Private Vista

What Private Vista does

Private Vista, LLC is a privately held, partner-led wealth management practice headquartered in Chicago with a second office in Oak Brook, Illinois, operating continuously since approximately 1993. The firm serves high-net-worth individuals and families across four named specialty segments: startup and corporate executives, business owners, medical professionals, and newly single individuals (divorce or widowhood). Its core offering is built around a proprietary three-stage 'Evolved Experience℠' financial planning process that integrates personal values and life goals with quantitative financial modeling, paired with discretionary investment management that constructs 'Evolved Portfolios' targeting the efficient frontier using a blend of index funds, ETFs, active management, and alternatives.

The technology stack is partnership-based rather than proprietary: the firm runs client-facing access through the Tamarac client portal and connects to institutional custodians Pershing, Charles Schwab Alliance, and InvLink for 401(k) participants, while portfolio design is co-developed with Conway Investment Solutions. Advisory services are delivered through Hightower Advisors, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser, and securities are offered through Hightower Securities, LLC, a FINRA/SIPC member, providing institutional compliance and back-office infrastructure for a boutique practice. The firm additionally operates as a 3(21) co-fiduciary for employer-sponsored 401(k) plans.

The revenue model is dominated by recurring asset-based management fees, tiered downward as AUM grows, supplemented by standalone financial planning fees, qualified plan advisory fees, and securities commissions routed through Hightower Securities. Pricing is not publicly disclosed in dollar terms; clients receive a fee proposal during the complimentary initial consultation. The go-to-market is consultation-led, direct-to-consumer wealth advisory targeting HNW individuals through referrals, segment-specific landing pages, named specialist advisors per persona, and content marketing including the 'Dollars and Sense' podcast and educational blog. Average advisor tenure of 14.78 years signals a stable, relationship-driven practice with very high client continuity.

Name

Private Vista

Legal name

Private Vista, LLC

Website

https://myprivatevista.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Private Vista is a privately held, Chicago-based boutique wealth management firm serving high-net-worth individuals across four specialty segments — corporate executives, business owners, medical professionals, and newly single clients — through its proprietary 'Evolved Experience℠' planning process and discretionary investment management delivered via Hightower Advisors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Management Fees on Managed Assets: Recurring asset-based management fees calculated as a percentage of managed assets, with the rate declining as assets under management increase. Distinct from planning fees.
2. Financial Planning Fees: Standalone planning fees for clients engaging the Evolved Experience℠ financial planning process, billed separately from management fees; complimentary initial consultation offered.
3. Qualified Plan / 401(k) Advisory Fees: Fees for 3(21) co-fiduciary services, plan design, vendor coordination, record keeper vetting, fee transparency analysis, and employee education for business 401(k) plans.
4. Securities Commissions (via Hightower Securities, LLC): Securities offered through Hightower Securities, LLC (member FINRA/SIPC), generating brokerage/transaction revenue on the securities side.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Core offering

Private Vista is a boutique wealth management firm that delivers holistic financial planning, discretionary investment management (the Evolved Portfolio), and 3(21) co-fiduciary qualified plan advisory services to high-net-worth individuals, corporate executives, business owners, medical professionals, and newly single clients. Engagements follow a proprietary three-stage Evolved Experience℠ process (Visualizing the Path, Improving the View, Living a Private Vista) and are delivered through named specialist advisors under the institutional umbrella of Hightower Advisors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dollars and Sense Podcast: Podcast hosted by Nicole Romito, CFP®, CDFA™, Partner at Private Vista, focused on aligning wealth with life's passions and goals.

Products and services

• Evolved Experience℠ Financial Planning Proprietary three-stage financial planning process (Visualizing the Path, Improving the View, Living a Private Vista) that integrates personal values, passions, and goals with quantitative financial modeling across multiple meetings; sold standalone or paired with Investment Management.
• Investment Management (Evolved Portfolio) Discretionary portfolio construction that produces the Evolved Portfolio — risk-aware, evidence-based, and tax- and fee-efficient — built from index funds, ETFs, active management, and alternatives, designed in conjunction with Conway Investment Solutions and integrated with the client's financial plan.
• Qualified Plans (3(21) Co-Fiduciary 401(k) Advisory) Employer-sponsored 401(k) plan design and ongoing management for business owners, including plan design (Safe Harbor, profit sharing, defined benefit/cash balance), vendor and record-keeper vetting, fee transparency analysis, employee education, and 3(21) co-fiduciary services using non-proprietary investment recommendations.
• Startup and Corporate Executives Service Specialty planning package for executives covering pre-IPO and IPO planning, stock option and RSU analysis, equity-compensation analysis, concentration-risk hedging, multi-offer comparison, deferred compensation, and legacy planning, delivered by a named executive-compensation specialist team.
• Business Owners Service Specialty planning package for business owners covering buyout economics, valuation, compensation design, retirement plan design, key-person incentives, family-business dynamics, exit and succession planning, and tax planning from acquisition through exit.
• Medical Professionals Service Specialty planning package for physicians and medical professionals including practice buy-in analysis, private-practice vs. employment evaluation, own-occupation disability coverage, life insurance, student-loan management, cash flow planning, and succession planning.
• Newly Single Service Specialty planning package for individuals navigating divorce or widowhood, including settlement-agreement review and execution, housing-options evaluation, maintenance analysis, estate plan updates, Social Security maximization, and investment portfolio consolidation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average advisor tenure of 14.78 years, indicating very high client and advisor retention.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Hightower Advisors, LLCflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivate Vista is a group of investment professionals registered with Hightower Advisors, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Hightower provides institutional research, compliance, technology, and back-office resources that Private Vista pairs with its boutique client experience. Advisory services are offered through Hightower Advisors, LLC. Managing Partner Jim Weil served on the Hightower Advisors Corporate Board (2022-2025).
• Hightower Securities, LLCflagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerSecurities for Private Vista clients are offered through Hightower Securities, LLC, a Member FINRA/SIPC. Some Private Vista investment professionals are also registered with Hightower Securities for brokerage activity.
• Conway Investment SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional investment partner that collaborates with Private Vista's 10-person investment team to design strategic client portfolios, determine asset-class spread, and monitor economic cycles for ongoing allocation shifts.
• Tamarac (Envestnet Tamarac)coreTechnology or IntegrationProvides the Private Vista client portal at myprivatevista.portal.tamaracinc.com, giving clients secure access to portfolio information and reporting.
• Pershing (BNY Mellon | Pershing)coreTechnology or IntegrationInstitutional custodian with a dedicated investor login portal integrated into the Private Vista client login experience.
• Charles Schwab (Schwab Alliance)coreTechnology or IntegrationInstitutional custodian with Schwab Alliance integration available from the Private Vista client login page for client account servicing.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Focus Financial Partners: Partnership of independent wealth management firms, providing capital, infrastructure, and M&A support to RIAs including boutique HNW practices. Direct strategic analogue for a Private Vista considering an institutional capital partner or exit pathway.
• Edelman Financial Engines: Large national RIA providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement plan services to HNW individuals and corporate plan sponsors. Overlaps with Private Vista's qualified-plan and individual wealth practices but at substantially greater scale and with proprietary technology.
• Brown Brothers Harriman Wealth Management: Trust-bank-affiliated wealth manager offering financial planning, investment management, and customized wealth structuring for HNW families, executives, and business owners. Provides the same holistic planning-plus-portfolio-construction value proposition as Private Vista but with broader institutional capability.
• Hightower Advisors: Private Vista's strategic partner and SEC-registered parent platform. Hightower operates the broader wealth management infrastructure, custody, compliance, and securities capabilities that Private Vista's investment professionals are registered through; serves the same HNW client base at greater scale across the U.S.

Direct peers

• Moneta Group: Partner-owned, fee-only RIA serving HNW individuals, executives, and business owners with comprehensive financial planning and investment management. Mirrors Private Vista's partner-led boutique model, advisor-tenure focus, and multi-segment specialty coverage.
• Mercer Advisors: National RIA offering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and tax services to HNW individuals, executives, and business owners. Built through acquisition of regional boutique RIAs — a comparable growth pathway and segment focus to Private Vista.
• Carson Group: Partner-led wealth management firm providing financial planning, investment management, and practice coaching to advisors serving HNW clients. Mirrors Private Vista's boutique-with-institutional-support model and its multi-segment specialty coverage, with comparable emphasis on advisor culture and process.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: National RIA offering comprehensive wealth planning, investment management, and specialty practices (executives, business owners, retirement plans) similar to Private Vista's segment coverage. Operates a partner-led boutique-plus-institutional model with multi-office presence and target the same HNW segments.
• Sanctuary Wealth: Partner-owned RIA platform serving HNW clients through independent advisor teams. Comparable to Private Vista's boutique-plus-institutional model, with advisor-led specialty coverage and national reach built atop a registered investment adviser platform.
• Creative Planning: One of the largest independent RIAs in the U.S., offering financial planning, investment management, and tax services to HNW individuals, executives, and business owners. Like Private Vista, pairs personal advisors with institutional investment capabilities and has grown through both organic and inorganic means.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLxUpPWcPRTzQTLVJgZG9muvVhcEo4UWgM

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Private Vista