Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC

Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC (SPIA) manages approximately $28.34 billion in regulatory assets and serves a broad client base that includes non‑HNW and high‑net‑worth individuals, charitable and corporate clients, employer‑sponsored retirement plans, and other institutions. The firm provides discretionary and non‑discretionary portfolio management across separately managed accounts, multiple discipline and unified managed accounts (UMAs), FA advisory programs, wrap and non‑wrap managed account programs, financial planning, and pension consulting.

The firm’s investment approach combines proprietary strategies—identified in its brochure as Life Wealth Optimization (LWO) models and Steward Partners Personalized Portfolios—with third‑party money managers accessed through a master agreement with SMArtX, subject to initial and ongoing due diligence and annual reviews. Portfolios are implemented across equities, fixed income, mutual funds, ETFs, alternatives and cash, with allocations and rebalancing determined by client objectives and a mix of model‑based and advisor‑directed solutions.

Noteworthy operational features disclosed in the brochure include an affiliated broker‑dealer (Steward Partners Investment Solutions, SPIS) and multi‑custodian/clearing relationships with Pershing, Raymond James, Schwab, Fidelity and Goldman Sachs Custody Solutions, arrangements the firm discloses generate platform payments, cash‑sweep revenue sharing and mutual fund revenue. The brochure also highlights advisor recruitment/transition loans and growth awards, a structured‑product referral arrangement with Navian Capital Securities, and facilitated access to third‑party estate‑planning technology (Wealth.com) and held‑away retirement plan platforms, all of which the firm identifies as potential areas of conflicts that are managed through disclosure and internal policies.