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Key people at Highland Advisors.
Highland Advisors is an SEC-registered investment advisor based in Ponte Vedra, Florida, providing fee-based wealth management services and partnering with independent financial advisors to build practices or support succession plans. The firm manages over $220 million in assets under management, serving more than 400 individual clients nationwide from its headquarters and additional offices in Delafield and Brookfield, Wisconsin. Highland Advisors has expanded its operations and client base through a strategy of acquiring other registered investment advisory firms, growing from a solo practice to a team of 10 employees. Notable acquisitions include Stoeckler Financial Advisory Services, LLC in April 2023, which represented its third such transaction and further expanded its presence in Wisconsin. Key leadership includes founder Ken Karr and Adam Drake, overseeing the firm's continued growth. Highland Advisors was founded in 2006 by Ken Karr.
Highland Advisors refers to multiple independent investment advisory firms, with no single dominant entity matching the query exactly; prominent examples include Highland Financial Advisors, LLC (founded 2004, Wayne, NJ), Highland Investment Advisors, LLC (fee-only fiduciary firm), Highland Associates (nearly 50 years serving mission-based organizations), and Highland Capital Advisors (focused on institutional investors).[2][3][4][5] These firms emphasize client-centric strategies: personalized financial planning for high-net-worth individuals and families (Highland Financial), fiduciary wealth preservation and growth (Highland Investment), outsourced CIO services for nonprofits (Highland Associates), and rigorous institutional management without hidden fees (Highland Capital).[2][3][4][5] Their investment philosophies prioritize holistic planning, risk management, customized portfolios, and fiduciary duty over product sales, often targeting equities, ETFs, fixed income, and tailored asset allocation; none focus on startup ecosystems or venture capital, distinguishing them from larger players like Highland Capital Management (hedge funds, $13.9B AUM in 2018).[1][2][4]
These firms emerged in the mid-2000s amid growing demand for independent, fiduciary advice post-regulatory shifts like the fiduciary rule emphasis. Highland Financial Advisors, LLC was founded in 2004 in Wayne, NJ, as an independent RIA serving high-net-worth clients nationwide, with ~12 employees by 2025 focused on advisory roles.[2] Highland Investment Advisors, LLC originated as a fee-only firm prioritizing client plans over products, building on founders' commitments to simplicity and long-term relationships.[4][6] Highland Associates traces back nearly five decades, evolving to empower mission-based organizations via advisory or OCIO models.[3] Highland Capital Advisors was co-founded by Bill Small (ex-Merrill Lynch) and Rick Wyman (ex-Wurts & Associates), leveraging decades of institutional experience in retirement strategies and asset allocation.[5] Key pivots include expansions into ETFs (e.g., Highland Financial's 13F holdings in SPDR and Dimensional ETFs as of Sep 2025) and discretionary services.[2][5]
These firms play niche roles in wealth management rather than direct tech investing, supporting high-net-worth clients and institutions amid rising ETF adoption and fiduciary standards in a volatile market. They ride trends like personalized RIA growth (post-DOL fiduciary rules) and ETF dominance for accessible diversification, as seen in holdings like SPDR Series Trust and Dimensional ETFs.[2] Timing favors them with 2025 market recovery, enabling portfolio rebalancing amid AI-driven equity booms and real estate shifts (e.g., reduced CBRE exposure).[2] Market forces include demand for transparent advice amid economic uncertainty, influencing ecosystems by channeling capital into broad indices rather than startups, contrasting venture-heavy firms.[1][2]
These Highland Advisors entities are poised for steady growth in the RIA space, expanding AUM through ETF-heavy strategies and OCIO demand from aging institutions. Rising interest rates and tech sector volatility will shape their path, favoring risk-managed portfolios; influence may evolve via tech-enabled planning tools and national scaling. As fiduciaries prioritizing plans over products, they reinforce trust in fragmented advisory markets, delivering on the promise of confident navigation for clients' milestones.[2][4][5]
Key people at Highland Advisors.
