Highland
Highland Private Wealth Management is a Bellevue, Washington-based RIA founded in 1999 serving 500+ HNW households with $2.8B in AUM through Investment Management, Wealth Advisory, and its 'Living Fully®' life-planning methodology.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersBellevue, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Highland does
Highland Private Wealth Management is a Bellevue, Washington-based registered investment adviser founded in 1999 by John Christianson, CFA. The firm serves more than 500 high-net-worth households across Washington state, primarily executives, business owners, and families with multi-generational wealth, with a secondary office in Ellensburg. As of September 2025, Highland managed approximately $2.8 billion in assets under management, up from $1.2 billion in 2022.
Highland delivers its services through three integrated product lines: Investment Management (goal-based portfolio construction with access to institutional strategies through the firm's Hightower Advisors partnership, plus concentrated-stock diversification and alternative investments), Wealth Advisory (comprehensive financial planning, tax and estate strategy, risk management, and life-transition guidance), and Money + Life Integration branded as Living Fully® (a methodology aligning financial resources with client values and life purpose). Revenue is generated primarily through recurring advisory fees as a percentage of assets under management; pricing is bespoke and not publicly disclosed. The GTM motion is enterprise field sales in form — direct, in-person 'Wealth Confidant' relationships — applied to a HNW consumer segment, with content marketing and referrals as the top-of-funnel engine.
The firm operates as a subsidiary of Hightower Advisors, LLC following a strategic investment in August 2022, and merged with Trellis Advisors in 2023 to expand capacity. Underlying technology is not publicly disclosed beyond a third-party client portal; no proprietary AI/ML capabilities, APIs, or software products are referenced. Highland has been recognized three consecutive years (2023–2025) as one of the Puget Sound Business Journal's Fastest Growing Companies and Washington's Best Workplaces.
Highland firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Highland
- Legal name
- Hightower Advisors, LLC
- Website
- https://highlandprivate.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Highland Private Wealth Management is a Bellevue, Washington-based RIA founded in 1999 serving 500+ HNW households with $2.8B in AUM through Investment Management, Wealth Advisory, and its 'Living Fully®' life-planning methodology.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Highland industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Wealth Management
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) Wealth Management (FSAEABAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Family Wealth & Multi-Generational Planning RIAs (HNW/UHNW-lite) (FSAAACAH), Private Client/High-Net-Worth Advisory (FSAEAAAN), Estate Planning & Trust Structuring Advisory (FSAEAKAC)
Keywords
Where Highland is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bellevue
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Highland business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Wealth Management Advisory Fees: The firm generates revenue through wealth management advisory services, including investment management, financial planning, and wealth advisory. Services include access to institutional strategies through partnership with Hightower Advisors.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Highland product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Highland is a wealth advisory firm that delivers personalized Investment Management, Wealth Advisory, and Money + Life Integration (Living Fully®) services to high-net-worth individuals, executives, business owners, and multi-generational families. Services include goal-based portfolio management, institutional strategy access via Hightower Advisors, tax and estate planning, risk management, alternative investments, and life transition guidance. The firm operates through dedicated "Wealth Confidant" advisor relationships at offices in Bellevue and Ellensburg, Washington.
Product overview
Highland Private is a wealth management firm offering three integrated core services: Investment Management (goal-based portfolio management with access to institutional strategies through Hightower Advisors), Wealth Advisory (comprehensive financial planning, tax/estate strategy, and life transition guidance), and Money + Life Integration branded as 'Living Fully®' (aligning financial resources with client values and life purpose). These services work together as a unified wealth advisory experience, where advisors serve as 'Wealth Confidants' guiding clients through the integration of their financial resources and life goals.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Living Fully: A core value and brand philosophy at Highland that informs decision making - the concept that wealth should fuel a life of meaning and purpose, and that every client should experience the joy of thriving.
Products and services
- Investment Management Goal-based portfolio management customized to risk tolerance and return objectives, with access to institutional strategies and investments through the Hightower Advisors partnership. Includes concentrated stock diversification tools, tax and fee efficiencies, and alternative investment opportunities for high-net-worth individuals and families.
- Wealth Advisory Comprehensive financial roadmap service that aligns life goals with tax and estate strategy for wealth protection and transfer, risk management through insurance specialists, and guidance through life transitions. Built for executives, business owners, and multi-generational families.
- Money + Life Integration (Living Fully®) Highland's proprietary approach that aligns financial resources with client values and life priorities, integrating wealth into a purposeful life strategy focused on thriving. Delivered through dedicated "Wealth Confidant" advisor relationships and supported by the firm's Well-Gru client portal.
Companies that use Highland
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Highland technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Highland partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Highland competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Edelman Financial Engines: One of the largest US RIAs combining workplace-plan participants and HNW advisory; overlaps with Highland's HNW investment management and financial planning capabilities, though at a much larger scale.
- Creative Planning: Large, nationally scaled RIA providing wealth management, tax, and estate services to HNW clients; broader in scope and geography than Highland, but operates in the same HNW advisory category.
- Mercer Advisors: National RIA focused on HNW households and retirees with integrated wealth management, tax, and estate services; comparable in target segment and service mix, with materially greater scale.
Direct peers
- Homrich Berg: Fee-only RIA headquartered in Atlanta serving HNW individuals and families with comprehensive wealth management; comparable size band and HNW focus, with a similar fee-only, integrated service model.
- Mariner Wealth Advisors: Independent, multi-family-office style RIA serving HNW families with comprehensive wealth advisory, estate, and tax services — directly comparable to Highland's integrated HNW advisory offering.
- Ronald Blue Trust: Faith-based RIA serving HNW clients with comprehensive wealth management and estate planning; comparable in scale and integrated advisory services, though differentiated by niche client segment.
- Carson Group: Large partnership-model RIA platform serving advisors and HNW clients with institutional resources, broadly comparable to Highland's Hightower-affiliated RIA model and growth-via-affiliation strategy.
- Aspiriant: Mid-sized independent RIA serving HNW individuals and families with fee-only wealth advisory and tax services; comparable in size band and HNW concentration, with a similar fee-only positioning.
- Context Wealth Partners: RIA partnership platform that supports advisor firms with institutional scale, comparable in the partnership-supported RIA model that Highland enjoys via Hightower, though at a different growth stage.
Regional players
- Halbert Hargrove: Long-standing, fee-only RIA based in Southern California serving HNW families with integrated wealth advisory; comparable in culture and service scope but operates in a different regional market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Highland social profiles
Digital presenceHighland financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Highland leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles22 records
Highland funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Highland M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Highland
What does Highland do?
Highland is a wealth advisory firm that delivers personalized Investment Management, Wealth Advisory, and Money + Life Integration (Living Fully®) services to high-net-worth individuals, executives, business owners, and multi-generational families. Services include goal-based portfolio management, institutional strategy access via Hightower Advisors, tax and estate planning, risk management, alternative investments, and life transition guidance. The firm operates through dedicated "Wealth Confidant" advisor relationships at offices in Bellevue and Ellensburg, Washington.
Is Highland a public or private company?
Highland is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Highland founded?
Highland was founded in 1999. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Highland based?
Highland is headquartered in Bellevue, United States, in the North America region.
How does Highland make money?
One revenue line is on record: wealth Management Advisory Fees.
Who are Highland's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Edelman Financial Engines, Creative Planning and Mercer Advisors. Direct peers are Homrich Berg, Mariner Wealth Advisors, Ronald Blue Trust, Carson Group, Aspiriant and Context Wealth Partners. Halbert Hargrove is listed as a regional player.
Does Highland have an API?
No public API is recorded for Highland.
What industry is Highland in?
Highland's product category is Wealth Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAEABAA, Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) Wealth Management, with a secondary code of FSAAACAH, Family Wealth & Multi-Generational Planning RIAs (HNW/UHNW-lite). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.