Wisdom for Generations. Peace of Mind Today.™
Our focus is your financial success.
Preserving wealth in changing markets, navigating complex financial situations, planning for the future while addressing the needs of today — you don’t have to tackle these challenges alone. Your financial well-being is personal and primary to us. Together, we can provide peace of mind for generations.
The Clifford Swan Difference
Our approach is holistic and specific to you.
We are independently owned, with no outside influences or products to sell. This allows us the freedom to design and refine custom wealth strategies that support your goals through every phase of life. We combine rigorous investment research with comprehensive financial counseling and skilled portfolio management to navigate today’s complex world and evolve your wealth solutions.
Simply put, your priorities and concerns are our own — ensuring a lasting and meaningful impact on your wealth and legacy.
110+ years
Serving affluent individuals and families60+ years
Serving nonprofit organizations100%
Employee-owned$4.5B
Assets under management(as of December 31, 2025)
Why Clifford Swan?
We are fiduciaries intent on helping you sleep well at night.
Since our founding in 1915, we have committed to placing client interests ahead of all other considerations. We care deeply about financial education and promise to work closely with you at each step of your journey, sharing information about financial concepts and imparting investment knowledge to every generation.
By managing your wealth with an independent vision, long-term strategy, and absolute commitment to achieving your goals, we can provide enduring peace of mind.
Who Our Clients Are
- Affluent Individuals, Families, and Private Foundations
- Nonprofit Organizations — Endowments and Planned Giving Programs
- Professional Trustees
- Business Owners and Private Pension Plans
While our firm is based in Pasadena, California, our clients live nearby and across the country in cities large and small, in communities urban and rural, and represent a diverse collection of individuals, families, and institutions. They come from varied backgrounds with their own unique stories, goals, and dreams. Yet, Clifford Swan clients share several commonalities.
Financially Established
Our clients are financially established, having accumulated significant wealth.
Forward Thinking
Many come to us at a time of change, whether personally or professionally, with goals that often span multiple generations.
Purposeful Investors
They share a strong desire to grow and protect their wealth in a thoughtful, clear way, and value having a personal trusted advisor.
Services
Individuals & Families
We provide investment and planning solutions centered on your unique needs and values. A coordinated approach to wealth management helps not only build wealth but also protect what matters most to you — including the future and legacy you envision.
Institutions
Our commitment to nonprofit organizations began in 1962 when we first provided endowment investment management services.
Today, in addition to asset allocation and portfolio implementation, we offer a consultative approach to board governance and best practice concerns, including reviewing investment, spending, and gift acceptance policies to bolster your organization’s mission.
For organizations with planned giving programs, our comprehensive turnkey services include investment management, administration, and donor support.
Our Latest Thinking
Investment Strategy: Common Sense Trade-Offs
Imagine being tasked with investing the wealth of a family whose future generations depended on it, or a foundation with a critical social mission. Where would you start? You might start with the principle of diversification to reduce portfolio risk. You might also favor high-quality businesses—specifically those that will remain important to the economy and […]
Trump Accounts: What They Are, What They Aren’t, and Where They Fit Your Plan
Most families we work with don’t need more accounts; they need the right ones, used in the right way. You may have noticed recent headlines about Trump Accounts, a new federal savings program launching on July 5, 2026, designed to help children build long‑term financial security. Whenever something new like this appears, clients naturally wonder […]
110 Years: A Fireside Chat on our History and Future
This year, Clifford Swan Investment Counselors celebrates two major milestones: our 110th anniversary and a decade since returning to 100% employee ownership under the leadership of then CEO and Board Chair Linda Davis Taylor. To celebrate, we invited past and current leadership to a “fireside chat” to reflect on their professional journeys: what brought them […]
Quarterly Insights: January 2026
As we embark on a new year, we continue to advise clients to position portfolios more conservatively to match today’s market realities. That may be difficult given the temptation to ride a stock market that has been on a long winning streak. But it is when investor sentiment is strong and asset valuations are rich […]
