the phone number 713-355-9910 or by fax 713-355-1910. 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 cornerstoneshreveport.com.