Strategic insights into leaders shaping wealth advisory, strategic transformation, and high-net-worth solutions globally
Wealth management is now more complex and competitive than ever – driven by demographic shifts (including a massive generational wealth transfer), evolving client expectations for personalization and digital tools, and regulatory pressures. Leaders in this space combine deep investment expertise, strategic advisory capabilities, advanced technology, and holistic planning across tax, estate, retirement, and legacy planning. Below are the top 20 firms shaping the field today.
1. McKinsey & Company
Founders: James O. McKinsey
Founded: 1926
Headquarters: New York City, USA
Product Categories: Strategic wealth management consulting, financial services transformation, digital transformation
About:
McKinsey & Company is the oldest and largest strategy and management consulting firm globally. Though known broadly for corporate strategy and operations consulting, McKinsey has a deep wealth-management and financial services practice guiding banks, asset managers, and private banks on growth strategy, client experience, operational excellence, and digital transformation. McKinsey’s insights often set industry direction across markets.
Key Features:
- Global strategy & growth consulting for wealth firms
- Digital and analytics transformation
- Client behavior & segmentation insights
- Operational and cost optimization
- Risk and regulatory strategy
2. Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
Founders: Bruce D. Henderson
Founded: 1963
Headquarters: Boston, USA
Product Categories: Wealth strategy consulting, financial institutions consulting, digital acceleration
About:
BCG is a premier global management consulting firm with a highly developed wealth management advisory practice. BCG helps wealth managers adapt to changing client expectations, expand digital capabilities, and unlock revenue growth through pricing strategy, operating model transformation, and data & analytics adoption. Its work in financial institutions emphasizes competitive advantage and client experience.
Key Features:
- Strategic positioning in wealth management
- Digital client engagement solutions
- Revenue-enhancement frameworks
- Pricing & performance optimization
- Growth through segmentation and product mix
3. Bain & Company
Founders: Bill Bain & Patrick Graham
Founded: 1973
Headquarters: Boston, USA
Product Categories: Wealth management strategy, customer loyalty & NPS®, performance improvement
About:
Bain & Company is among the elite global consultancies, focusing on strategy, customer value, and operational excellence. Its work in wealth services spans client experience transformation, pricing strategy, and core platform efficiency – with a strong focus on customer-centric growth and long-term client loyalty for financial advisors and private banks.
Key Features:
- Customer loyalty and experience design
- Transformation & growth strategy
- Pricing and profitability enhancements
- Digital enablement and channel strategy
- Organizational alignment
4. Mercer Advisors
Founders: Bill Kelly
Founded: 1985
Headquarters: El Segundo, USA
Product Categories: Wealth planning, investment advisory, family office services
About:
Mercer Advisors is one of America’s largest Registered Investment Advisory (RIA) firms. It specializes in holistic wealth management – integrating financial planning, investment management, estate & trust planning, tax strategies, and family office services. Mercer has consistently ranked highly among Barron’s and industry surveys for client satisfaction and comprehensive advisory services.
Key Features:
- Comprehensive wealth planning solutions
- Fiduciary investment management
- Integrated tax & estate strategy
- Family office expertise
- Regional personalization with national scale
5. BlackRock Wealth & Advisory
Founders: Larry Fink, Ralph Schlosstein
Founded: 1988
Headquarters: New York City, USA
Product Categories: Investment management, wealth advisory, technology platforms
About:
BlackRock is the world’s largest asset manager and offers high-end wealth advisory solutions. Its Aladdin Wealth platform powers portfolio design and risk analytics for private banks and advisors. With deep capital markets expertise, BlackRock blends wealth strategy with robust investment solutions, risk management tools, and insights for HNW clients.
Key Features:
- Institutional-grade portfolio strategies
- Risk and scenario analytics
- White-label advisory technology
- Global investment research
- Private markets and alternatives access
6. J.P. Morgan Wealth Management
Founders: J. Pierpont Morgan (historic roots)
Founded: 1871
Headquarters: New York City, USA
Product Categories: Wealth advisory, investment guidance, estate and tax planning
About:
J.P. Morgan’s Wealth Advisors provide deeply personalized advisory backed by one of the most comprehensive financial institutions in the world. They help high net worth and ultra-HNW clients with tailored investment management, estate planning, philanthropic strategies, and risk management solutions rooted in decades of institutional insight.
Key Features:
- Bespoke investment portfolios
- Legacy & estate strategies
- Global research insights
- Asset allocation models
- Integrated family office advisory
7. UBS Global Wealth Management
Founders: Founded through mergers of Swiss banking traditions
Founded: 1998
Headquarters: Zurich, Switzerland
Product Categories: Integrated wealth management, private banking, financial planning
About:
UBS is one of the largest global private banks, serving affluent individuals and families with comprehensive wealth solutions – including investment management, financial planning, lending, retirement strategies, and family office services. UBS’s global footprint and research scale lend significant intellectual capital to wealth advisory engagements.
Key Features:
- Global wealth advisory infrastructure
- Tailored investment solutions
- Risk and liquidity planning
- Cross-border expertise
- Legacy and succession planning
8. Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management
Founders: Marcus Goldman & Samuel Sachs
Founded: 1869
Headquarters: New York City, USA
Product Categories: Ultra-HNW advisory, investment strategies, structured products
About:
Goldman Sachs’s private wealth division serves ultra-high-net-worth families and individuals, combining investment sophistication with bespoke financial solutions. It excels in portfolio structuring, alternative investments, tax strategies, and trust planning, backed by world-class research and capital markets expertise.
Key Features:
- Alternative and structured investments
- Hedge and private equity access
- Personalized risk profiling
- Advisory councils & research insights
- High-touch client engagement
9. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management
Founders: Henry S. Morgan & Harold Stanley
Founded: 1935
Headquarters: New York City, USA
Product Categories: Wealth planning, advisory, brokerage solutions
About:
Morgan Stanley Wealth Management marries investment banking insight with tailored advisory solutions. It focuses on individual and institutional client strategies, combining traditional wealth planning with advanced portfolio analysis and fiduciary guidance for high net worth clients.
Key Features:
- Integrated financial planning
- Investment research & analytics
- Retirement & legacy planning
- Multi-asset portfolios
- Digital advisory tools
10. BNY Mellon Wealth Management
Founders: Founded from Bank of New York & Mellon Financial merger
Founded: 2007
Headquarters: New York City, USA
Product Categories: Fiduciary advisory, investment management, legacy planning
About:
BNY Mellon offers a wealth practice rooted in fiduciary expertise and trust services, serving families, institutions, and endowments. Its “Active Wealth” approach seeks to integrate investing, spending, tax, and legacy planning into cohesive strategies tailored to clients’ evolving goals.
Key Features:
- Active wealth framework
- Trust and fiduciary solutions
- Tax-aware investment strategies
- Family governance planning
- Endowment & foundation advisory
(Continued – Next section of companies below)
11. Deloitte Consulting (Wealth & Financial Services)
Founders: William Welch Deloitte
Founded: 1845
Headquarters: London, UK
Product Categories: Financial services consulting, digital transformation
About:
Deloitte’s global consulting arm provides end-to-end advisory for wealth and asset managers, focusing on regulatory compliance, operational transformation, digital client platforms, and data intelligence. It helps firms modernize technology and adapt to evolving client demands.
Key Features:
- Regulatory and compliance strategy
- Digital wealth platforms
- Analytics and risk management
- Cloud transformation
- Customer engagement design
12. PricewaterhouseCoopers (Strategy&)
Founders: Samuel Lowell Price, William Cooper & others (roots)
Founded: 1998 (PwC Global), Strategy& earlier
Headquarters: London, UK
Product Categories: Strategic advisory, risk & compliance
About:
PwC’s Strategy& brings strategic consulting to wealth and financial institutions – from M&A strategy to operational redesign. Its blend of risk management, tax advisory, and strategy helps wealth firms navigate global markets and regulatory shifts.
Key Features:
- M&A strategy
- Performance improvement
- Regulatory framework design
- Global tax strategy
- Organizational design
13. EY-Parthenon
Founders: William “Bill” Achtmeyer & John C. Rutherford
Founded: 2014 (merged)
Headquarters: Boston, USA
Product Categories: Strategic consulting, financial services advisory
About:
EY-Parthenon combines deep strategic insight with executional excellence. Its advisory practice helps wealth firms explore growth strategy, digital transformation, and client value optimization – connecting Strategy& execution capability with EY’s broader services ecosystem.
Key Features:
- Corporate strategy & transformation
- Performance and growth design
- M&A and divestiture strategy
- Client experience optimization
- Risk advisory
14. Roland Berger
Founders: Roland Berger
Founded: 1967
Headquarters: Munich, Germany
Product Categories: Strategy consulting, wealth sector advisory
About:
Roland Berger is a respected global strategy consultancy that advises wealth managers and financial institutions on strategic direction, operational performance, and market positioning. The firm’s European roots give it particular strength in cross-border advisory.
Key Features:
- Strategic market entry guidance
- Operational performance improvement
- Client segmentation analysis
- Digital strategy frameworks
- Cross-border advisory
15. Wilshire Associates
Founders: Dennis Tito
Founded: 1972
Headquarters: Santa Monica, USA
Product Categories: Investment consulting, analytics, wealth strategy
About:
Wilshire blends investment consulting with advanced analytics products and portfolio solutions. It helps wealth managers and institutional clients with asset allocation, risk assessment, and quantitative analysis. Their industry-recognized indices reflect deep modeling expertise.
Key Features:
- Investment analytics
- Risk and performance modeling
- Asset allocation strategies
- Consulting for wealth firms
- Quant-driven insights
16. Plante Moran Wealth Management
Founders: Ira A. Plante, Robert J. Moran
Founded: 1924
Headquarters: Southfield, USA
Product Categories: Wealth advisory, family office, tax & estate planning
About:
Plante Moran offers a highly personalized approach to wealth advisory – integrating financial planning, trust services, retirement planning, tax management, and business transition planning for individuals and families. Its wealth practice emphasizes goals-based planning and personal engagement.
Key Features:
- Holistic wealth planning
- Family legacy & business transition
- Integrated tax solutions
- Trust services
- Personalized client strategies
17. Bernstein Private Wealth Management
Founders: Charles D. Ellis (founder of Sanford C. Bernstein roots)
Founded: 1967
Headquarters: New York City, USA
Product Categories: Private wealth advisory, personalized investment planning
About:
Bernstein focuses on thoughtful, personalized wealth management strategies backed by sophisticated research and client-centric service. It serves high-net-worth clients with customized portfolios and deep insights across global markets.
Key Features:
- Personalized portfolio design
- Global research integration
- Tailored advisory solutions
- Multi-generational planning
- High-touch service
18. Vanguard Personal Advisor Services
Founders: John C. Bogle
Founded: 1975
Headquarters: Malvern, USA
Product Categories: Wealth advisory, investment management, fiduciary planning
About:
Vanguard combines low-cost investment solutions with fiduciary wealth advisory services. Geared toward long-term investors and affluent individuals, it emphasizes disciplined investing, cost-efficiency, and integrated financial planning.
Key Features:
- Fiduciary planning
- Low-cost structures
- Investment tax efficiency
- Retirement planning
- Evidence-based portfolios
19. Fidelity Wealth Management
Founders: Edward C. Johnson II
Founded: 1946
Headquarters: Boston, USA
Product Categories: Wealth planning, portfolio management, retirement solutions
About:
Fidelity delivers full-service wealth management through financial advisory, retirement planning, trust services, and highly tailored investment solutions. Its technology platforms and research depth support personalized client engagements globally.
Key Features:
- Integrated advisory tools
- Retirement and estate planning
- Trust services
- Research-driven investment models
- Digital advisory experiences
20. State Street Global Advisors Wealth Solutions
Founders: State Street Corporation roots (varied)
Founded: 1978
Headquarters: Boston, USA
Product Categories: Asset management, wealth advisory, ETF solutions
About:
State Street is a major asset manager that also supports wealth management solutions – particularly for institutional, family office, and HNW clients. With deep ETF capabilities and a strong governance focus, it blends investment strategy with advisory insights.
Key Features:
- ETF & indexed solutions
- Portfolio management
- Governance structures
- Risk-aware strategies
- Institutional wealth advisory
Conclusion
The landscape of wealth management consulting is wide and multi-dimensional:
- Global strategy firms like McKinsey, BCG, Bain lead in transformation and competitive strategy.
- Institutional leaders such as BlackRock, UBS, J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs provide deep investment and advisory expertise for ultra-high-net-worth clients.
- Fiduciary and RIA leaders like Mercer Advisors and Vanguard focus on holistic planning and client-centric portfolios.
As wealth becomes more dynamic – driven by digitalization, demographic change, and regulatory complexity – choosing the right partner depends on client needs: from strategic transformation and digital innovation to deeply personalized advisory and legacy planning.
