Cowan Capital Advisors

Cowan Capital Advisors is a small, independent, single-advisor firm founded in 2023 that offers discretionary portfolio management and separate financial planning engagements to individuals, high‑net‑worth clients, non‑profits, and small businesses. The firm manages roughly $15 million on a discretionary basis for a limited number of client relationships and typically requires multi‑million‑dollar investable asset levels to engage.

The firm builds diversified portfolios using individual equities, exchange‑traded funds, fixed income, and limited derivatives, relying on a mix of proprietary and third‑party research to tailor allocations to each client’s circumstances. It places particular emphasis on managing concentrated equity positions arising from employee stock compensation (ISOs, non‑qualified options, RSUs/PSUs), uses options defensively when appropriate, and invests across both investment‑grade and below‑investment‑grade fixed income.

Noteworthy aspects include the boutique scale and single‑advisor structure coupled with an explicit concentration‑management specialization and a willingness to use derivatives for defensive purposes. The firm requires clients to custody assets through a designated custodian (Altruist), does not participate in wrap or soft‑dollar arrangements, does not accept performance‑based fees, does not vote client proxies, and provides financial planning on a separate, transactional basis while directing clients to review custodian statements rather than issuing regular written reports.