Hightower Advisors has announced an expansion of its Hightower Family Office offering, bringing together institutional investment consulting, advanced estate and tax planning, family governance, and business advisory services into a unified framework for ultra-high-net-worth advisors.
The move broadens what Hightower advisors can deliver to entrepreneurs, executives, and multi-generational families whose financial lives increasingly extend beyond traditional wealth management.
Under the expanded model, advisors gain access to sophisticated planning resources without surrendering their connection to clients – a dynamic CEO Larry Restieri said is central to the firm's intent.
"As client needs continue to evolve, advisors increasingly need access to deeper insights and broader resources," Restieri said. "The expansion of the Hightower Family Office reflects our commitment to helping advisors serve clients across the full wealth spectrum while remaining at the center of the relationship."
The expansion leverages Hightower's strategic relationship with Boston-based NEPC, which advises on approximately $1.5 trillion in client assets across endowments, foundations, pensions, healthcare systems, and family offices. Hightower acquired a majority stake in NEPC in 2024.
Through the expanded offering, wealth managers working within the Hightower network can tap institutional-grade investment oversight and consulting capabilities – resources that were historically out of reach for most independent advisors – while maintaining direct client relationships.
Hightower is also deepening its bench through a strategic relationship with GTBA, a Los Angeles-based business management and family office firm that serves ultra-high-net-worth individuals, executives, entrepreneurs, and entertainment industry clients.
The addition of GTBA extends the reach of the Hightower Family Office into specialized business management, an increasingly common need for clients whose wealth is concentrated in closely held businesses or creative industries.
The family office expansion is one of several moves Hightower has made in quick succession this year. In April, the firm appointed Roberto Stewart as president and chief business officer, tasking him with streamlining Hightower One – the firm's back- and middle-office platform – and reducing operational friction for advisors. Stewart, a veteran operating executive with more than three decades of leadership experience, now oversees operations, technology, risk, product, and integrations.
On the growth side, Hightower has been aggressively building out its Hightower Signature Wealth advisory platform, a W-2-based model distinct from its independent RIA affiliate structure.
In April, the firm announced a deal to bring in Lexington Wealth Management, a Massachusetts-based RIA with approximately $3.2 billion in assets under management, into that channel, pushing Hightower Signature Wealth past $29 billion in AUM across more than 25 locations.
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