Ben Seidenstein leaves Goldman for Farther, citing client demand and bureaucracy

Goldman Sachs private wealth advisor Ben Seidenstein has left the legacy investment bank after 13 years to start a multi-family office unit at Farther, the technology-focused RIA founded in San Francisco in 2019. 

Seidenstein, who managed over $1.5 billion at Goldman Sachs, is reuniting with Farther co-founder Bradley Genser, who was a VP at Goldman between 2014 and 2019. Farther’s AI-native, multi-custodian, fee-only fiduciary model aligned with what Seidenstein’s ultra-high-net-worth clients were asking for, prompting his move. 

“This was a client-led decision for me. I always would speak to my clients about the fact that I didn't consider myself an employee of Goldman Sachs. I thought I was an employee of my clients, and I happened to run a business at Goldman Sachs,” Seidenstein told InvestmentNews. “My client base was really demanding these improvements on their experience. And I made this decision informed by the experience I had of conversations with people telling me what they would want.” 

Farther debuted an AI Analyst chat tool for advisors earlier this year after releasing an AI-powered investment proposal system for advisors in 2025. The RIA says it manages over $15 billion in assets across more than 200 wealth managers and about 19,000 clients, offering a scale and culture that appeals to Seidenstein over the “bureaucratic decision making” at Goldman Sachs.  

“As complexity grew, it was just too frequent that I felt I would have to deliver a no to my clients that I didn't agree with and effectively apologize for bureaucratic decision making made with 30,000 clients in mind, not on an individualized basis,” said Seidenstein. “So the decision to leave Goldman Sachs was really led by clients asking me for things that I no longer felt able to provide.” 

Seidenstein described hectic dealings within wealth management operations at Goldman Sachs, which bought the RIA United Capital in 2019 and then sold the business to Creative Planning in 2023.Rather than buying RIAs, Goldman’s presence in the RIA market has shifted to custodian services and a client referral program that launched earlier this year. 

“For call it the past 10 years there's really been lack of organizational clarity on where things stand from the wealth management side of the business. There's been three or four reorgs—combining with asset management, separating from asset management, recombining,” said Seidenstein, who left Goldman in March after being with the firm since 2013. 

“Buying United Capital, divesting United Capital, standing up a robo-advisor, getting rid of it. The list goes on.” he added. “And I think that's not just true of Goldman Sachs, I think a lot of the big firms have been trying to navigate how they approach the entire wealth spectrum.” 

Seidenstein added that he’s “open to exploring” using Goldman’s RIA custody platform at Farther, whose latest Form ADV lists relationships with custodians Schwab, Apex, Fidelity and Pershing. Farther Family Office has not set a formal asset minimum for clients, as the firm notes it wants to work with entrepreneurs and creators “whose wealth is still taking shape ahead of major liquidity events.” 

Farther Family Office (FFO) will provide tax, estate, and lending services via advisors that provide a mult-generational view of wealth for family clients. “Our services meet the needs of someone who today has or will have a nine-figure balance sheet,” Seidenstein said. 

“When you make your first $25 million, it's an amazing seminal life event, and it feels really good to be invited to the party by Goldman Sachs or JP Morgan Chase, UBS or the big private banks or wirehouses. That's an exciting milestone in someone's life. I think once you get to the party, you realize that you're not quite sure what the hype was about. The experience doesn't live up to how it was built,” said Seidenstein.