Brightworks Wealth Management

What Brightworks Wealth Management does

Brightworks Wealth Management was a Columbia, Maryland-based registered investment advisory firm providing personalized wealth management services to high-net-worth individuals and families. The firm operated with a small team of 1-10 employees under principals Nancy Briguglio and Scot Millen, with reported assets under management/advisement of approximately $376 million. Its service model centered on relationship-driven financial planning and investment advisory rather than scale-driven asset gathering.

The firm's product offering comprised traditional wealth management services: financial planning, investment advisory, and ongoing client relationship management. Its technology stack was built on third-party client portals and custodial platforms, including the LPL Portal, Fidelity, and eMoney, indicating a vendor-dependent operational architecture with no proprietary technology platform. There is no evidence of proprietary models, in-house trading systems, or differentiated technology assets in the input.

The business model was fee-based, with revenue derived from a percentage of assets under management — the standard RIA pricing model. Go-to-market was relationship-driven and referral-based, targeting HNW households in the mid-Atlantic region. In June 2025/2026 (date conflict noted in source), Brightworks was acquired by Creative Planning, one of the largest independent RIAs in the United States, and its principals joined Creative Planning as partners, with client assets and operations integrated into Creative Planning's centralized platform. Brightworks no longer operates as an independent entity.

Name

Brightworks Wealth Management

Legal name

Brightworks Wealth Management

Website

https://bwwealth.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Brightworks Wealth Management was a Columbia, Maryland-based boutique RIA serving high-net-worth individuals and families with personalized financial planning and investment advisory services, managing approximately $376 million in assets before being acquired by Creative Planning.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Wealth & Multi-Generational Planning RIAs (HNW/UHNW-lite) (FSAAACAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) Wealth Management (FSAEABAA), Financial Planning–Led RIAs (FSAAACAB)

Keywords

• Wealth management services
• Financial planning advisory
• Investment management
• High net worth advisory
• Estate planning services

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Wealth Management Services: Relationship-focused wealth management services providing financial advisory to clients. Revenue generated through management fees on assets under advisement. Following acquisition by Creative Planning, operates as part of Creative Planning's broader wealth management platform.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Brightworks Wealth Management provides relationship-focused investment management, financial planning, and personal wealth advisory services to high-net-worth individuals and families. The firm delivered personalized wealth management with approximately $376 million in assets under management or advisement, and following acquisition by Creative Planning, its offerings now sit within Creative Planning's broader wealth management, family office, and 401(k) business services platform.

Product overview

Brightworks Wealth Management operated as a financial advisory firm offering relationship-focused wealth management services. Following its acquisition by Creative Planning in June 2026, the firm now operates under Creative Planning's comprehensive wealth management platform, which includes Family Office Services for ultra-affluent clients (over $10 million), High-Net-Worth Wealth Management for clients up to $10 million, and 401k & Business Services for organizations. The core product suite encompasses integrated investment management (including alternative investments), strategic tax planning, estate planning, financial planning, retirement planning, and insurance planning services, supported by a team of CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioners, CPAs, attorneys, investment specialists, and insurance professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wealth Management Services Relationship-focused wealth management services providing comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and advisory services for individual high-net-worth clients and families.
• Family Office Services Comprehensive family office offerings including ultra-affluent wealth management, legacy planning, charitable planning, asset protection, wealth transfer, and liquidity/exit planning for high-net-worth families.
• High-Net-Worth Wealth Management Wealth management services targeting investors with up to $10 million in assets, including investment management, strategic tax planning, estate planning, financial planning, retirement planning, and insurance planning.
• 401k & Business Services Business services including retirement plan services, mergers and acquisitions consulting, business valuations, tax planning, audit and attest services, outsourced accounting, payroll services, legal services, technology services, and insurance for business clients.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Creative PlanningcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2026Creative Planning, one of the nation's largest registered investment advisors, acquired Brightworks Wealth Management. The transaction brought approximately $376 million in assets under management to Creative Planning. Brightworks principals Nancy Briguglio and Scot Millen joined Creative Planning as partners. The relationship-focused wealth management approach was cited as a natural fit with Creative Planning's client-first philosophy.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Mariner Wealth Advisors: National RIA offering comprehensive wealth advisory, tax, estate, and family office services to HNW clients. Comparable service breadth and HNW/ultra-affluent client segmentation, with similar relationship-led advisory model.
• Wealth Enhancement Group: Independent RIA that has grown aggressively through acquisitions of small-to-mid-sized wealth management firms. Comparable in its HNW client focus and roll-up M&A strategy targeting advisors with $200M-$1B AUM.
• Carson Wealth: RIA and wealth management firm serving HNW households with holistic financial planning, investment management, and estate planning services — a direct comparable in both service mix and target client segment.
• Hightower Advisors: RIA platform that partners with and acquires breakaway advisors and small wealth management firms. Comparable in serving HNW clients through integrated investment, financial planning, and family office services.
• Merit Financial Advisors: RIA serving HNW clients with comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and tax services. Comparable in scale, HNW client focus, and integrated wealth management offering.

Broad incumbents

• Edelman Financial Engines: One of the largest independent RIAs serving HNW and mass-affluent clients. Comparable in offering financial planning, investment management, and tax/estate planning, though at significantly larger scale.
• Focus Financial Partners: Partnership model for high-quality independent wealth management firms, providing capital, infrastructure, and M&A support. Highly comparable to the Brightworks-Creative Planning dynamic as a consolidator of small RIAs.
• Creative Planning: Acquirer of Brightworks and one of the nation's largest RIAs, offering the same comprehensive HNW wealth management, tax, estate, and family office services that Brightworks clients now access. Directly comparable service mix and HNW client focus.

Emerging players

• Savant Wealth Management: Mid-sized RIA offering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and tax services to HNW individuals and families. Comparable integrated service model and advisor-led relationship approach.
• Private Ocean Wealth Management: West Coast-focused RIA serving HNW clients with integrated financial planning, investment, and tax planning services. Comparable boutique RIA model with similar HNW client focus and service breadth.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Brightworks Wealth Management