Menu burger Close thin Facebook Twitter Google plus Linked in Reddit Email arrow-right-sm arrow-right
Loading
Tap on the profile icon to edit
your financial details.

Century Securities Associates Inc. Review

Your Details Done
by Updated

This review was produced by SmartAsset based on publicly available information. The named firm and its financial professionals have not reviewed, approved, or endorsed this review and are not responsible for its accuracy. Review content is produced by SmartAsset independently of any business relationships that might exist between SmartAsset and the named firm and its financial professionals, and firms and financial professionals having business relationships with SmartAsset receive no special treatment or consideration in SmartAsset’s reviews. This page contains links to SmartAsset’s financial advisor matching tool, which may or may not match you with the firm mentioned in this review or its financial professionals.

Century Securities Associates, Inc. is a broker-dealer and financial advisor firm that works directly with independent financial advisors to provide business and investment support so that they can operate effectively. As a result, Century does not work directly with investor clients. The firm is located in St. Louis, Missouri. Century's network manages nearly a billion dollars in client assets.

This is a fee-based firm. That means the firm and some of its advisors can receive commissions from the sale of certain securities or insurance products. This differs from the structure of a fee-only firm, which earns all of its compensation from client-paid fees.

Century Securities Associates Background

Century Securities Associates was founded in 1991. It later registered with the SEC as a registered investment advisor (RIA) in 1993. Stifel Financial Corp., a publically traded company, is the owner of Century. Stifel's stock shares under the ticker "SF." Advisors that work in the Century advisor network may be financially certified, including certified financial planners (CFPs) and chartered financial analysts (CFAs).

Century Securities Associates Client Types and Minimum Account Sizes

Century Securities Associates works with a network of independent financial advisors, providing them with business support. These advisors themselves work with a range of different clients, including both institutions and individuals. Most clients in the firm's network are individuals, and the majority of those individuals don't have a high net worth. Institutional clients include pensions, profit-sharing plans, charities, governments and businesses.

Certain investment programs at Century carry minimum investment requirements. They go as follows:

  • Opportunity: $25,000 - $200,000
  • Spectrum and Custom Advisory Portfolio Programs: $50,000
  • Solutions and Horizon Programs: $25,000
  • Fundamentals Program: $5,000 - $100,000
  • Connect Program: $50,000 - $100,000
  • Vantage Program: $50,000
  • Summit Program: $1,000,000

Some programs and portfolios in the Connect Program may have higher minimum account requirements that range up to $20 million. Advisors may negotiate certain minimums if they choose.

Services Offered by Century Securities Associates

Century Securities Associates itself offers business support services to a network of independent financial advisors. These advisors take advantage of Century's services to whatever degree they want, helping them provide their own clients with investment management, financial planning and many other financial advisory services.

Century provides its advisors with access to a range of investment portfolios and programs to help them effectively invest client assets. As referred to above, portfolios and programs include:

  • Opportunity
  • Spectrum and Custom Advisory Portfolio Programs
  • Solutions and Horizon Programs
  • Fundamentals Program
  • Connect Program
  • Vantage Program
  • Summit Program

Century is a part of Stifel, and many programs are offered through Stifel itself. Programs may be broken down into more specific categories, such as mutual fund- or exchange-traded fund (ETF)-focused programs.

Century Securities Associates Investment Philosophy

Since Century Securities Associates works with a large network of independent firms, it's difficult to pin down a specific investment philosophy that reigns supreme. However, advisors will always look to tailor their investment services to the needs of clients. While specific methods may vary, they tend to meet with clients to determine their overall financial situation and investment objectives. They then use the information gathered to determine a suitable investment strategy.

Advisors may invest client assets in one or several programs and portfolios. They may also invest client assets without using a model portfolio. In the end, it's ultimately the decision of the advisor who's working directly with the client.

Fees Under Century Securities Associates

Most accounts at Century, including those who take advantage of Stifel portfolios, are charged a wrap fee of up to 2.50% of assets under management (AUM) annually. To clarify, a wrap fee program is one in which all advisory, transactional and trading fees are combined into a single rate. The fees you're charged will depend on a number of factors, including the investments your assets are invested in and what program your advisor uses to manage your funds.

The lone exceptions to the above are Century's Vantage and Summit programs. For the former, client fees are based on transaction-based commission costs. For the latter, you'll pay a flat annual advisory fee of up to 1.35%, with transactional costs being extra.

What to Watch Out For

Century Securities Associates has three disclosures listed on its Form ADV. Two of these disclosures relate to advisory affiliates of the firm, whereas the final one belongs to the firm directly. This last disclosure is in relation to a situation where the firm allowed some of its advisors to recommend non-traditional ETFs to customers without the advisors completing an adequate analysis of the securities. This issue was resolved in 2014, and it resulted in the firm receiving a $100,000 fine and a censure order.

Century is also a fee-based firm. In turn, many of the advisors in its network are dually registered as broker-dealer representatives or insurance agents. These advisors can receive commissions from the sale of certain financial products to clients, which causes a potential conflict of interest. However, the firm is still a fiduciary, meaning it is legally obligated to act in the best interests of clients at all times.

Opening an Account With Century Securities Associates

While you can't work directly with Century Securities Associates, you can work with an advisor in the firm's network. For more information, reach out directly to one of these firms, or contact Century for more information. You can also call (314) 342-4051 if you prefer working over the phone.

All information is accurate as of the writing of this article.

Tips for Finding a Financial Advisor

  • Whether you just got started investing yesterday or have been managing your money for years, a financial advisor can help with the process. Finding the right financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes. If you’re ready to be matched with local advisors, get started now.
  • SmartAsset has you covered with tons of free online resources to help you manage your personal finances. If you're planning for retirement, consider checking out our free retirement calculator today.

How Long $1mm Lasts in Retirement

SmartAsset's interactive map highlights places where $1 million will last the longest in retirement. Zoom between states and the national map to see the top spots in each region. Also, scroll over any city to learn about the cost of living in retirement for that location.

Least
Most
Rank City Housing Expenses Food Expenses Healthcare Expenses Utilities Expenses Transportation Expenses

Methodology We analyzed data on average expenditures for seniors, cost of living and investment returns to determine how many years of retirement a $1 million nest egg would cover in cities across America.

First, we looked at data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on the average annual expenditures of seniors. We then applied cost of living data from the Council for Community and Economic Research to adjust those national average spending levels based on the costs of each expense category (housing, food, healthcare, utilities, transportation and other) in each city. Using this data, SmartAsset calculated the average cost of living for retirees in the largest U.S. cities.

We assumed the $1 million would grow at a real return (interest minus inflation) of 2%. Then, we divided $1 million by the sum of each of those annual numbers to determine how long $1 million would cover retirement expenses in each of the cities in our study. Cities where $1 million lasted the longest ranked the highest in the study.

Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Council for Community and Economic Research