May 31, 2022
If you're in investment sales, you likely already know that one of the biggest problems of selling to the RIA channel is the sheer size of it.
The RIA market across the United States consists of over 36,000 firms, which means that while there are more than enough to choose from when looking for new clients, narrowing down the list to only those that allocate to outside managers is going to be key.
Here at Dakota, we’ve raised over $6 billion from over 350 RIAs, and that has been possible because we qualify and curate our list to only RIAs that allocate to outside managers.
In an effort to help narrow down the sheer size of the market, we’ve put together a list of the top 10 RIAs in each major metro area across the country. To determine our list, we looked for three things:
In this article, we're highlighting the top 10 RIAs in Seattle, Washington from our curated institutional investor database, Dakota Marketplace.
However, this is by no means a “best of” list, as there are so many high quality RIAs in Seattle. By the end of the article, you'll have a clear idea of the landscape and who you can be calling on.
AUM:$15,000,000,000
About: Founded by clients for the benefit of clients in 1967, Laird Norton Wealth Management is an independent Seattle-based firm with a deep commitment to providing guidance that is free of conflicts of interest, based solely on the sum of their experience and expertise. The Laird Norton team is committed to putting client interests first and to stewarding both wealth and wellbeing for those they serve. They have a singular measure of success: the results we get for our clients.
Since their beginnings as a single, multi-generational family office, Laird Norton has consistently built on success, steadily growing over five decades as a privately held, family and employee-owned wealth management firm. They currently manage $15 billion in assets for approximately 1,500 prominent families, individuals, foundations and endowments.
AUM:$8,443,257,340
About: Brighton Jones portfolios are customized for each client to help maximize the probability of achieving their goals. For the individuals and families Brighton Jones works with, those goals may include increasing return potential, reducing volatility, funding important life milestones, methodically diversifying single stock exposure, transferring wealth to future generations, aligning personal values with investments, or striking an appropriate balance across several competing goals.
AUM: $7,500,000,000
About: Silver Creek seeks to deliver returns that are not dependent on major market asset classes and are diversifying to investor portfolios. Managers with the skill and resources to consistently deliver alpha are few and far between, so the team allocates to a small number of managers that they believe are most likely to perform in the future.
The Silver Creek approach includes both multi-manager and single manager strategies.
AUM: $6,000,000,000
About: Founded in 1996 in Bellevue, Washington, as Coldstream Capital Management, the company began with one mission: enhancing clients’ lives and providing them peace of mind. Coldstream is an employee-owned, independently-operated wealth management firm that’s been earning the trust of high net-worth clients for over 25 years.
AUM: $5,401,931,749
About: Founded in 1999, Freestone is an independent, fee-only wealth advisory and asset management firm that has grown from $250 million to over $8 billion in assets under management. As a fiduciary whose firm is 100% employee-owned, Freestone's only commitment is to client success, not those of a corporate parent company.
They believe their combination of personalized wealth management and access to a broad range of investment strategies provides the best overall solution to their clients. Based out of Seattle, Freestone serve clients throughout the west coast with additional offices in San Francisco and Santa Barbara.
AUM:$4,472,086,609
About: Columbia Pacific Wealth Management is an independent, SEC-Registered Investment Advisor* that provides comprehensive wealth management strategies for a select number of high net worth individuals, families, foundations, and endowments.
AUM:$4,000,000,000
About: Since 1992, Pacific Portfolio Consulting has remained private and locally owned through its long history as one of the region’s top-ranked independent wealth managers and investment advisors. The size,
experience, and commitment as a fiduciary enables them to handle all of the financial matters
for their clients in a way that aligns with their values and best interests.
AUM: $3,033,442,862
About: Merriman employs a proactive and collaborative process to understand who their clients are and what they want to accomplish so they can implement a customized plan for all areas of their clients' financial life: Investments, taxes, estate planning, insurance, charitable giving, and more.
AUM:$2,991,640,859
About: Evergreen Gavekal is an independent registered investment advisor (RIA*), with four offices on the West Coast serving clients all over the U.S. They provide a comprehensive wealth management solution to high net-worth individuals, trustees, businesses, and foundations, with investments, tax, and financial planning all under one roof.
AUM: $2,804,450,165
About: Moss Adams is a fully integrated professional services firm dedicated to assisting clients with growing, managing, and protecting prosperity.
With more than 3,800 professionals across more than 30 locations in the West and beyond, Moss Adams works with many of the world’s most innovative companies and leaders. Their strength in the middle market enables them to advise clients at all intervals of development—from start-up, to rapid growth and expansion, to transition.
While the above are some of the RIAs in Seattle with the highest AUM, you can access the complete list of Seattle RIAs in Dakota Marketplace. To find out more, we'd love to offer a free trial of the platform.
Amy Sariego is the Director of Content Marketing at Dakota.
