Intellus Advisors is a investment adviser based in Naples, FL, that holds a 79.4/100 Fidelon TransparencyScore (19th percentile among SEC-registered advisers), with 9 registered advisors. Score based on public SEC and FINRA filings.
Intellus Advisors
Intellus Advisors, LLC · CRD #332883
A registered investment adviser with a clean regulatory record.
Fidelon Fact Sheet
Intellus Advisors, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser in Naples, FL. It used to be called Intellus Advisors Wealth Management. It has 9 registered advisors. It manages $1.4 billion across 3,462 client accounts. It charges a percentage of the money it manages for you, and it can also earn commissions when it sells you a product. Its services include financial planning, portfolio management, investment newsletters and market-timing advice. It reports that it can hold or access client money, which the SEC requires firms to disclose. Its record shows no customer complaints, regulatory actions or fines.
Peer Context
8,758th of 10,815
SEC-registered advisers
Bottom 19%
659th of 799
SEC-registered advisers in FL
Bottom 18%
36th of 40
SEC-registered advisers in Naples, FL
Bottom 10%
How This Firm Works
Registration & Standard of Care
Investment Adviser — this firm is a registered investment adviser, held to a fiduciary standard — legally required to act in clients' best interests.
How This Firm Gets Paid
- Charges a percentage of assets under management
- Charges fixed fees for specific services
- Can earn money selling products alongside advice — the product company pays that, so it never appears on an advisory invoice
What you’d pay
Blended across 1 tiers, from $0 - $1,000,000.
This fee is negotiable
Intellus Advisors, LLC states in its Form ADV that advisory fees may be negotiated.
From their Form ADV Part 2A. Most investors never ask.
Estimated from the firm’s Form ADV Part 2A brochure — not a quote. Actual fees are set in your agreement and may differ. Costs charged by others (custodians, fund managers) are not included.
What This Firm Charges
| Account Size | Annual Fee |
|---|---|
| $0 - $1,000,000 | 1.25% |
| $1,000,001 - $2,500,000 | 1.00% |
| $2,500,001 - $5,000,000 | 0.90% |
| $5,000,001 - $10,000,000 | 0.80% |
| $10,000,001 - $20,000,000 | 0.70% |
| $20,000,001 - $30,000,000 | 0.60% |
| $30,000,001 - $50,000,000 | 0.50% |
Billed quarterly in advance
Extracted from Form ADV Part 2A brochure
Specializations
Extracted from Form ADV Part 2A brochure
Key Findings
Strengths
- Registered as investment adviser with fiduciary obligation
- Clean regulatory record — no disclosures, arbitrations, or fines
Things You Should Know
- Its brochure says its people can earn commissions on products, but it does not say you can buy the same products elsewhere, commissions can shape what they recommend, or whether commissions lower your advisory fee. Ask whether you could buy any recommended product through another broker or insurer.Item 5.E
- Its brochure says it receives research or services from brokers, but it does not say those perks can shape which broker it picks for you, whether every client benefits or only some, or whether those perks stay within what the law allows. Ask how the firm chooses the broker for your trades and whether perks play any part.Item 12.A.1
Conflict Audit
Our analysis identified 1 potential conflict of interest in regulatory filings.
Source: Form ADV Part 1, Items 6-8; Part 2A, Items 10-14
What this firm says about how it gets paid
“Intellus Insurance Solutions, LLC (IIS) is an insurance agency in common ownership with the firm.”
Source: the firm’s own Form CRS, filed 2026-03-25 — quoted directly
Regulatory Track Record
0
Disclosures
Clean record — no disclosures found
$0
Total Fines
Clean record — no fines found
Regulatory Events
TransparencyScore Dimensions
Disclosure Record
Customer complaints, arbitrations, and fines. Frequency and recency matter.
100/100
Strong
Avg for investment adviser firms: 82.6 | Top 10%: 99.5
Filing Quality
How clearly the firm describes services, fees, and investment approach in regulatory filings.
92/100
Strong
Avg for investment adviser firms: 84.1 | Top 10%: 100
Conflict Disclosure
How openly the firm explains who pays it and what it's paid to sell. The conflict isn't the problem — hiding it is.
58/100
Weak
Avg for investment adviser firms: 54 | Top 10%: 67
Enforcement History
Self-reported legal and disciplinary history from Form ADV Item 11.
100/100
Strong
Avg for investment adviser firms: 99.7 | Top 10%: 100
Their two-page relationship summary
The SEC requires every SEC-registered investment adviser to hand you this summary, called a Form CRS, and says what it must cover. We checked this firm's against that list. What is a Form CRS?
- Does it include everything the SEC requires?
- Required sections
- 77/100
- Does it explain how the firm's conflicts affect you?
- Conflicts of interest
What to askAsk the advisor to name every way the firm gets paid besides your fee, and how each one can affect their advice.
- 24/100
- Can you tell what you would pay?
- What you pay
- 67/100
- Is it written in plain English?
- Plain language
- 92/100
This firm's Form CRS averages 65 out of 100. It adds 1.25 points once the firm's filings and record score 90 on their own; they score 79.36 today.
What their brochure tells you
The firm must give you this brochure, Form ADV Part 2A, before you sign. We read it against the SEC's own instructions, item by item. Quotes are the firm's own words; page numbers refer to the filed brochure. What is in a brochure?
Can you tell what you'd pay and when?Brochure Fee Clarity100/100
The SEC asks every brochure to spell out the fee schedule, whether fees can be negotiated, how and when you are billed, the other costs you pay, and refunds.
The brochure answers every one of these.
- Can you tell what you'd pay?CoveredItem 5.A
Without a fee schedule you cannot compare this firm with any other.
Market Value of Assets Annual rate Up to $1,000,000 1.25% $1,000,001 - $2,500,000 1.00% $2,500,001 - $5,000,000 0.90% $5,000,001 - $10,000,000 0.80% $10,000,001 - $20,000,000 0.70% $20,000,001 - $30,000,000 0.60% $30,000,001 - $50,000,000 0.50% Over $50,000,000 Custom Schedulep. 7
- Does it say whether the fee can be negotiated?CoveredItem 5.A
If fees are negotiable, other clients may be paying less than you for the same service.
Intellus Advisors can, in its sole discretion, negotiate to charge lesser fees based upon certain criteria, such as the overall scope of services to be provided to the Client, anticipated future earning capacity, anticipated future additional assets, dollar amount of assets to be managed, related accounts, account composition, pre-existing/legacy Client relationship, account retention, and pro bono activities.p. 8
- Does it say whether the fee comes out of your account or gets billed?CoveredItem 5.B
A fee taken straight from your account is easy to stop noticing.
Clients provide the Firm with the authority to directly debit their accounts for payment of investment management, wealth management, and retirement plan service fees.p. 8
- Does it say how often you're charged?CoveredItem 5.B
Monthly, quarterly, in advance or in arrears changes what you owe when you leave.
The fee is charged quarterly in advance based upon the market value of the assets being managed as of the last day of the previous quarter.p. 7
- Does it list the other costs you pay, like fund and custodian fees?CoveredItem 5.C
The advisory fee is rarely the whole bill; fund, trading and custody costs come on top.
In addition to the advisory fees paid to Intellus Advisors, Clients also incur certain charges imposed by third parties, such as broker-dealers, custodians, trust companies, banks, and other financial institutions (collectively “Financial Institutions”).p. 8
- Does it say how you get money back if you leave mid-period?CoveredItem 5.D
If you pay in advance and leave early, the refund rule decides what you get back.
In the event the advisory agreement is terminated Client, the fee for the final billing period is prorated for the number of days for which services are rendered through the effective date of the termination, and the unearned portion of the fee is refunded to the Client, as appropriate.p. 8
Does it explain each conflict of interest and what it could cost you?Brochure Conflict Specificity70/100
The SEC asks the brochure to name each way the firm gets paid besides your fee, what that tempts the firm to do, and what it can cost you.
Each point is marked Covered or Not found. When a point is not found, we say what to ask.
If it has an affiliated insurance agency, does it explain what that means for you?
An affiliated insurance agency
- Does the brochure name this conflict where the SEC requires?CoveredItems 10/11/12.B/14
A conflict named in the right place is one the firm has thought about; one buried elsewhere is easy to miss.
Intellus Insurance Solutions, LLC (“IIS”) is an insurance agency under common ownership with Intellus Advisors, LLC.p. 13
- Does it explain what this arrangement tempts the firm to do?CoveredStaff Bulletin Q11
You can only judge advice when you know which way it is being pulled.
Therefore, Intellus Advisors, LLC has a conflict due to the incentive to suggest that clients of Intellus Advisors, LLC purchase insurance through IIS.p. 13
- Does it describe what the arrangement actually is?Not found in the brochureStaff Bulletin Q11
A conflict described in one vague sentence tells you it exists but not how it works.
What to askAsk the advisor to explain this arrangement in plain terms, including who pays whom.
- Does it say what the firm is paid for it?CoveredStaff Bulletin Q11
The size of the payment tells you how strong the pull is.
When insurance products that pay commissions are purchased through IIS, the commissions will be paid to IIS.p. 13
- Does it say how the firm comes out ahead?Not found in the brochureStaff Bulletin Q11
Benefits that are not cash, like free services or referrals, still shape advice.
What to askAsk what the firm gains from this arrangement beyond fees.
- Does it say what it can cost you?Not found in the brochureStaff Bulletin Q11
Every conflict has a price; the question is whether the brochure puts it in your hands.
What to askAsk what this arrangement can cost you, in fees, returns or choices you do not get.
- Does it say how the firm keeps this conflict in check?Not assessed yetItems 10.C-D, 11.B-D, 14.A
A conflict with no control on it is left to the advisor's goodwill.
What to askAsk whether insurance recommended to you is sold by a company tied to the firm, and who earns what.
If the firm gets research or services from a custodian or broker, does it explain them?
Research or services received from a custodian or broker (soft dollars)
- Does the brochure name this conflict where the SEC requires?CoveredItems 10/11/12.B/14
A conflict named in the right place is one the firm has thought about; one buried elsewhere is easy to miss.
Intellus Advisors maintains institutional relationships with RJA, whereby the Adviser receives economic benefits from the Custodian.p. 14
- Does it explain what this arrangement tempts the firm to do?Not found in the brochureStaff Bulletin Q11
You can only judge advice when you know which way it is being pulled.
What to askAsk what this arrangement gives the firm a reason to recommend, and how often that happens.
- Does it describe what the arrangement actually is?CoveredStaff Bulletin Q11
A conflict described in one vague sentence tells you it exists but not how it works.
While Intellus Advisors receives certain services customarily provided by custodians, such as research, software, and conferencesp. 14
- Does it say what the firm is paid for it?Not found in the brochureStaff Bulletin Q11
The size of the payment tells you how strong the pull is.
What to askAsk how much the firm or its people receive from this arrangement in a typical year.
- Does it say how the firm comes out ahead?CoveredStaff Bulletin Q11
Benefits that are not cash, like free services or referrals, still shape advice.
Many of the services described above may be used to benefit all or a substantial number of Client accounts, including accounts not maintained through RJA.p. 14
- Does it say what it can cost you?Not found in the brochureStaff Bulletin Q11
Every conflict has a price; the question is whether the brochure puts it in your hands.
What to askAsk what this arrangement can cost you, in fees, returns or choices you do not get.
- Does it say how the firm keeps this conflict in check?Not assessed yetItems 10.C-D, 11.B-D, 14.A
A conflict with no control on it is left to the advisor's goodwill.
What to askAsk what the firm receives from the custodian or broker it uses for you, and whether that costs you anything.
Do they earn commissions on products, and do they say so?Brochure Sales Compensation40/100
When a firm or its people sell products for a commission, the SEC asks the brochure to say so, name the pull, and tell you whether you could buy elsewhere.
Each point is marked Covered or Not found. When a point is not found, we say what to ask.
- Does it say that earning commissions is a conflict of interest?CoveredItem 5.E.1
A firm paid to sell a product has a reason to recommend it that has nothing to do with you.
Therefore, Intellus Advisors, LLC has a conflict due to the incentive to suggest that clients of Intellus Advisors, LLC purchase insurance through IIS.p. 13
- Does it say commissions can shape what they recommend?Not found in the brochureItem 5.E.1
Naming the pull is the first step to controlling it; silence leaves it working on you.
What to askAsk how the firm keeps commissions from steering the advice you get.
- Does it say you can buy the same products elsewhere?Not found in the brochureItem 5.E.2
You may be able to buy the same product for less somewhere else.
What to askAsk whether you could buy any recommended product through another broker or insurer.
- Does it say whether commissions lower your advisory fee?Not found in the brochureItem 5.E.4
If the firm earns a commission and the full advisory fee, you pay twice for one recommendation.
What to askAsk whether any commission the firm earns is credited against your advisory fee.
Do they get free research or services from brokers, and does it affect you?Brochure Soft Dollars41/100
When brokers give the firm research or services in return for your trades, the SEC asks the brochure to say what the firm gets and what it may cost you.
Each point is marked Covered or Not found. When a point is not found, we say what to ask.
- Does it list what the firm gets from brokers for free?CoveredItem 12.A.1.e
Research, software and data paid for by your trades are a cost you never see.
While Intellus Advisors receives certain services customarily provided by custodians, such as research, software, and conferencesp. 14
- Does it say the firm benefits by not paying for those things?CoveredItem 12.A.1.a
A perk the firm would otherwise buy is money in the firm's pocket, paid with your trades.
Many of the services described above may be used to benefit all or a substantial number of Client accounts, including accounts not maintained through RJA.p. 14
- Does it say those perks can shape which broker it picks for you?Not found in the brochureItem 12.A.1.b
Your trades should go where you get the best deal, not where the firm gets the best perks.
What to askAsk how the firm chooses the broker for your trades and whether perks play any part.
- Does it say whether those perks stay within what the law allows?Not found in the brochureItem 12.A.1.e note
The law allows research paid for with client trades only within limits; outside them, it is your money.
What to askAsk whether everything the firm receives from brokers is research the law lets it take in return for your trades.
- Does it say whether you pay more in trading costs because of those perks?Does not applyItem 12.A.1.c
Paying up for trades to earn the firm a perk comes straight out of your returns.
- Does it say whether every client benefits or only some?Not found in the brochureItem 12.A.1.d
Your trades may be paying for research that helps other clients' accounts, not yours.
What to askAsk whether the research your trades help pay for is used for your account.
A point not found is not a finding against the firm; many points apply only when the firm has that arrangement, and state-registered firms file the same brochure form.
Next Steps
Advisor Roster
9 advisors
| Advisor | CRD | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karen M Chancy | 3149625 | — | — |
| James Charles Snyder | 6275869 | — | — |
| Nancy Farias | 2798482 | — | — |
| Kearsley Barton Lewis | 2659762 | — | — |
| Tanner Jay Betts | 6878227 | — | — |
| Nathan Myer Shaffer | 7205272 | — | — |
| Ryan Bousquet | 7401616 | — | — |
| Kevin Rice | 7697155 | — | — |
| Joshua Gary Sankes | 4940114 | — | — |
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does the TransparencyScore measure?
The TransparencyScore measures how clearly and completely an advisor or firm discloses important information in their regulatory filings — things like fees, conflicts of interest, disciplinary history, and business practices. A higher score means better disclosure quality, not better investment performance.
Where does this data come from?
All data comes from public regulatory filings: SEC Form ADV (Parts 1, 2, and 3), FINRA BrokerCheck, and the SEC's Investment Adviser Public Disclosure (IAPD) database. These are official filings that firms and advisors are legally required to submit.
Does a low score mean they're a bad advisor?
Not necessarily. A low score means the firm's public filings are less transparent — they may use vague language about fees, skip details about conflicts, or have a more complex regulatory history. Some excellent advisors work at firms with poor disclosure practices. The score measures the filing, not the person.
How often is this data updated?
Fidelon refreshes data from SEC and FINRA sources on a regular schedule. Form ADV filings are updated annually by firms (with amendments throughout the year), and BrokerCheck data is updated as events are reported. Scores are recalculated after each data refresh.
Can an advisor or firm improve their score?
Yes. Scores are based on what's in public filings. A firm that rewrites its ADV brochure in clearer language, discloses conflicts more specifically, or resolves outstanding regulatory issues will see its score improve at the next refresh. The incentive structure is intentional.
Data Sources
Scores are generated using Fidelon's published scoring methodology and reflect the quality of public disclosures, not the quality of investment advice. A firm that improves its disclosures will see its score improve. Fidelon does not provide investment advice.
Verify on SEC IAPD
Last scored: · Score version: 3.15 · CRD #332883