STEVEN S. WILLIAMS
Professional summary
STEVEN SCOTT WILLIAMS, who also goes by Steve Williams, is a registered financial advisor currently at CERITY PARTNERS LLC located in Irvine, California.
STEVEN is registered as an IAR (Investment Advisor Representative) and started their career in finance in 2000. STEVEN has worked at 10 firms and has passed the Series 65, Series 63, SIE, Series 7 and Series 24 exams.
Biography
Question & Answer
Aliases
Other business activities
CRS (Client Relationship Summary) - RIA
CERITY PARTNERS LLC - Registered Investment Advisory firm
Version Date: Thu Mar 28 2024Cerity Partners LLC is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an Investment Advisor with offices throughout the United States. Registration of an Investment Advisor does not imply any level of skill or training.
Brokerage and investment advisory services and fees differ, and it is important as a retail investor to understand the difference. Free and simple tools are available to research firms and financial professionals at Investor.gov/CRS, which also provides educational materials about broker-dealers, investment advisers, and investing.
Fees and Costs:
Cerity Partners charges asset-based, fixed, and hourly fees. Our fee for wealth management services, including investment advisory, is up to 1.50% per year of assets under management, and the fee is negotiable based on certain criteria. While our standard agreement is inclusive of all services, we may from time to time quote a fixed annual retainer for services based on the scope of the engagement. We may enter into performance fee arrangements with qualified clients. You will pay fees and costs whether you make or lose money on your investments. Fees and costs will reduce any amount of money you make on your investments over time. Please make sure you understand what other fees and costs you are paying, such as custodian fees and underlying investment fees. For more information on our fees and how we calculate fees, please refer to Item 5 of Cerity Partners ADV Part 2A Disclosure Brochure or at https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/151559. Our advisors are compensated based on the amount of assets under management that they personally manage.
Questions to ask your Professional:
- Help me understand how these fees and costs might affect my investments. If I give you $1,000,000 to invest, how much will go to fees and costs, and how much will be invested for me?
Conflicts of Interest:
When we act as your investment adviser, we are required to act in your best interest and not put our own interest ahead of your interests. At the same time, the way Cerity Partners is compensated creates some conflicts with your interests. You should understand and ask us about these conflicts because they can affect the investment advice we provide you. Here are some examples to help you understand what this means:
Cerity Partners’ affiliate, Sage Advisors (“Sage”) manages proprietary and unaffiliated private investment funds and creates a conflict of interest if we recommend Sage over other unaffiliated funds invested in a similar fashion.
The more assets in a client’s account(s) will result in more fees, so Cerity Partners may have an incentive to recommend the client increase the assets in their accounts.
Performance-based fee arrangements create a conflict of interest and an incentive to recommend certain investments over an investment with a different fee arrangement.
Cerity Partners may accept sponsorship of client and prospect events from certain third-party managers creating a conflict of interest if we recommend certain managers from whom we accept sponsorships over others that do not provide sponsorships. For further information on Sage, performance-based fees, sponsorships and our conflicts of interest, please refer to Item 10, Item 6, Item 12 of Cerity Partners ADV Part 2A Disclosure Brochure or at https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/151559
Questions to ask your Professional:
- How might your conflicts of interest affect me, and how will you address them?
How do your financial professionals make money?
Certified licenses
Education
University of Connecticut
Experience
October 26, 2021 - Present
CERITY PARTNERS LLC
Office #1: 18881 Von Karman Avenue Floor 5, Suite 500, Irvine, CA 92612January 4, 2016 - November 3, 2020
CANTOR FITZGERALD & CO.
June 1, 2015 - December 2, 2015
STRATCAP SECURITIES, LLC
August 12, 2009 - December 8, 2015
REALTY CAPITAL SECURITIES, LLC
January 27, 2006 - July 15, 2009
KBS CAPITAL MARKETS GROUP LLC
October 21, 2003 - August 2, 2005
DEUTSCHE BANK SECURITIES INC.
June 19, 2001 - August 12, 2005
DWS INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT AMERICAS, INC.
May 17, 2001 - October 21, 2003
DEAM INVESTOR SERVICES, INC.
November 22, 2000 - April 30, 2001
SCUDDER WEISEL CAPITAL, LLC
March 20, 2000 - November 15, 2000
J.P. MORGAN INSTITUTIONAL INVESTMENTS INC.
Primary Firm SEC Registration
CERITY PARTNERS LLC
CRD#: 151559 / SEC#: 801-70719
State Registrations and Notice Filings
Listed states reflect where the advisor is authorized to serve clients under state regulations.
Highlighted states indicate IAR registrations
(10/26/2021)
Exams
Current Firm
CERITY PARTNERS LLC
CRD#: 151559 / SEC#: 801-70719
Contact information
SEC notice filing (53 States and Territories)
Documents
Regulatory assets under management
| Total Number of Accounts | 19,810 |
| AUM (Assets Under Management) | $ 122,848,693,051 |
Accountant surprise examination report
| Filing Date | Form ADV-E Cover | Form ADV-E Report |
|---|---|---|
| 10/23/2025 | ||
| 07/24/2024 | ||
| 09/28/2023 |
Red Flags
Disclosures can be potential red flags, including customer disputes, regulatory fines, employer terminations, bankruptcies, judgments, liens, or certain criminal activities.
Check for any disclosures as part of your thorough research when choosing an advisor.
