Gradient Securities, LLC

Gradient Securities, LLC, doing business as Gradient Wealth Management (GWM), provides financial planning, consulting, third‑party manager referrals, non‑discretionary asset management, and ERISA plan services to individuals, pension and profit‑sharing plans, trusts, estates, corporations, and other business entities. The firm operates both as an SEC‑registered investment adviser and as a FINRA‑registered broker‑dealer, and its advisors may also offer commissionable securities and insurance products in addition to advisory services.

GWM typically delivers advice on a non‑discretionary basis and states that, as of December 31, 2024, it had $591,069,287 of assets under management on a non‑discretionary basis; advisors recommend trades but obtain client approval before execution. The firm also routinely uses third‑party managers (TPMs), acts as a solicitor for those TPMs, and provides limited‑scope ERISA 3(21) services such as IPS development, monitoring, and participant education while leaving final investment decisions to plan sponsors or clients.

Compared with many enterprise firms, GWM’s business mix is notable for its extensive affiliations and revenue arrangements: the owner trust holds interests in affiliated insurance wholesaling entities (Gradient Insurance Brokerage and Ascentium Insurance Solutions), affiliated RIAs (Gradient Investments and Gradient Advisors), and a minority owner position by Meraki Private Equity, and the firm discloses incentive and revenue‑sharing programs with TPMs such as Orion, SEI, and its own Gradient Investments. These relationships and the firm’s mix of non‑discretionary management, TPM referrals, and dual broker‑dealer/adviser activities are disclosed as potential conflicts of interest with described mitigation steps (disclosures, client choice of managers, and fiduciary obligations).