Hightower Great Lakes

What Hightower Great Lakes does

Hightower Great Lakes was a Chicago-based wealth advisory firm that provided retirement-plan services, private wealth management, and business-development advisory to individuals, families, and business owners in the Midwest. The firm was founded in 2018 and operated with a headcount in the 11–50 range, positioning it as a boutique practice within the broader Hightower Advisors, LLC platform rather than an independent RIA.

Its core offerings spanned three service lines: retirement plan design and administration for plan sponsors, discretionary and non-discretionary wealth management for private clients, and business-development consulting. The firm did not disclose proprietary technology, in-house research platforms, or differentiated investment vehicles — its products appear to be standard fiduciary advisory services delivered through the Hightower open-architecture investment menu.

The business model is the standard RIA fee model: asset-based advisory fees on AUM, supplemented by commissions on securities transactions routed through Hightower Securities, LLC (a FINRA/SIPC member). Distribution is relationship-led via local advisors in Chicago, with the Hightower brand and back-office infrastructure (compliance, custody, technology) supplied by the parent platform. The firm has since been reorganized under the unified 'Hightower Signature Wealth' brand, effectively folding the Great Lakes identity into a larger regional advisory banner within Hightower Advisors.

Name

Hightower Great Lakes

Legal name

Hightower Advisors, LLC

Website

https://hightowergreatlakes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hightower Great Lakes was a Chicago-based boutique wealth advisory firm offering retirement plan services, private wealth management, and business-development consulting, operating under the Hightower Advisors, LLC platform and now rebranded as Hightower Signature Wealth.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)

akta.pro primary industry

Advisory Portfolio Management (Non-Discretionary) (FSAAABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Retirement & Pension Wealth (401(k)/IRA/SIPP/Superannuation Retail) (FSAAAAAJ), Private Banking & UHNW Wealth Advisory (FSAEABAC)

Keywords

• Wealth management
• Financial planning
• Retirement planning
• Investment advisory
• Personal finance

Headquarters

HQ city

Valparaiso

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Core offering

Hightower Great Lakes is a local wealth advisory firm that provides retirement planning, wealth management, and business development services to individual clients. The firm operates under the Hightower Advisors, LLC umbrella as an SEC-registered investment adviser, with securities services offered through Hightower Securities, LLC, a FINRA/SIPC member broker-dealer.

Product overview

Hightower Great Lakes is a wealth advisory and financial planning firm. The source content indicates that Hightower Great Lakes has transitioned to Hightower Signature Wealth, suggesting a rebranding of the advisory services. The firm is registered as an SEC investment adviser with securities offered through Hightower Securities, LLC, a FINRA/SIPC member broker-dealer. No specific named products, modules, or distinct service offerings are described in the source material beyond general wealth management and financial planning services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wealth Management Services Personalized wealth advisory and investment management services for individuals, delivered by local advisors under the Hightower Advisors, LLC SEC-registered investment adviser framework.
• Retirement Planning Services Retirement plan advisory and financial planning services for individuals preparing for retirement, including asset allocation, income planning, and tax-aware strategies.
• Financial Planning Services Holistic financial planning services for individual clients covering goals-based planning, investment strategy, and ongoing advisory support.
• Securities Brokerage Services Brokerage and securities execution services for clients, facilitated through Hightower Securities, LLC, a FINRA/SIPC member broker-dealer affiliated with the firm.

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Emerging players

• Betterment: Digital wealth management platform offering automated investment and retirement advice; comparable as an alternative to traditional advisory services for the mass-affluent and emerging HNW segments that Hightower Great Lakes also targets.

Broad incumbents

• Hightower Advisors: National RIA platform and parent of Hightower Great Lakes; comparable because the local practice operates inside its compliance, technology, and investment infrastructure, with shared wealth management and retirement plan offerings.
• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management: Large financial services firm combining wealth management, retirement, and insurance planning; comparable in serving HNW households and business owners across the Midwest with a localized advisor delivery model.
• Focus Financial Partners: Partnership platform for independent advisory firms; comparable because, like Hightower, it provides infrastructure and capital to local RIAs offering wealth management, retirement, and financial planning to HNW clients.
• Edward Jones: National wealth and retirement advisory firm with thousands of local offices serving mass-affluent and HNW clients; comparable in client segments and retirement plan offerings, though with a very different branch-driven delivery model.
• Raymond James Financial Services: Large broker-dealer and wealth manager with a substantial independent advisor channel; comparable in service mix (wealth, retirement, financial planning) and HNW client focus, though operating at much greater scale.
• Creative Planning: National RIA serving HNW and ultra-HNW clients with wealth management, retirement, and estate planning; comparable to Hightower Great Lakes in service mix and target segments, but at meaningfully larger scale.

Direct peers

• Carson Group: Hybrid RIA and broker-dealer network supporting independent advisor teams; directly comparable in business model (advisors inside a platform delivering wealth and retirement services) and target client (HNW households and business owners).
• Merit Financial Advisors: National RIA formed by aggregating independent advisory teams; directly comparable to Hightower Great Lakes as a local practice delivering wealth management and retirement planning under a larger platform umbrella.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Large national RIA built by aggregating local advisory teams; comparable to Hightower Great Lakes in that both combine local advisor relationships with centralized platform scale and offer wealth management, retirement, and planning services to HNW households.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HT_Great_Lakes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Hightower Great Lakes