Tanglewood Wealth Management, Inc. (Houston)


Tanglewood Wealth Management, Inc. is a large advisory firm based in Houston. It manages $879.35 million of regulatory assets for 1,093 client accounts. It has been registered with the SEC as an adviser since 2010 and has operated in the jurisdictions of California, Colorado, Florida, and 4 other states.

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Tanglewood Wealth Management provides financial planning services, portfolio management for individuals and small businesses, and portfolio management for businesses and institutional clients. It prepares financial plans for more than 100 clients. On top of advisory services, the firm doesn't engage in other business activities.

Tanglewood Wealth Management: assets under management

The assets under management (AUM) of Tanglewood Wealth Management, Inc. is $879.35 million, all of which is managed in discretionary accounts. The firm's AUM has grown by 57% since the beginning of its operation, and the company doesn't manage any assets belonging to foreign clients.


The firm manages $879.35 million in discretionary accounts. On average, the discretionary accounts where all decisions are made on behalf of the client hold $804.53 thousand each.

Investments

The firm invests in investment and business development companies the most. They account for 53% of the total AUM. The second-largest asset type is exchange traded securities, which make up 46% of the firm’s portfolio. Investments in cash and cash equivalents form 1% of the total invested assets.

Fees & Commissions

The advisory firm has a single stream of revenue. Clients pay Tanglewood Wealth Management, Inc. for their services and products based on a percentage of assets under management. 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 John Franklin Merrill serves?

The firm provides services to individuals, high net worth individuals, and pension and profit sharing plans. The largest group of clients of John Franklin Merrill is high net worth individuals with 290 clients and $783.32 million of assets under management. Among the 3 most similar advisory firms, Tanglewood Wealth Management has the 2nd highest percentage of high net worth individuals out of all clients.


The amount of regulatory assets under management is $877.21 million for 464 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.

Tanglewood Wealth Management doesn't advise any private funds.

Careers at Tanglewood Wealth Management, Inc.

The company employs 12 people that are either part- or full-time employees. 58 percent of the employees work as investment advisers or researchers. 8 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.

John Franklin Merrill has been acting as President since 1 Jan 2000. Brian Joseph Merrill joined the executive team most recently as the Vice President.

Direct owners and executive officers



Name Entity Date acquired Ownership Employer ID
John Franklin Merrill President 1 Jan 2000 75% - 100% 805875
Nancy Faith Gardner Vice president 1 Jan 2001 Other 2634409
Keith Alan Fenstad Chief compliance officer, secretary treasurer 1 Jan 2003 Other 2380515
Christian Arnold Costanzo Sr. investment officer 1 Aug 2007 Other 1633558
Curtis Joel Holden Sr. investment officer 1 Nov 2013 Other 5051609
Brian Joseph Merrill Vice president 1 Jan 2014 Other 5000672

Based in Houston

The principal office where Tanglewood Wealth Management, Inc. performs its advisory services is located at 1400 Post Oak Blvd, Houston, TX 77056, which is also the mailing address of the firm. It doesn’t run an office outside of the United States.

You can reach the main office by calling the phone number 713-840-8880 or by fax 713-622-7307. The normal business hours are 8:30 to 5:30 (3:30 on friday) on Monday - Friday. You can find more information about the New York firm at tanglewoodwealth.com.