Usca Ria LLC (Houston)


Usca Ria LLC is a large advisory firm based in Houston. It manages $2.96 billion of regulatory assets for 5,594 client accounts. It has been registered with the SEC as an adviser since 2009 and has operated in the jurisdictions of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, and 44 other states.

Usca Ria provides financial planning services, portfolio management for individuals and small businesses, portfolio management for businesses and institutional clients, pension consulting services, selection of other advisers, and educational seminars and workshops. It prepares financial plans for more than 250 clients. On top of advisory services, the firm doesn't engage in other business activities.

Usca Ria: assets under management

The assets under management (AUM) of Usca Ria LLC is $2.96 billion. The firm's AUM has grown by 1451% since the beginning of its operation, and $5.4 million of the total AUM is attributable to clients outside of the United States.

The firm manages $1.75 billion in discretionary accounts and $1.21 billion in non-discretionary accounts. On average, the discretionary accounts where all decisions are made on behalf of the client hold $548.94 thousand each. Non-discretionary accounts, where clients actively manage their portfolios, generally hold around $504.44 thousand.
Usca Ria has custody of $586.19 million in cash and securities for 297 clients in total but doesn’t act as a qualified custodian.

Investments

The firm invests in exchange traded securities the most. They account for 48% of the total AUM. The second-largest asset type is investment and business development companies, which make up 25% of the firm’s portfolio. Investments in cash and cash equivalents form 9% of the total invested assets.

Fees & Commissions

The advisory firm has several streams of revenue. Clients pay Usca Ria LLC 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 Usca Ria serves?

The firm provides services to individuals, charitable organizations, high net worth individuals, corporations or other businesses, pension and profit sharing plans, and state or municipal government entities. The largest group of clients of Usca Ria is high net worth individuals with 1,426 clients and $1.71 billion of assets under management. Among the 9 most similar advisory firms, Usca Ria has the 3rd highest percentage of high net worth individuals out of all clients.

The amount of regulatory assets under management is $2.96 billion for 5,594 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.

Usca Ria doesn't advise any private funds.

Careers at Usca Ria LLC

The company employs 73 people that are either part- or full-time employees. 70 percent of the employees work as investment advisers or researchers. 73 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
Us Capital Advisors Llc Owner 1 Oct 2009 75% - 100% 27-1135667
Patrick Michael Mendenhall Managing member/chief compliance officer 1 Oct 2009 Other 1068809
U.S. Capital Advisors Llc Owner 1 Oct 2009 75% - 100% 27-1135667
U.S. Capital Advisors Llc Owner 1 Jul 2010 75% - 100% 27-1135667
Patrick Michael Mendenhall Managing partner 1 Jul 2010 Other 1068809
Nichole Christine Ake Chief compliance officer 1 Jul 2010 Other 2270871
Therese Surprenant General counsel 1 Jul 2010 Other 5908044
Therese Suprenant General counsel 1 Jul 2010 Other 5908044
Therese Surprenant General counsel 1 Dec 2010 Other 5908044
David Michael King Managing partner 1 Jan 2011 Other 2446459
Christopher S Bradshaw Chief financial officer 1 Feb 2011 Other 3043064
Jack Brandon Repa Chief compliance officer 1 Sep 2011 Other 2558740
Ivana M Shumberg Chief financial officer 1 Jan 2013 Other 3167225
Steve Howell Gott Chief compliance officer 1 Jan 2014 Other 1653406
Suzanne Nmn Hickey Chief compliance officer 1 Feb 2014 Other 1399210
Steve Howell Gott Chief compliance officer 1 Mar 2015 Other 1653406
Christopher Robert Arnold Chief financial officer 1 Dec 2017 Other 5908774
Elizabeth Courtney Bowling Chief compliance officer 1 May 2019 Other 6335464

Indirect Owners

The SEC currently registers 1 indirect owner.

Name Entity Date acquired Ownership Employer ID
Glenn Todd Starkman Managing member 1 Oct 2009 50% - 75% 1301730

Based in Houston

The principal office where Usca Ria LLC performs its advisory services is located at 4444 Westheimer, Houston, TX 77027, which is also the mailing address of the firm. An additional office of the firm is in Dallas, TX. It doesn’t run an office outside of the United States.

You can reach the main office by calling the phone number 713-366-0500. The normal business hours are 8:00 - 5:00 on Monday - Friday. You can find more information about the New York firm at uscallc.com and its LinkedIn profile.