Aligning Generational Goals. Managing the Day-to-Day.

Enjoy the benefits of a family office without the cost and effort of maintaining one.

Affluent families have found that a dedicated family office helps them effectively manage the challenges and opportunities that come with prosperity. However, developing that expertise and infrastructure is costly and time-consuming, which is why many families collaborate with Cerity Partners.

Our family office services span the spectrum from full financial management to helping you establish and coordinate your own office. Whatever level of support you need, we can help.

It’s natural for family members from different generations to have their own unique needs and desires. Let us help you navigate the sometimes competing or conflicting interests while minimizing discord.

Family office governance, education, and succession planning
Financial planning and cash flow analysis
Goals-based investment management
Asset protection and risk management
Estate and charitable gift planning
Tax planning and preparation

Given the complexity of a family’s financial situation, running their own family office may not be the best choice. It can be time-consuming as well as costly, and strain relationships. Many times, outsourcing makes more sense.
Meg Rowley, Partner

Grow Your Wealth. Protect Your Family. Preserve Your Assets.

Every family needs a point person who brings the appropriate people to the conversation and keeps everyone focused on the end goal. At Cerity Partners, that person is your dedicated Wealth Management Advisor.

They collaborate with you, your existing advisory team, and our in-house specialists – tax advisors, certified financial planners, and investment professionals – to execute comprehensive wealth management solutions that meet your family’s diverse needs.

Family Governance

Effective family offices are structured like a business, with documented policies and procedures that outline ethics, core values, investment mandates, and decision-making. We work with your family to put the best framework in place to help you grow and preserve your wealth for generations to come.

Financial Planning and Cash Flow Analysis

The decisions you make today impact your family’s future net worth. We help you address the “can we afford this” question by providing income and expense projections and seeking the best terms for mortgages, loans, and more. Additionally, we can handle the mundane, but necessary, task of bill paying.

Goals-Based Investment Management

Your investments play a significant role in achieving your short- and long-term goals. We help you build a diversified portfolio that truly reflects your family’s needs. Your personalized portfolios consist of investments that offer the most potential return for your desired level of risk.

Asset Protection and Risk Management

One of the drawbacks to wealth is the potential for people to try and take advantage of your good fortune. And liability insurance tends to cover less than you might think. We analyze the current structure of your assets and insurance coverage and work with you to put safeguards in place to better protect your family, business, and property.

Estate and Charitable Gift Planning

State and federal estate taxes can significantly erode a family’s wealth over time. We employ advanced planning and wealth preservation strategies, such as Dynasty Trusts and Private Trust Companies, to help you preserve your legacy and achieve your philanthropic goals in the most tax-efficient way.

Tax Planning and Preparation

Taxes are a crucial part of almost every major financial decision. Failing to take them into account can result in overpayment and diminished investment returns. We understand the cause and effect between taxes and your family’s financial life and help you identify and minimize potential tax liabilities before you act.

Comprehensive Financial Management Means More Time for You, Family Harmony, and Lower Costs

Life gets complicated — especially when you add in wealth management and the oversight of estates, trusts, partnerships, and multiple investment managers. We oversee and manage the administrative functions of your family office so you can spend your time doing what you enjoy.

Simplified Financial Management. You don’t have to spend countless hours contacting multiple advisors to get a complete picture of your financial landscape. We handle all the coordination for you.
Productive Family Meetings. Money is an emotionally-charged topic. Your legacy depends on family members putting aside their emotions to have open and honest discussions. We help you have these tough conversations.
Cost Efficiencies. Our fees are often substantially less than building the infrastructure for and staffing an in-house family office yourself. Lower cost means more money for your goals and other pursuits.

Family Office Services

Why Your Family Office May Need an Advisor

With great wealth comes great responsibility. Families with legacy wealth that want direct control over investment policy decisions often establish a family office to oversee,…

Explore Our Offerings for Individuals and Families

Economic and Market Outlooks

Weekly Investment Perspectives

Small business sentiment improved significantly in November, as the resolution of election-related uncertainty lifted expectations for future sales, business conditions, and hiring.

Estate Planning

Perpetual Education Trusts

A Perpetual Education Trust is a way to influence the lives of distant descendants by providing them with a quality education.

Family Office Services

Why Your Family Office May Need an Advisor

With great wealth comes great responsibility. Families with legacy wealth that want direct control over investment policy decisions often establish a family office to oversee, directly or indirectly, the financial affairs of the family.

Estate Planning

Trustees: Risk Mitigation and Best Practices (Part 1)

Whether you are acting as an individual trustee or a trustee under a private trust company, understanding the risks and responsibilities is critical to serving as a trustee.

Individuals and Families

Mitigating State “Millionaire’s Tax”: Filing Separately in Your State May Provide Relief

With the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 that eliminated the “marriage penalty” tax brackets, filing a joint federal tax return has mainly become a foregone conclusion for married couples. Under certain circumstances, couples may still opt to file separately. Partner Dan Park and Principal Cheryl Donaldson outline several factors that warrant careful consideration and planning when filing your taxes.

Family Office

Family Charters: A Guiding Light for Managing Family Businesses and Other Property

Jointly-owned family property, like a business or vacation home, can create family tension. To keep the peace, Partner Pierre duPont suggests creating a family charter.

Corporations

How to Bring Your Business Value Up Before You Sell

Preparedness planning is an essential tool for any owner interested in selling their business for maximum value. It provides a framework for owners to take control of their exit and it also minimizes perceived risk by a potential buyer that may create a discounted value at sale.

Individuals and Families

Staying in the Marital Home After Divorce: Emotions vs. Economics

As someone contemplates divorce, one of the most common concerns, after custody of the children, is whether either spouse will be able to continue living in the marital home. Most likely, the home has significant emotional value. It could represent heartfelt memories of raising your family during happier times or it could be the location […]

Cross-Border Planning

International Estate Planning: Five Key Issues to Consider

In today’s interconnected world, cross-border estate planning is an important issue for global families. This is especially true when one or more individuals is a U.S. citizen or green card holder. A coordinated international estate plan is essential for families that face the possibility of a foreign-located decedent, beneficiaries in multiple countries, and/or assets located […]

Investment Solutions

Investing is a commitment to your future. It's a way to grow and preserve what you've earned. Our disciplined and goal-centric investment approach helps ensure your portfolio is positioned to withstand changing market and economic conditions.

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Estate & Gift Planning

Our advanced estate planning and wealth preservation solutions help you achieve your goals while mitigating tax liabilities. Recommendations are tailored to your unique situation and reflect our expansive knowledge of estate, trust, gift, and tax laws.

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Financial Planning

Successfully navigating the financial challenges that come with wealth involves planning, relevant advice, and an advisor who’s not afraid to say "no" when you ask, “can I afford this?” Cerity Partners does all three.

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Insurance Planning & Risk Management

Protect the life you and your family have worked so hard to build. We help you understand your current level of risk exposure and offer personalized solutions that seek to protect the vulnerable areas of your financial life.

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Tax Planning & Preparation

We design and implement tax optimization strategies including the creation of detailed tax projections and the preparation of personal, trust, and business tax returns.

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Family Office

Our family office services span the spectrum from full financial management to helping you establish and coordinate your own family office. Whatever level of support you need, we can help.

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Business Owner Advisory

We work with owners of privately-held businesses to help them create and execute transition plans that provide a seamless and successful exit for themselves, their families and other stakeholders.

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Marital Financial Planning

We’re here to help you create a comprehensive financial plan that reflects your shared vision. In the unfortunate event your marriage dissolves, we also provide divorce financial consulting.

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Cross-Border Financial Planning

Just because your professional life is spread across different regions of the world doesn’t mean your financial life has to be complicated. Cerity Partners has extensive knowledge of U.S. and global tax laws and regulations, and we will work with you to preserve and grow your wealth here and abroad.

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Individuals & Families

Workplace Solutions

Nonprofit Organizations

Family Governance

Financial Planning and Cash Flow Analysis

Goals-Based Investment Management

Asset Protection and Risk Management

Estate and Charitable Gift Planning

Tax Planning and Preparation

Comprehensive Financial Management Means More Time for You, Family Harmony, and Lower Costs

Why Your Family Office May Need an Advisor

Weekly Investment Perspectives

Perpetual Education Trusts

Why Your Family Office May Need an Advisor

Trustees: Risk Mitigation and Best Practices (Part 1)

Mitigating State “Millionaire’s Tax”: Filing Separately in Your State May Provide Relief

Family Charters: A Guiding Light for Managing Family Businesses and Other Property

How to Bring Your Business Value Up Before You Sell

Staying in the Marital Home After Divorce: Emotions vs. Economics

International Estate Planning: Five Key Issues to Consider

Our Concierge Program offers a simple, personalized approach to finding your ideal financial advisor.

Dustin Ribergaard

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