What Smith & Howard Wealth Management does

Smith + Howard Wealth Management, LLC is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, founded in 1999. It operates a fee-only fiduciary model with no proprietary products sold, serving primarily affluent individuals and families with $500,000 or more in investable assets (typically $1 million and above). The firm also serves business owners (exit and retirement planning), nonprofit organizations (endowment management), and for-profit employers (retirement plan consulting). Revenue is generated primarily through recurring percentage-of-AUM advisory fees starting at 1% annually and tiered downward as account size grows, with hourly billing for standalone financial planning when portfolios are below $1 million.

The service offering is centered on investment management and comprehensive financial planning, organized under a coordinated tax-and-wealth model. Under the financial planning umbrella, the firm delivers tax planning, estate planning, insurance planning, education planning, and banking advice. Notable technical and process components include: a proprietary valuation-scoring methodology underpinning a contrarian investment approach; an internal Investment Policy Committee (rather than outsourced to a Wall Street home office) that drives investment decisions; Charles Schwab custody for client assets; and an Addepar-powered client portal (launched 2025) with two-factor authentication. The firm is affiliated with Smith + Howard, a nationally recognized accounting firm, enabling integrated tax expertise — the primary structural differentiator relative to standalone RIAs. Go-to-market is relationship-led, leveraging referrals from the affiliated CPA firm and ongoing community involvement in the Atlanta/Southeast region, supported by content marketing (market insights blog, email newsletters, and YouTube video series). The firm has been recognized as a Top 150 firm by AUM (Accounting Today, 2022) and as a Top 300 RIA (Financial Times, 2015).

Ownership is private and partner-held, with Tim F. Agnew serving as Managing Director and Brad Swinsburg elevated to Partner effective January 1, 2023 in addition to his CIO and Investment Policy Committee chair responsibilities. The senior team of roughly ten named professionals holds designations spanning CFA, CAIA, CFP, CPA/PFS, CIMA, CEPA, and AIF, with prior tenures at J.P. Morgan Private Bank, Goldman Sachs, SunTrust/Truist, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, and other Atlanta-area institutions. The firm has no disclosed external investors, no public revenue figures, and no announced acquisitions or funding rounds.

Name

Smith & Howard Wealth Management

Legal name

Smith and Howard Wealth Management, LLC

Website

https://smithhowardwealth.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Smith + Howard Wealth Management is an Atlanta-based, SEC-registered investment advisory firm founded in 1999 providing integrated investment management, financial planning, and tax-aware wealth management to affluent individuals, families, business owners, and nonprofit organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management and Investment Advisory

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

Business Owner & Executive Financial Planning (FSAEAAAO), Tax-Focused Wealth Management RIAs (FSAAACAD)

Keywords

• Wealth management services
• Investment advisory
• Financial planning
• Retirement plan consulting
• Nonprofit endowment management

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Assets Under Management (AUM) Advisory Fees: Fee calculated as percentage of assets managed, starting at 1% annually. Percentage decreases as account size increases. Aligns firm and client interests.
2. Financial Planning (Hourly): Hourly billing for financial planning services for clients with portfolios below $1 million. Included in fees for clients with $1M+ portfolios.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Smith and Howard Wealth Management, LLC is a fee-only, SEC-registered investment advisory firm providing personalized Investment Management and comprehensive Financial Planning to affluent individuals and families, business owners, and nonprofit organizations. The firm delivers its services through an Investment Policy Committee-driven contrarian approach with tax-aware portfolio construction, supported by integrated tax, estate, insurance, education, banking, and retirement planning services. Client assets are custodied at Charles Schwab, and clients access their accounts through an Addepar-powered secure client portal.

Product overview

Smith + Howard Wealth Management is a unified wealth management advisory firm offering an integrated suite of services centered around investment management and financial planning. The core offering combines Investment Management (personalized portfolio construction and management) with Financial Planning as the primary service umbrella. Under the financial planning umbrella, the firm provides specialized sub-products including Tax Planning, Estate Planning, Insurance Planning, Education Planning, and Banking Advice—all coordinated together. For institutional clients, the firm offers Retirement Plan Consulting for businesses and Nonprofit Organizations services for endowments and foundations. All clients access their accounts through a proprietary Client Portal powered by the Addepar platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Investment Management Personalized portfolio management tailored to each client's financial situation and goals, employing a contrarian investment approach with emphasis on tax awareness, fee sensitivity, and diversification across undervalued asset classes. For affluent individuals, families, and institutions.
• Financial Planning Comprehensive planning services for affluent individuals and families to strategically invest accumulated wealth through retirement, wealth preservation, and legacy planning. Includes tax-efficient strategies (active tax-loss harvesting, Roth conversions, charitable giving, asset location), estate planning with attorney and insurance coordination, objective insurance coverage analysis, 529 Plan education funding, and banking optimization including mortgage and debt paydown guidance.
• Retirement Plan Consulting Business retirement plan consulting including 401(k) plan evaluation and design, fiduciary guidance, 401(k) conversion services, and ongoing monitoring and compliance assistance. For for-profit employers seeking objective plan consulting.
• Nonprofit Endowment Management Endowment management and investment services for nonprofits and foundations, providing goal-oriented wealth management with access to the affiliated Smith + Howard nonprofit accounting and tax expertise. Includes investment policy development and ongoing fiduciary guidance.
• Client Portal Secure online portal for clients to access their accounts, view portfolios, and manage their wealth management relationship with S+HWM. Includes two-factor authentication for security and is powered by the Addepar platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fee reduction as account size increases
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Charles SchwabcoreTechnology or IntegrationCharles Schwab serves as the primary custodian for client investment assets. It is the largest custodian in the country for independent Registered Investment Advisors. Clients benefit from Schwab's account security, technology, administrative services, and the Schwab Security Guarantee covering 100% of losses from unauthorized activity.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Brightworth: Atlanta-based fee-only RIA serving affluent individuals, families, and business owners with comprehensive wealth management. Direct comparable on geography, client segment ($500K+ minimum), and fiduciary model.
• SignatureFD: Atlanta-based wealth management firm affiliated with a CPA/accounting network serving high-net-worth families, business owners, and foundations. Direct peer on affiliate-with-CPA-firm structure and integrated financial planning.
• Homrich Berg: Atlanta-based fee-only RIA providing investment management and financial planning to affluent individuals and families. Highly comparable on geography, fee structure, and integrated wealth services.
• Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors: Atlanta-headquartered independent RIA serving high-net-worth individuals with fee-only wealth management. Comparable on regional focus, fiduciary structure, and affluent client base.
• Moneta Group: Large independent RIA providing comprehensive wealth management to affluent individuals and families. Comparable on fee-only fiduciary model, integrated tax planning, and affluent client focus, though larger scale.
• Ronald Blue Trust: National fee-only fiduciary RIA providing comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and tax services to affluent clients. Comparable on integrated tax+wealth model and fiduciary advisory structure.

Broad incumbents

• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Large national RIA offering comprehensive wealth management including investment advisory, tax planning, and estate services to affluent clients. Comparable service offerings at much greater scale and geographic reach.
• Carson Group: National RIA platform serving advisors and their clients with wealth management, business consulting, and technology. Comparable on advisor-led model and affluent client focus, with broader platform capabilities.
• Creative Planning: One of the largest independent RIAs in the U.S., offering comprehensive wealth management including investment, tax, and estate planning. Overlapping service model at significantly larger national scale.
• Edelman Financial Services: Large national RIA providing fee-only financial planning and investment management to affluent individuals. Comparable on fiduciary model and affluent client focus, with national brand recognition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Smith & Howard Wealth Management