Benjamin A. Bradford
Professional summary
Benjamin Ammon Bradford is a registered financial advisor currently at CREATIVE PLANNING located in Pleasanton, California.
Benjamin is registered as an IAR (Investment Advisor Representative) and started their career in finance in 2002. Benjamin has worked at 7 firms and has passed the Series 66, SIE and Series 7 exams.
Question & Answer
Aliases
Other business activities
CRS (Client Relationship Summary) - RIA
CREATIVE PLANNING - Registered Investment Advisory firm
Version Date: Fri Mar 29 2024Creative Planning, LLC is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as an investment adviser. Brokerage and investment advisory services and fees differ and it is important for you to understand these differences.
There are free and user-friendly tools 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:
Our fees are based on a percentage of client assets that we manage and do not vary based on investment type. We typically deduct fees from clients’ investment accounts each quarter in arrears. The more assets you have in the account, including cash and margin, the more you will pay us, therefore we have an incentive to encourage you to increase the assets in your account in order to increase our fees. We charge our fee even if we do not buy or sell assets in your account, or if your account is profitable or not.
You will have additional fees or costs in addition to our management fee for certain investments listed below.
Some investments, such as mutual funds and exchange traded funds, impose additional fees that will reduce the value of your investment over time.
Assets managed by a sub-advisor are subject to the subadvisor’s management fee as well as our fee.
For certain investments, you will pay a transaction fee. You will also pay fees to an unaffiliated custodian (such as TD Ameritrade, Charles Schwab, or Fidelity) that will hold your assets (called “custody”). We do not receive any portion of these fees.
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 investment over time. Please make sure you understand what fees and costs you are paying. For additional information, please see Item 5 of our Form ADV Part 2A.
Questions to ask your Professional:
- Help me understand how these fees and costs might affect my investments. If I give you $10,000 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 interests ahead of yours. At the same time, the way we make money 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:
Retirement Plan Rollovers to an IRA - our advisory fees may be higher than your retirement plan fee
Margin – margin increases the account size subject to our advisory fee
Referrals to or from our related entities: comparable services may be available elsewhere for less cost
Benefits received from our custodians
For additional information about our conflicts of interest, please see Items 10, 12, & 14 of our Form ADV Part 2A.
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?
Our financial professionals are paid a salary however our employees are eligible for awards based on the firm’s performance. We have implemented a partnership program which qualifying employees are granted and/or may purchase partnership units based on length of service to the firm and performance. Employees also receive compensation for certain client referrals. A conflict of interest exists where an employee could be motivated to increase assets at the firm regardless of the client’s best interest, however, we are required to always act as a fiduciary when working with our clients. For additional information, please see Item 14 of ourForm ADV Part 2A.
Certified licenses
Experience
February 17, 2025 - Present
CREATIVE PLANNING
Office #1: 7041 Koll Center Suite 275, Pleasanton, CA 94566January 4, 2023 - May 6, 2025
MAXWELL WEALTH
May 28, 2009 - January 31, 2023
HARRISDIRECT LLC
March 21, 2007 - January 31, 2023
E*TRADE SECURITIES LLC
June 26, 2006 - February 28, 2007
ATLAS SECURITIES, LLC
December 3, 2004 - March 14, 2006
AMERIPRISE ADVISOR SERVICES, INC.
December 3, 2004 - March 14, 2006
AMERIPRISE ADVISOR SERVICES, INC.
August 7, 2002 - December 8, 2004
EQUITABLE ADVISORS, LLC
July 15, 2002 - December 8, 2004
EQUITABLE ADVISORS, LLC
Primary Firm SEC Registration
CREATIVE PLANNING
CRD#: 105348 / SEC#: 801-18564
State Registrations and Notice Filings
Listed states reflect where the advisor is authorized to serve clients under state regulations.
Highlighted states indicate IAR registrations
(2/17/2025)
(2/17/2025)
Exams
Current Firm
CREATIVE PLANNING
CRD#: 105348 / SEC#: 801-18564
Contact information
SEC notice filing (53 States and Territories)
Documents
Regulatory assets under management
| Total Number of Accounts | 269,686 |
| AUM (Assets Under Management) | $ 217,399,324,981 |
Accountant surprise examination report
| Filing Date | Form ADV-E Cover | Form ADV-E Report |
|---|---|---|
| 06/27/2025 | ||
| 09/19/2024 | ||
| 01/03/2024 | ||
| 01/18/2023 |
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.
