DFX Intelligence

RIA Intelligence

Registered investment advisers, the advisors registered through them, the capital they report, the private vehicles they run and the people who own them, as a graph with a filing date behind every number. RAUM is what the adviser filed, a move is two registration dates, and a class is a rule you can read.

Former SEC-registered adviser

Better Money Decisions

Former SEC-registered adviserSanta Fe, New MexicoCRD 172980SEC 801-115227websiteIAPD
Legal name Better Money Decisions, LLC
Latest filing Apr 30, 2025
First filing on the tape Apr 4, 2019 · 22 filings
SEC status approved since May 6, 2019
RAUM
$327M
reported, Item 5.F
Discretionary
100%
of RAUM
Private clients
99%
$324M individuals and HNW
Advisors
0
registered through the firm on IAPD
RAUM per advisor
n/a
derived; firm RAUM over IAPD count
Employees
8
6 advisory (5.B.1)
Offices
10
beyond the principal office
Private funds
0
reported on Schedule D
History
22 filings and snapshots on the tape
RAUM$327M as of Apr 30, 2025
Mar 6, 2020$149M then
HNW client RAUM$195M as of Apr 30, 2025
Mar 6, 2020$73.7M then
State-registered IARs (5.B.3)6 as of Apr 30, 2025
Mar 6, 20207 then
Employees (5.A)8 as of Apr 30, 2025
Mar 6, 20209 then
Private funds: no history
RAUM +20% over the last fiscal year+18% a year over threeIARs 5 to 6offices 8 to 10
Practice profile
derived from the filing of Apr 30, 2025; every figure names its basis
RAUM per advisor
$54.5MderivedRAUM over IAPD advisors; not a book size
Clients per advisor
53derivedindividual and HNW clients (5.D) over advisors
Average HNW client
$2.3MderivedHNW RAUM over HNW clients
Average account
$353,284derivedRAUM over accounts (5.F.2.f)
Discretionary
100%derivedof RAUM
Institutional
0.7%derivedpensions, charities, corporations, government, insurance, banks, other advisers
Employees per advisor
1.3derivedItem 5.A over advisors
Advisors per office
0.5derived11 offices incl. principal (1.F.5)
RAUM growth, one year
+20%derivedbetween the last two annual amendments
Advisor growth, one year
+20%derivedItem 5.B.3 between annual amendments
Client growth, one year
+17%derived
Compensation
percentage of assets, fixed feesreportedItem 5.E
Advisory activities
financial planning, portfolio management for individualsreportedItem 5.G
Ownership
no PE, bank or public-company owner found on Schedule Aderived
Advisor book size
not public; not estimatedreported
Also answered yes on Form ADV
  • buys or sells securities as principal to or from clients (8.A.2)
  • has discretionary authority over which securities are bought or sold (8.C.1)
  • receives research or other products from a broker-dealer, soft dollars (8.E)
Where the RAUM sits
Form ADV Item 5.D, latest filing
  • High-net-worth individuals$195M60%
  • Individuals$130M40%
  • Charitable organizations$2.4M0.7%
Individual clients
230reported
HNW clients
85reported
Pension plan clients
0reported
Charitable clients
7reported
Accounts
925reported
Financial planning clients
101-250reported
Wrap fee programs
noreported
Custody of client assets
noreported
Compensation
% of AUM, fixedreported
Class basis
absent from the latest SEC rosterderived
Advisors registered through the firm
0 on IAPD today, longest tenure first
No representative is registered through this CRD on IAPD.
Advisor movement
5 left, 0 joined in 12 months
net -5 in 12 months0 left in 90 days0 joined in 90 days5 left over 36 months
Left, latest
Joined, latest
Every departureEvery arrival
Teams: two or more advisors moving together within fourteen days, from one state
    Teams outTeams in
    Private funds
    No private fund reported.
    Owners and control persons
    Schedule A and B, latest filing
    • Frassinell Lorraine Ell · Managing Member, Ccocontrol
      since 11/2015 · owns 50% to 75%
    • Garrison Lea Ann Knight · Minority Ownercontrol
      since 01/2019 · owns 25% to 50%
    Related persons
    Schedule D 7.A
    No related person reported.
    Office movement
    IAPD branch city; joins and departures in 12 months
    OfficeAdvisorsJoinedLeftTeams outForming
    Albuquerque, Nm002
    Santa Fe, Nm · principal002
    Columbus, Oh001
    Offices
    Schedule D 1.F, the 25 largest
    • Albuquerque, NM1 employees
    • Peoria, AZ1 employees
    • Scottsdale, AZ1 employees
    • Westerville, OH1 employees
    • , 1 employees
    What changed
    consecutive filings, newest first
    • Financial planning clients · 101-250 to 101-250
      Feb 25, 2025 to Apr 30, 2025
    • Other offices · 8 to 10
      Feb 25, 2025 to Apr 30, 2025
    • Accounts · 276 to 925
      Feb 21, 2024 to Feb 25, 2025
    • HNW clients · 77 to 85
      Feb 21, 2024 to Feb 25, 2025
    • Individual clients · 192 to 230
      Feb 21, 2024 to Feb 25, 2025
    • Discretionary RAUM · $272M to $327M
      Feb 21, 2024 to Feb 25, 2025
    • HNW RAUM · $153M to $195M
      Feb 21, 2024 to Feb 25, 2025
    • Individual RAUM · $97.1M to $130M
      Feb 21, 2024 to Feb 25, 2025
    • RAUM · $272M to $327M
      Feb 21, 2024 to Feb 25, 2025
    • Advisory employees · 5 to 6
      Jan 29, 2024 to Feb 21, 2024
    • Employees · 7 to 8
      Jan 29, 2024 to Feb 21, 2024
    • State-registered IARs · 5 to 6
      Jan 29, 2024 to Feb 21, 2024
    • Accounts · 231 to 276
      Jan 12, 2024 to Jan 29, 2024
    • HNW clients · 57 to 77
      Jan 12, 2024 to Jan 29, 2024
    • Individual clients · 220 to 192
      Jan 12, 2024 to Jan 29, 2024
    • Financial planning clients · 51-100 to 101-250
      Jan 12, 2024 to Jan 29, 2024
    • Discretionary RAUM · $198M to $272M
      Jan 12, 2024 to Jan 29, 2024
    • HNW RAUM · $116M to $153M
      Jan 12, 2024 to Jan 29, 2024
    • Individual RAUM · $77.5M to $97.1M
      Jan 12, 2024 to Jan 29, 2024
    • RAUM · $198M to $272M
      Jan 12, 2024 to Jan 29, 2024
    • Advisory employees · 4 to 5
      Aug 22, 2023 to Jan 12, 2024
    • Employees · 6 to 7
      Aug 22, 2023 to Jan 12, 2024
    • Other offices · 3 to 8
      Apr 10, 2023 to Aug 9, 2023
    • Accounts · 512 to 231
      Mar 2, 2022 to Feb 23, 2023
    • Advisory employees · 5 to 4
      Mar 2, 2022 to Feb 23, 2023
    • Charity clients · 6 to 7
      Mar 2, 2022 to Feb 23, 2023
    • HNW clients · 43 to 57
      Mar 2, 2022 to Feb 23, 2023
    • Individual clients · 142 to 220
      Mar 2, 2022 to Feb 23, 2023
    • Insurance-licensed employees · 1 to 0
      Mar 2, 2022 to Feb 23, 2023
    • Financial planning clients · 101-250 to 51-100
      Mar 2, 2022 to Feb 23, 2023
    • State-registered IARs · 6 to 5
      Mar 2, 2022 to Feb 23, 2023
    • Discretionary RAUM · $199M to $198M
      Mar 2, 2022 to Feb 23, 2023
    • HNW RAUM · $123M to $116M
      Mar 2, 2022 to Feb 23, 2023
    • Individual RAUM · $73.1M to $77.5M
      Mar 2, 2022 to Feb 23, 2023
    • RAUM · $199M to $198M
      Mar 2, 2022 to Feb 23, 2023
    • Accounts · 427 to 512
      Dec 8, 2021 to Mar 2, 2022
    • Advisory employees · 4 to 5
      Dec 8, 2021 to Mar 2, 2022
    • Charity clients · unset to 6.0
      Dec 8, 2021 to Mar 2, 2022
    • HNW clients · 38 to 43
      Dec 8, 2021 to Mar 2, 2022
    • Individual clients · 175 to 142
      Dec 8, 2021 to Mar 2, 2022
    Signals
    12 dated events
    • Better Money Decisions no longer on the SEC adviser roster (last listed 2026-03-02, RAUM $326.8M)
      Apr 1, 2026 · Left the SEC roster · derived
    • Lea Ann Garrison Knight left Better Money Decisions for Ep Wealth Advisors (registered 2025-09-16)
      Mar 9, 2026 · Advisor changed firm · fact
    • Richard Craig Caw left Better Money Decisions for Ep Wealth Advisors (registered 2025-09-23)
      Mar 9, 2026 · Advisor changed firm · fact
    • 2 advisors left Better Money Decisions (Santa FE, NM) for EP Wealth Advisors on the same day
      Nov 13, 2025 · Team lift-out · derived
    • Kathleen Jutta Connors left Better Money Decisions for Ep Wealth Advisors (registered 2025-09-17)
      Nov 13, 2025 · Advisor changed firm · fact
    • Jocelyn Rose Black left Better Money Decisions for Ep Wealth Advisors (registered 2025-09-18)
      Nov 13, 2025 · Advisor changed firm · fact
    • Susan Marie Koe left Better Money Decisions for Ep Wealth Advisors (registered 2025-09-17)
      Nov 13, 2025 · Advisor changed firm · fact
    • Better Money Decisions reported 8 offices beyond its principal office, up from 3 (2023-04-10 to 2023-08-09)
      Aug 9, 2023 · Office count change · derived
    • Bryan Robert Giron left Better Money Decisions for Redw Wealth Llc (registered 2024-02-16)
      Aug 9, 2023 · Advisor changed firm · fact
    • Carol Bell left Better Money Decisions for Pruco Securities, Llc (registered 2023-06-22)
      Jun 16, 2023 · Advisor changed firm · fact
    • Katharine Maria Stalter (Managing Member) no longer on Schedule A of Better Money Decisions (listed 2019-11-19, absent 2020-03-06)
      Mar 6, 2020 · Control person left · inference
    • Better Money Decisions filed its initial SEC registration (Form ADV)
      Apr 4, 2019 · First SEC registration · fact
    Across DFX
    shared identifiers only, never a name match
    No identifier-backed link to the venture, private equity, family office or sponsor graphs.
    Provenance
    Form ADV
    SEC filing data 2011 to 2024 and the monthly roster 2025 onreportedadviserinfo.sec.gov
    Advisors
    IAPD individual compilation feed, dailyreportedadviserinfo.sec.gov
    Class
    Former SEC-registered adviserderiveda rule over Items 5.D and 7.A
    RAUM per advisor
    n/aderivedfirm RAUM over the IAPD count; not a book size
    Loaded
    Sep 14, 2026