First Advisory Group

What First Advisory Group does

First Advisory Group is a privately held, owner-managed financial services firm headquartered in Vaduz, Liechtenstein, founded in 1954 as a law firm and evolved into a comprehensive cross-border wealth advisory and fiduciary services provider. The company serves high-net-worth individuals, families, and entrepreneurs, delivering an integrated platform of eleven service lines: wealth structuring and estate planning, legal advisory referral, tax advisory, finance and accounting, investment advisory, discretionary wealth management, Private Placement Life, family office services, IT services for financial firms, automated Financial Data Services for multi-bank portfolio consolidation, and secure safe deposit box storage. Services are delivered through personalized, face-to-face advisory engagements in five offices spanning Liechtenstein (Vaduz), Switzerland (Zürich, Geneva), Hong Kong, and Singapore.

The business model is relationship-driven and fee-based, generating revenue through professional service fees — likely retainers and percentage-based asset management fees typical of private banking and multi-family-office firms — with pricing customized per client and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market relies on personal referrals, direct outreach, and long-standing reputation rather than performance or volume marketing. The firm maintains a multi-jurisdictional footprint deliberately aligned with cross-border wealth structuring needs for European and Asian HNW families.

The underlying technology is modest in scope: a Financial Data Services platform provides automated bank-interface integration and portfolio consolidation in standardized formats, and an IT-Services line supports infrastructure and digital processes for other financial service providers. Core differentiation rests on 70+ years of private ownership, jurisdictional expertise in Liechtenstein fiduciary and tax structuring, multilingual cross-border advisory capability, and the breadth of an integrated one-stop-shop service stack rather than on proprietary technology. The firm is led by founder/co-owner Ivan J. Ackermann as CEO and operates with 251–500 employees.

Name

First Advisory Group

Legal name

First Advisory Group

Website

https://firstadvisorygroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

First Advisory Group is a privately owned, Liechtenstein-based wealth advisory firm founded in 1954 that delivers integrated estate, tax, investment, and family office services to high-net-worth individuals, families, and entrepreneurs across five offices in Europe and Asia-Pacific.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management and Financial Advisory

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Office Advisory (Single/Multi-Family) (FSAEAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Advisory Portfolio Management (Non-Discretionary) (FSAAABAD), Family Business & Succession Advisory (FSAAADAL), Risk Management & Insurance Advisory for Families (FSAAADAK), Fee-Based Advisory (FSAEAAAM)

Keywords

• Wealth management services
• Estate planning
• Tax advisory
• Family office services
• Investment advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Vaduz

HQ country

Liechtenstein

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wealth Management and Advisory Fees: First Advisory generates revenue through comprehensive financial advisory and wealth management services. The firm provides services including estate planning, wealth structuring, tax advisory, investment advice, and family office services to high net worth clients. Revenue is generated through professional service fees, likely including retainer arrangements and percentage-based management fees typical of the private banking and wealth management industry.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

First Advisory Group provides comprehensive wealth advisory and management services for high net worth individuals, families, and entrepreneurs. Its offerings span wealth structuring and estate planning, tax advisory, legal advisory referrals, investment advisory, discretionary wealth management, Private Placement Life insurance solutions, family office services, finance and accounting, IT and financial data services for financial providers, and secure safe deposit box storage. Services are delivered through personalized, face-to-face consultations across five offices in Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

Product overview

First Advisory Group is a comprehensive financial services provider offering a unified platform of advisory and management services. The portfolio spans eleven distinct service areas: Wealth Structuring for generational planning and inheritance; Legal Advisory for court and authority representation; Tax Advisory for risk minimization; Finance and Accounting for operational finance management; Investment Advisory for strategy development; Wealth Management for professional asset handling; Private Placement Life for wealth protection and transfer; Family Office for integrated HNWI services; IT-Services for financial industry infrastructure; Financial Data Services for automated bank data consolidation; and Safe Deposit Boxes for secure storage. The services are designed to work together, providing clients with comprehensive coverage from wealth protection and structuring to day-to-day financial operations and specialized insurance solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vermögensstrukturierung (Wealth Structuring) Long-term wealth planning across generations, including inheritance and estate planning, ensuring orderly wealth transfer within families. Designed for high net worth individuals and families.
• Rechtsberatung (Legal Advisory) Referral service connecting clients with competent legal advice and representation before courts and authorities.
• Steuerberatung (Tax Advisory) Tax planning and risk minimization services covering national and international tax matters for optimized overall tax situations.
• Finanzen und Buchhaltung (Finance and Accounting) Financial and accounting services providing overview of financial positions, revenue and expense tracking, liquidity and profitability reporting.
• Anlageberatung (Investment Advisory) Investment consultation services analyzing market developments, identifying opportunities and risks, and developing individualized investment strategies.
• Vermögensverwaltung (Wealth Management) Professional wealth management with individualized advisory services ensuring assets are invested and managed according to client preferences, with regular updates on wealth development.
• Private Placement Life Wealth protection and transfer solution enabling efficient asset protection with high flexibility and long-term financial security for families.
• Family Office Comprehensive family office services for high-net-worth families seeking integrated wealth management solutions.
• IT-Services Professional IT services for financial service providers and companies, covering infrastructure, security, industry-specific platforms, and digital processes.
• Financial Data Services Automated financial data processing service that consolidates portfolios from multiple banks through interfaces, providing consolidated data in standardized format.
• Schliessfächer (Safe Deposit Boxes) Secure storage service for personal valuables, important documents, official certificates, contracts, wills, and data carriers, accessible anytime.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Union Bancaire Privée (UBP): Swiss private banking group with strong wealth management and family office capabilities, owned by the Valeurs Bancaires holding. Comparable as an independent Swiss private bank offering comprehensive HNW/UHNW advisory services across multiple jurisdictions.
• EFG International: Swiss-based global private banking group offering wealth management, investment advisory, and family office services with a focus on UHNW clients and entrepreneurs. Comparable cross-border private banking focus and entrepreneur-targeted advisory services.
• Julius Baer: Swiss-headquartered global wealth manager focused exclusively on private banking, family office, and investment advisory for HNW/UHNW clients. Comparable target segment and comprehensive service model, though significantly larger and publicly listed.
• J. Safra Sarasin: Swiss private banking group owned by the Safra family, providing wealth management, investment advisory, and family office services in Switzerland and internationally. Comparable as a family-controlled Swiss private bank serving HNW clients with integrated advisory offerings.
• Lombard Odier: Swiss private bank, partner-owned since 1796, providing wealth management, investment advisory, and family office services globally with strong focus on HNW/UHNW families. Comparable independent, owner-controlled heritage and comprehensive multi-family offering.
• Pictet Group: Swiss, partner-owned private bank and asset manager providing wealth management, asset servicing, and family office services globally. Comparable as an independent, owner-controlled Swiss wealth manager with comprehensive HNW/UHNW advisory offerings, though materially larger in scale.
• Vontobel: Swiss private banking and asset management firm offering wealth management, investment advisory, and family office services to private clients. Comparable wealth advisory and family office orientation with Swiss roots and international reach, though publicly listed and larger in scale.

Direct peers

• LGT Group: Liechtenstein-based, family-owned (Princely House of Liechtenstein) private banking and wealth management group with comprehensive family office and UHNW advisory services across Europe and Asia. Closest peer given shared Liechtenstein domicile, family-controlled governance, and full-service HNW/UHNW orientation.
• Hyposwiss (Hyposwiss Private Bank): Zürich-based Swiss private bank specializing in wealth management and investment advisory for private clients, including family office services. Comparable as a mid-sized Swiss private wealth manager serving UHNW clients with personalized service.
• VP Bank Group: Liechtenstein-headquartered private bank offering wealth management, investment advisory, and family office services to private and institutional clients with offices across Europe and Asia. Comparable as a same-jurisdiction multi-service private bank targeting HNW/UHNW clients.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/first-advisory-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 First Advisory Group