What does Cresset Capital do?
Cresset is an independent, award-winning multi-family office and private wealth management firm that manages more than $235 billion in assets under management (AUM) and advisement.
The firm, founded in 2017 and headquartered in Chicago, was built to serve ultra-high-net-worth individuals, families, and founders, with a focus on integrated planning and long-term wealth stewardship.
Cresset delivers its family office and private wealth management services through a high-touch, advisor-led model.
Clients work with a dedicated advisory team that coordinates investment management and wealth planning based on individual goals, complexity, and long-term priorities. The service is not automated or self-directed; portfolios and strategies are actively managed and adjusted through an ongoing advisory relationship.
Family office services
Cresset’s family office services are designed for families with complex financial lives who want coordinated oversight across multiple aspects of wealth beyond portfolio management.
Main family office service areas include:
- Tax optimization/tax planning coordination
- Estate planning and trusts coordination
- Philanthropy strategy/charitable planning
- Trust Services and lifestyle services
- Liquidity events and business transition support
- Family governance, education, and intergenerational planning support
Private wealth management
Primary private wealth management service areas include:
- Customized investment portfolios: Spanning public markets and private markets solutions
- Public markets approaches: Including tax-efficient strategies, passive & active solutions, curated asset mix, diversified holdings, and lower costs.
- Private markets approaches: Including institutional-quality opportunities, managed & direct investment solutions, illiquidity premium capturing, attractive yield opportunities, and risk mitigators.
- Sophisticated financial planning: Where goals serve as the foundation for customized portfolios with access to public and private markets
- Access to diverse private investments: Such as real estate, qualified opportunity zones, private capital, and private equity secondaries, among others.
What are the pros and cons of Cresset Capital?
Cresset Capital’s family office and private wealth management offering is designed for clients with complex financial needs and a preference for advisor-led relationships.
The following pros and cons highlight the service’s core strengths and structural trade-offs.
Pros of Cresset Capital:
- Advisor-led private wealth and family office model: Cresset provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory services alongside financial planning and family office–style support, delivered through an ongoing advisor relationship rather than an automated or self-directed platform.
- Customized portfolio construction based on client circumstances: Portfolios that are tailored to each client’s objectives, risk tolerance, liquidity needs, tax considerations, and overall financial situation, rather than relying on standardized model portfolios.
- Flexible use of active and passive investment strategies: Cresset may employ both active and passive management approaches and invest across a broad range of asset classes, depending on client needs and strategy design.
- Access to a broad investment universe: Portfolios may include alternatives such as private investments and real assets, when appropriate for a client’s objectives and risk profile.
- Defined due diligence and monitoring processes: Cresset outlines quantitative and qualitative review processes for investment managers and strategies, along with ongoing oversight once investments are selected.
- Broad family office service scope for complex needs: Family office services that extend beyond portfolio management, including coordination around tax strategy, estate planning, trust services, liquidity and exit planning, and family governance.
Cons of Cresset Capital:
- High minimum annual advisory fee: Cresset generally requires a minimum annual fee of $25,000, regardless of account size. This structure may make the service less accessible to investors with smaller portfolios or simpler needs.
- Fees are on a client-by-client basis: Advisory fees vary based on factors such as relationship complexity, services provided, and assets involved, making total costs difficult to evaluate.
- Built for UHNW and multi-generational complexity: Its private wealth management service for UHNW and multi-generational families, with portfolios that may span public and private markets and include a wide range of investment structures. This level of complexity may be unnecessary for investors seeking simpler, more standardized portfolio solutions.
Cresset Capital fees: How much does Cresset Capital cost?
Cresset’s fees are negotiated on a client-by-client basis, but its standard disclosures show an asset-based advisory fee schedule that generally ranges from 0.60% to 1.25% annually, with a minimum fee equal to the lesser of $25,000 or 2.00% of managed assets.
Fees are typically billed quarterly, and clients may also incur additional costs such as third-party manager fees, private fund fees/expenses, custody and transaction-related costs.
Core investment advisory fee schedules：
| Managed assets (FMV) | Top-tier annualized rate | Waterfall annualized rate |
|---|---|---|
| $0 to $5 million | 1.25% | 1.25% |
| $5 million to $10 million | 1.10% | 0.90% |
| $10 million to $25 million | 0.90% | 0.80% |
| $25 million to $50 million | 0.80% | 0.70% |
| $50+ million | 0.70% | 0.60% |
Minimum fee: The lesser of $25,000 or 2.00% of managed assets
Other fees and costs you may pay:
Except for accounts enrolled in Cresset’s wrap fee program, clients generally bear the costs and expenses associated with holding investments, such as:
- Custodial fees
- Independent manager fees (if using a third-party money manager)
- Brokerage fees
- Mutual fund and ETF fees and expenses
- Applicable transaction fees and other related costs and expenses
- Wrap fee program exception
Fees for planning, consulting, and family office work:
| Service type | Typical fee approach described |
|---|---|
| Financial planning | Fixed/flat fee, may be invoiced up to 50% on engagement execution, with the balance typically invoiced upon completion |
| Consulting | Fixed/flat, project-based, or asset-based fee arrangements |
| Family office services | Provided through a CFO for a fee generally payable quarterly; fees are negotiated. |
What is Cresset Capital’s minimum account size?
Cresset does not disclose a single universal minimum account size for its advisory relationship.
Instead, the closest stated baseline is a minimum annual advisory fee.
Certain operational thresholds and third-party minimums can also affect how and when services are implemented.
Minimums and thresholds
| What’s disclosed | Amount (if stated) |
|---|---|
| Minimum annual advisory fee | Lesser of $25,000 or 2.00% |
| Initial billing proration trigger | $100,000+ net cash flow transfer |
| Third-party manager minimums (if used) | Varies |
Who should choose Cresset Capital?
Cresset Capital is designed for clients with complex financial lives, multi-entity structures, or multi-generational planning needs.
Cresset Capital works well for:
- UHNW and multi-generational families: The firm positions its private wealth management for families seeking long-term wealth preservation and growth across generations, often involving coordinated planning beyond portfolio management.
- Clients who value a high-touch, advisor-led relationship: Investors who prefer working closely with an advisory team, rather than relying on automated tools, may find Cresset’s model more aligned with their expectations.
- Investors with complex portfolios and planning needs: Those with needs spanning public and private investments, tax coordination, estate and trust considerations, liquidity events, or business transitions are more likely to benefit from Cresset’s integrated approach.
- Founders and executives preparing for liquidity or transition events: The firm highlights services around liquidity planning, exit planning, and wealth strategy coordination, which may appeal to clients navigating significant financial milestones.
- Clients comfortable with negotiated, premium pricing: Investors who understand and accept customized fee arrangements may be better aligned with Cresset’s service structure.
Who might not benefit as much:
- Investors with straightforward or lower-balance needs: Those seeking simple portfolio management or low-cost automated investing may find Cresset’s minimum fees and service depth more than they require.
- Cost-sensitive investors looking for standardized pricing: Clients who prefer clearly defined, low-fee schedules without negotiation may find Cresset’s customized pricing less predictable.
- Hands-on or self-directed investors: Investors who want to actively trade, select individual securities, or manage portfolios independently may not find Cresset’s advisor-led model a good fit.
- Those seeking digital-first or robo-advisor tools: Cresset does not position its service as a digital or automated platform, which may limit appeal for investors prioritizing app-based, self-service investing.
Cresset Capital: Is it secure?
Cresset Capital operates under a regulated RIA model and is SEC-registered.
Cresset highlights a set of fiduciary-style standards that are presented as core safeguards for clients, including:
- Placing clients’ interests first as a legal fiduciary obligation
- Transparency on client costs, fees, and terms
- Transparency on portfolios and investments
- Independence from any bank, broker-dealer, insurance provider, or custodian
- Measuring client performance returns using independent third parties
It has also implemented specific security measures, including:
- Reasonable data protection: Takes commercially reasonable steps to protect client information from loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure, or destruction.
- Security limitations disclosed: Acknowledges that no internet, email, or electronic system is completely secure.
- No email credential requests: Does not request billing details, login IDs, or passwords by email and advises clients to report suspicious messages.
- Secure data disposal: Shreds paper records and securely destroys electronic media when information is no longer needed.
Cresset Capital: Customer service
Cresset’s customer service is built around a high-touch, advisor-led model rather than a centralized call centre or tiered digital support system.
Clients generally interact directly with their assigned advisory team, which serves as the primary point of contact for portfolio questions, planning discussions, and service requests.
How client support is structured
- Dedicated advisor relationship: Client support is centered on the ongoing relationship with an advisory team, rather than a self-service or automated support model.
- Multiple contact options: Include email, phone, and scheduling meetings.
- Local presence through offices: The firm also presents a network of family office locations, which supports in-person or location-based engagement where relevant.
Cresset does not present customer service as a 24/7 digital help desk.
Cresset Capital: Mobile app
Cresset offers a dedicated client portal mobile app that provides existing clients with secure, on-the-go access to their financial information and reporting.
The Cresset mobile app is designed to let clients：
- View portfolio performance
- Monitor asset allocation and holdings
- See net worth and cash positions
- Access documents and reporting
- View Cresset-curated content
Is Cresset Capital worth it?
Whether Cresset Capital is worth it depends on the type of client and the complexity of what they want from a wealth management relationship.
For ultra-high-net-worth and multi-generational families seeking an advisor-led, highly customized approach that integrates portfolio management with broader planning and family office coordination, Cresset’s model may be appropriate.
Cresset may be less compelling for investors who primarily want low-cost, standardized portfolio management, a single published account minimum, or a digital-first robo-advisor experience.
Get expert financial advice
If you're seeking professional financial advice, Unbiased can match you with a financial advisor who will help you manage your money and maximize your investments.