HighTower Advisors

What HighTower Advisors does

HighTower Advisors is a Chicago-headquartered, privately-held registered investment adviser and RIA platform serving high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, families, business owners, corporate executives, and institutional clients. Founded in 2008 and owned by private equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners, the firm operates through a federated model comprising Hightower Advisors, LLC (SEC-registered investment adviser), Hightower Securities, LLC (FINRA/SIPC broker-dealer), and Hightower Trust Company, N.A., supporting a network of 100+ affiliated advisory practices and roughly 663 advisors across 33-34 U.S. states. As of mid-2026, the firm manages approximately $353.7 billion in client assets, with a Signature Wealth integrated channel surpassing $29 billion and an Investment Solutions institutional platform managing $6.6 billion (as of June 30, 2025).

The firm's core technology is Hightower One, a centralized, open-architecture wealth management platform consolidating back-, middle-, and front-office operations across the affiliated advisor network, with initial rollout to Signature Wealth advisors in summer 2026 and full deployment by end of 2026. The technology stack integrates Salesforce CRM, the Zocks AI assistant (deployed exclusively after a pilot program for administrative automation, client-conversation capture, and agentic Client Queries), and Moment for fixed-income trading automation; investment strategies are sourced from the in-house Investment Solutions group and the NEPC institutional consulting/OCIO division acquired in 2024, which advises on $1.5-1.6 trillion in client assets. Sub-brands include Hightower Signature Wealth (integrated channel), Hightower Family Office (expanded in June 2026 for UHNW families with NEPC and GTBA partnerships), Hightower Investment Solutions, Hightower Trust Company, and the Hightower One platform led by President and Chief Business Officer Roberto Stewart under CEO Larry Restieri (hired June 2025 from Goldman Sachs Ayco).

Revenue is generated primarily through recurring AUM-based investment advisory fees, supplemented by broker-dealer transaction commissions through Hightower Securities, trustee and fiduciary fees through Hightower Trust Company, and professional-services revenue from the Family Office and corporate 401(k) consulting. The go-to-market motion is channel-based: the firm recruits growth-oriented independent advisory practices onto its platform, retains founder branding and partial autonomy, and consolidates operations under shared infrastructure. The firm is currently being shopped by its PE owner (Goldman Sachs advising, second sale attempt after a halted May 2024 effort), with two mega-RIA buyers reportedly declining participation citing cultural fit, while the firm simultaneously executes an aggressive 'Hightower 3.0' strategic transformation.

Name

HighTower Advisors

Legal name

Hightower Advisors, LLC

Website

https://hightoweradvisors.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

HighTower Advisors is a PE-backed, Chicago-based RIA platform serving high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients through 100+ affiliated advisory practices and ~663 advisors across 33-34 U.S. states, managing approximately $353.7 billion in client assets via fee-based investment advisory, broker-dealer, trust, and family office services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities (523)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive/Full-Service RIAs & Independent Wealth Managers (FSAAACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Institutional Consulting RIAs (OCIO/Endowments/Foundations/Pensions) (FSAAACAG), Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) Wealth Management (FSAEABAA)

Keywords

• Wealth management services
• Investment advisory
• Family office services
• Trust and estate services
• Broker-dealer services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment advisory fees (AUM-based): Recurring fee-based revenue earned by Hightower Advisors, LLC as an SEC-registered investment adviser on client assets under management across its affiliated practices, Hightower Signature Wealth, and the Investment Solutions platform ($6.6B AUM as of June 30, 2025).
2. Brokerage commissions: Securities commissions and transaction-based revenue generated through Hightower Securities, LLC, a FINRA/SIPC member broker-dealer that routes transactions through National Financial Services (Fidelity) and Pershing.
3. Trust and fiduciary services: Trustee and agency fees from Hightower Trust Company, National Association (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hightower Holding, LLC), providing personal trust, tax, and investment management services, with investment management delegated to Hightower Advisors.
4. Family office and wealth planning services: Integrated advisory fees from Hightower Family Office serving ultra-high-net-worth families with investment strategy, tax strategy, estate planning, business owner advisory, family governance, risk management and administration services.
5. Corporate 401(k) consulting and cash management: Fee-based consulting services and cash management solutions provided to corporate clients, complementing individual wealth advisory offerings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Core offering

HighTower Advisors operates a national registered investment adviser (RIA) platform that partners with 100+ independent wealth advisory practices across 33-34 U.S. states, delivering fiduciary wealth management, investment advisory, family office, trust, and brokerage services to high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients. The firm consolidates approximately $353.7B in client assets through affiliated advisor practices, an in-house Investment Solutions division, the Signature Wealth integrated channel, the Hightower Trust Company, and the Hightower Securities broker-dealer subsidiary.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hightower Signature Wealth: Integrated national wealth management platform/channel for advisors seeking a fully integrated path to growth; powered by Chief Investment Strategist Stephanie Link and the research team. HightowerSignature.com listed among partner brands.
• Hightower Investment Solutions
• Hightower Family Office
• Hightower One
• Hightower Trust Company

Products and services

• Wealth Management and Financial Planning Services Fiduciary wealth advisory, investment management, retirement planning, legacy planning, and financial planning delivered to high-net-worth individuals and families through 100+ affiliated advisor practices across 33-34 U.S. states.
• Hightower Investment Solutions In-house institutional asset management division offering equity strategies, fixed income strategies, multi-asset portfolios, and private market solutions to Hightower advisor practices and external institutional clients. Manages $6.6B AUM as of June 30, 2025.
• Hightower Family Office Integrated family office services for ultra-high-net-worth families, entrepreneurs, business owners, and multigenerational families. Provides investment strategy, portfolio management, tax strategy, estate planning, trust services, business owner advisory, family governance, risk management, and family office administration, backed by NEPC.
• Hightower Signature Wealth Fully integrated wealth management channel for advisors seeking centralized operational support, lead generation, and differentiated investment capabilities. Manages over $29 billion in client assets across more than 25 locations following acquisitions of Journey Strategic Wealth, Lexington Wealth Management, and The Bahnsen Group.
• Hightower Trust Company Services

Named customers14 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

AI capability9 records

Feature6 records

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Focus Financial Partners: PE-backed (Clayton, Dubilier & Rice) mega-RIA aggregator with a similarly affiliate-practice model serving HNW/UHNW clients. Direct competitor for advisor affiliation and roll-up M&A.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: PE-backed (Bain Capital) mega-RIA offering wealth advisory, family office, and institutional services. Direct competitor that reportedly declined to bid on Hightower in 2026 over cultural-fit concerns.
• Creative Planning: PE-backed (Genstar Capital) mega-RIA providing comprehensive wealth management, tax, estate, and family-office services. Direct competitor for HNW/UHNW clients and reportedly declined to bid on Hightower in 2026.
• Mercer Advisors: PE-backed (Oak Hill Capital) RIA focused on HNW/UHNW households, with deep tax, estate, and trust services. Direct competitor and one of the three most active RIA acquirers alongside HighTower and CAPTRUST.
• CAPTRUST: PE-backed RIA specializing in institutional investment consulting and corporate retirement-plan advisory. Co-leads RIA M&A activity with HighTower and Mercer, making it a direct competitor for both client and acquisition pipelines.
• Cetera Financial Group: PE-backed (Genstar Capital) independent advisor platform serving financial advisors and their clients across wealth management, brokerage, and advisory channels. Comparable affiliate/advisor platform with similar B2B advisor recruiting motion.
• Commonwealth Financial Network: Large independent broker-dealer/RIA serving financial advisors with practice management, technology, and investment solutions. Comparable independent-advisor affiliation model targeting similar advisor recruitment.
• Edelman Financial Engines: Large national RIA serving mass-affluent and HNW investors with goals-based financial planning and investment management. Comparable comprehensive wealth advisory model at scale.

Broad incumbents

• LPL Financial: Largest independent broker-dealer in the U.S., providing custody, clearing, technology, and compliance to ~22,000 advisors. Broad incumbent serving similar advisors and clients across a much wider footprint than HighTower.
• Raymond James Financial: Diversified financial services firm with a large Private Client Group serving advisors and HNW clients. Broad incumbent offering wealth management, banking, and capital markets capabilities that overlap with HighTower's HNW advisory offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HighTowerAdvsor
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/HighTowerAdvisors?feature=watch
• Facebookfacebook.com/HighTowerAdvisors
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hightower_2

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Subsidiaries13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A10 records

Investments17 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HighTower Advisors