Cerity Partners

What Cerity Partners does

Cerity Partners LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser (RIA) providing comprehensive wealth management, financial planning, tax, retirement, OCIO, and corporate venture capital services from offices across 21 U.S. states. The firm serves three primary client segments: high-net-worth individuals and families (addressing wealth management, investment solutions, estate and gift planning, financial planning, insurance, tax, trust services, women's wealth, and family office needs); corporations (executive financial counseling, retirement plan consulting including defined benefit and defined contribution plans, and corporate venture capital through Cerity Partners Ventures); and institutions (outsourced CIO/OCIO, institutional consulting, and nonprofit investment advisory).

The firm's product architecture is a unified platform of 15+ specialized service lines that can be combined into bespoke client engagements, supported by industry-standard third-party technology including Orion, eMoney, MoneyGuide Pro, Addepar, Black Diamond, ShareFile, Box, and a proprietary cash management solution. The firm has no proprietary technology and no AI/ML capabilities disclosed. Cerity Partners generates revenue through recurring advisory fees on assets under management plus flat fees for financial planning, with annual billing cadence and quote-based pricing negotiated per engagement.

The go-to-market model is relationship-based enterprise field sales through a network of financial advisors and dedicated practice groups, supplemented by thought leadership content (Barron's, Bloomberg, CNBC, Forbes, WSJ), webinars, and a national PR presence. The firm has grown both organically and via mergers (Pension Architects in 2013; Touchdown Ventures in September 2024, creating Cerity Partners Ventures) and has earned recognition from Newsweek, RIA Intel, and Private Asset Management Magazine. Cerity Partners is privately held with no disclosed parent company or outside equity backing; ownership structure appears consistent with partner-held RIA conventions.

Name

Cerity Partners

Legal name

Cerity Partners LLC

Website

https://emmny.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Cerity Partners is an SEC-registered investment adviser providing comprehensive wealth management, financial planning, tax, retirement, OCIO, and corporate venture capital services to high-net-worth individuals, families, corporations, and institutions across 21 U.S. states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Planning–Led RIAs (FSAAACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Portfolio Management–Led RIAs (Discretionary/Model-Based) (FSAAACAC), Retirement & Distribution Planning RIAs (401(k)/IRA/Pension Rollovers) (FSAAACAE), Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) Wealth Management (FSAEABAA)

Keywords

• Wealth management services
• Financial planning advisory
• Investment management solutions
• Retirement plan consulting
• Outsourced CIO services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advisory Fee Revenue: Cerity Partners generates revenue through advisory fees charged to clients for comprehensive wealth management services. As an SEC-registered investment adviser (RIA), the firm charges fees based on assets under management (AUM) or flat fees for financial planning services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cerity Partners is an SEC-registered investment adviser (RIA) that delivers comprehensive wealth management, investment solutions, financial planning, tax planning and preparation, estate and gift planning, insurance planning, and trust services. The firm serves high-net-worth individuals, families, corporations, and institutions through integrated advisory engagements, offering specialized corporate services such as workplace financial counseling, retirement plan consulting, and corporate venture capital, alongside institutional offerings including outsourced CIO (OCIO) and nonprofit investment consulting.

Product overview

Cerity Partners is a registered investment adviser offering a comprehensive wealth management platform serving individuals, families, corporations, and institutions. The firm provides an integrated suite of services including Wealth Management, Investment Solutions, Estate & Gift Planning, Financial Planning, Tax Planning & Preparation, Insurance Planning & Risk Management, Retirement Plan Consulting, and Trust Services. For corporate clients, the firm offers Executive Financial Counseling, Retirement Plan Consulting, and Cerity Partners Ventures (corporate venture capital). For institutional clients, the firm provides Cerity Partners OCIO (Outsourced Chief Investment Office), Institutional Consulting, and Investment Advisory for Nonprofit Organizations. The architecture is a unified platform with multiple specialized service lines that can be combined based on client needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cerity Partners Ventures: Venture capital services entity formed through the merger with Touchdown Ventures
• Cerity Partners OCIO
• Cerity Partners Pooled Employer Plan

Products and services

• Wealth Management
• Investment Solutions
• Estate & Gift Planning
• Financial Planning
• Tax Planning & Preparation
• Insurance Planning & Risk Management
• Retirement Plan Consulting
• Cerity Partners OCIO
• Cerity Partners Ventures Corporate venture capital services combining corporate and institutional VC to provide strategy insights, funding, and support for corporations and startups, formed through the September 2024 merger with Touchdown Ventures.
• Family Office
• Private Markets
• Trust Services
• Business Owner Advisory
• Executive Financial Counseling
• Corporate Venture Capital
• Institutional Consulting
• Workplace Solutions

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Touchdown VenturescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 September 2024Cerity Partners merged with Touchdown Ventures to create Cerity Partners Ventures, expanding venture capital capabilities and service offerings. This strategic combination integrates Touchdown Ventures into Cerity Partners' existing operations to enhance their investment portfolio and corporate venture capital services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mercer Advisors: National RIA offering integrated wealth management, tax, estate, and trust services to HNW individuals and families, with an emphasis on in-house specialist teams similar to Cerity's model.
• Creative Planning: National, fast-growing RIA providing unified wealth management, tax, estate, and retirement plan services to HNW clients. Closely comparable in scale trajectory, comprehensive offering, and advisor-led growth model.
• Edelman Financial Engines: Large RIA combining financial planning-led wealth management with workplace retirement plan services. Directly comparable to Cerity in its dual focus on HNW individuals and corporate retirement/financial wellness programs.
• Hightower Advisors: RIA wealth management platform built through advisor-team acquisitions, serving HNW clients with comprehensive planning. Comparable in growth-via-mergers model and HNW client focus.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Large, independent RIA offering comprehensive wealth management, investment solutions, tax, estate, and retirement services to HNW individuals and families — directly comparable in service breadth and target client base to Cerity Partners.
• Carson Group: Fast-growing RIA platform serving HNW households with wealth management, tax, and business-owner advisory services. Comparable in advisor-led, multi-product comprehensive offering.

Broad incumbents

• Russell Investments: Global asset manager and OCIO provider for institutional clients. Comparable to Cerity Partners OCIO on the institutional side, though Russell operates as a broad incumbent across many institutional segments rather than an HNW-focused RIA.
• Focus Financial Partners: Wealth management platform and RIA consolidator that partners with independent advisor firms. Comparable to Cerity through its RIA M&A consolidation strategy and HNW client base, though structured as a partner-firm platform rather than a single firm.
• Goldman Sachs (Ayco / Personal Financial Management): Bulge-bracket bank with a large executive financial counseling and wealth management practice (Ayco). Comparable to Cerity in targeting corporate executives and HNW clients with integrated planning services.

Emerging players

• Sanctuary Wealth: Emerging RIA platform partnering with breakaway advisors and teams from wirehouses. Partial overlap — competes for HNW clients and experienced advisors, but smaller scale and less comprehensive in-house capability than Cerity.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Cerity Partners