Defender Capital LLC (Charlotte)

Name: Defender Capital LLC
Address: 1310 South Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC, 28203
Telephone: 704-373-1716

Defender Capital LLC is a large advisory firm based in Charlotte. It manages $160.6 million of regulatory assets for 386 client accounts. It has been registered with the SEC as an adviser since 2015 and has operated in the jurisdictions of Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, and 4 other states.

Defender Capital provides financial planning services, portfolio management for individuals and small businesses, portfolio management for pooled investment vehicles, 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.

Defender Capital: assets under management

The assets under management (AUM) of Defender Capital LLC is $160.6 million. The firm's AUM has grown by 60% since the beginning of its operation, and the company doesn't manage any assets belonging to foreign clients.

The firm manages $159.9 million in discretionary accounts and $700 thousand in non-discretionary accounts. On average, the discretionary accounts where all decisions are made on behalf of the client hold $415.32 thousand each. Non-discretionary accounts, where clients actively manage their portfolios, generally hold around $700 thousand.

Defender Capital has custody of $13 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 70% of the total AUM. The second-largest asset type is investment and business development companies, which make up 15% of the firm’s portfolio. Investments in cash and cash equivalents form 15% of the total invested assets.

Fees & Commissions

The advisory firm has several streams of revenue. Clients pay Defender Capital 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 Defender Capital serves?

The firm provides services to individuals, high net worth individuals, and pooled investment vehicles. The largest group of clients of Defender Capital is high net worth individuals with 79 clients and $116 million of assets under management. Among the 6 most similar advisory firms, Defender Capital has the 2nd lowest percentage of high net worth individuals out of all clients.

The amount of regulatory assets under management is $158 million for 154 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.

Defender Capital also advises several private funds. Namely, one hedge fund. The minimum investment commitment required of non-related persons is $1,000,000 for each fund.

Careers at Defender Capital LLC

The company employs 6 people that are either part- or full-time employees. 67 percent of the employees work as investment advisers or researchers. 4 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.

Direct owners and executive officers

Name	Entity	Date acquired	Ownership	Employer ID
John Dean Stamas	President, treasurer, managing member and cco	1 Sep 2011	50% - 75%	2220622
Don Gus Stamas	Vice president, managing member and secretary	1 Dec 2012	50% - 75%	2867492

Based in Charlotte

The principal office where Defender Capital LLC performs its advisory services is located at 1310 South Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28203, 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 704-373-1716 or by fax 704-494-7373. The normal business hours are 8:00 am - 4:00 pm on Monday - Friday. You can find more information about the New York firm at defendercapital.us.