Crystal Lake, IL Office

Echelons Capital, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser that manages $174,388,110 in discretionary client assets for a small client base (34 clients) through two advisors. The firm serves individuals (including high net worth clients), trusts, charitable organizations, and businesses, offering discretionary portfolio management alongside financial planning and consulting for a fee.

The firm typically operates with discretionary authority and relies on model portfolios and third‑party managers to implement strategies; it discloses a formal sub‑advisor relationship with Quantinno Capital Management LP, whose programs employ systematic long/short equity approaches, leverage, derivatives, short sales, margin and tax‑aware trading. Echelons retains overall advisory responsibility and may both monitor and replace sub‑advisers while also advising on a wide range of investments, including alternatives, structured products, options, and REITs.

Compared with many similarly sized, supported RIAs, Echelons has a small client roster and a relatively large average account size (roughly $5.1 million per client) and generally requires a $5,000,000 account minimum (subject to waiver), signaling a focus on higher‑net‑worth relationships. The firm’s use of an external manager that explicitly uses leverage, derivatives, and tax‑aware trading, combined with its willingness to aggregate trades and restrict proxy voting to clients, are distinguishing operational features disclosed in the brochure.