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RIA comparison · SEC Form ADV

Creative Planning vs Hightower Advisors, LLC

Two independent wealth managers side by side: assets, clients, staff, services and fees, from each firm’s own filing.

The short answer

Creative Planning is the larger of the two, with $296B in regulatory assets to $199B at Hightower Advisors, LLC, 49% more than its rival, by their latest Form ADV filings. Creative Planning reports more individual clients (87,051 vs 62,807), while Hightower Advisors, LLC’s clients hold more on average (about $2.8 million each against $2.1 million). Creative Planning is based in Overland Park, Kansas and Hightower Advisors, LLC in Chicago, Illinois.

FigureCreative PlanningHightower Advisors, LLC
Regulatory AUM$296B$199B
National rank#4#5
HeadquartersOverland Park, KansasChicago, Illinois
Individual clients87,05162,807
High-net-worth clients39,51129,177
Average client assets$2.1 million$2.8 million
Accounts320,323220,222
Discretionary99% of AUM96% of AUM
Employees1,6501,983
Advisory staff1,538953
Clients per advisory employee5766
Offices151133
Form ADV filed2026-07-102026-09-03

Creative Planning

Full profile →

Services

  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management for individuals and small businesses
  • Portfolio management for pooled investment vehicles
  • Portfolio management for businesses and institutions
  • Pension consulting
  • Selecting other advisers
  • Educational seminars and workshops

How it’s paid

  • A percentage of assets under management
  • Hourly charges
  • Fixed fees

Hightower Advisors, LLC

Full profile →

Services

  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management for individuals and small businesses
  • Portfolio management for pooled investment vehicles
  • Portfolio management for businesses and institutions
  • Pension consulting
  • Selecting other advisers
  • Other services

How it’s paid

  • A percentage of assets under management
  • Hourly charges
  • Fixed fees
  • Other

Questions

Which is bigger, Creative Planning or Hightower Advisors, LLC?

Creative Planning, with $296B in regulatory assets under management against $199B at Hightower Advisors, LLC. Nationally they rank #4 and #5 among 5,657 independent wealth management RIAs.

How many clients do Creative Planning and Hightower Advisors, LLC have?

Creative Planning reports 87,051 individual clients (39,511 high-net-worth) with 1,538 advisory employees; Hightower Advisors, LLC reports 62,807 (29,177 high-net-worth) with 953 advisory employees.

How do Creative Planning and Hightower Advisors, LLC charge clients?

Only Hightower Advisors, LLC lists other forms of compensation on Form ADV. Fee schedules and minimums are in each firm’s Form ADV Part 2A brochure.

What services do Creative Planning and Hightower Advisors, LLC offer?

Creative Planning lists educational seminars and workshops, which Hightower Advisors, LLC does not. Hightower Advisors, LLC lists other services, which Creative Planning does not. Both offer financial planning; portfolio management for individuals and small businesses; portfolio management for pooled investment vehicles; portfolio management for businesses and institutions; pension consulting; selecting other advisers.

More comparisons

Where these numbers come from

Every figure is the firm’s own answer on its latest Form ADV, from the SEC’s registered-adviser list as of October 1, 2026: regulatory assets and accounts (Item 5.F), clients by type (5.D), employees (5.A and 5.B), compensation (5.E) and services (5.G). Average client assets divide the assets held for individual and high-net-worth clients by their number. Ranks compare each firm with all US-based independent wealth management RIAs, the same field as The Largest RIAs. Figures can lag recent deals and market moves.

Not an endorsement or a recommendation of either firm. Before hiring an adviser, read its Form ADV Part 2A brochure and check its record on the SEC’s adviser search: Creative Planning ↗, Hightower Advisors, LLC ↗. How to check a financial advisor →