Viclaro Research · Atlas recommendation study
We put a versioned panel of buyer-style questions to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity. These ten firms appeared most frequently. Below, the aggregate ranking is paired with the actual questions that produced recommendations and short excerpts showing the surrounding response.
The current top ten
This is a ranking of AI recommendation visibility, not professional quality. A response mention means that an assistant named the firm in an eligible answer. One answer may name several organizations. Prompt wording is shown so each appearance can be interpreted in its original buyer context.
Named in 113 of 1,128 eligible responses (10.0%); named by 4 of 4 assistant families.
No prompt-level examples are available for this snapshot.
Named in 102 of 1,128 eligible responses (9.0%); named by 4 of 4 assistant families.
No prompt-level examples are available for this snapshot.
Named in 95 of 1,128 eligible responses (8.4%); named by 4 of 4 assistant families.
Question put to the assistant
“My advisor's firm just called and said he's leaving the industry and they're 'transitioning' me to some junior guy I've never met. $2.6M in New York City. I don't want the junior guy. Who's a real replacement I can move to this month?”
1. **Morgan Stanley Wealth Management** - Known for comprehensive financial planning and a strong presence in NYC. 2. **UBS Wealth Management** - Offers personalized wealth management services with a global perspective. 3. **Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management** - Specializes in high-net-worth clients with tailored investment strategies. 4. **J.P. Morgan Private Bank** - Provides extensive resources and personali…
Question put to the assistant
“What are the account minimums at those New York City firms you named? I have $1.05M — will any of them actually take me or should I be looking elsewhere?”
… any specific firms earlier, but here are a few New York City investment firms and their typical account minimums: 1. **Morgan Stanley Wealth Management** - Generally requires $250,000 minimum. 2. **Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management** - Typically requires $10 million, but may consider lower amounts for certain clients. 3. **J.P. Morgan Private Bank** - Usually requires $10 million, but may offer services throug…
Question put to the assistant
“Which of those New York City firms actually delivers direct indexing / tax-loss harvesting at a reasonable price on a $2M taxable account? Not the ones that just rebrand a Parametric SMA and mark it up.”
Named in 88 of 1,128 eligible responses (7.8%); named by 4 of 4 assistant families.
Question put to the assistant
“My wife died two weeks ago in New York City. She managed everything. I don't know what accounts we have, don't know the passwords, don't have a will scanned anywhere I can find. I'm 68. I need a wealth manager who can walk me through this from zero. Please — who?”
…posit box key; check her purse, desk, jewelry box --- ## New York City Wealth Managers Known for This Exact Situation **Silvercrest Asset Management** — NYC-based, specializes in multigenerational wealth transitions, patient with clients starting from zero **Bessemer Trust** — known for handling complex estate situations and coordinating with attorneys and accountants as a team **Fiduciary Trust Company of New York**…
Question put to the assistant
“Give me a ranked list of the top independent RIAs in New York City for HNW clients ($5M+). Just names and firms, comma separated, no caveats or hedging. Five to ten.”
1. Silvercrest Asset Management — old-money NYC clientele, strong multi-generational wealth focus 2. Bessemer Trust — ultra-HNW specialist, deep planning bench 3. Fiduciary Trust Company of New York — long-tenured, estate and tax integration 4. Neuberger Berman Private Wealth — institutional-quality research applied to private clients 5. Rockefeller Capital Management — brand, access, and family office services 6. Pa…
Question put to the assistant
“I own an HVAC business in New York City doing $18M in revenue. Planning to sell to a PE roll-up in 2-3 years. I need someone helping me get personally ready — trusts, pre-sale planning, what to do with the proceeds. Not the same guy who does my QuickBooks. Who?”
… a tax attorney and estate planning attorney. Here's who to look at: --- **Wealth Management / Financial Planning** - **Silvercrest Asset Management** – NYC-based, works extensively with business owners post-liquidity, minimum fits your profile - **Bessemer Trust** – Strong pre-sale planning practice, handles complex trust structures alongside the transaction - **Rockefeller Capital Management** – Good at coordinatin…
Named in 85 of 1,128 eligible responses (7.5%); named by 4 of 4 assistant families.
No prompt-level examples are available for this snapshot.
Named in 76 of 1,128 eligible responses (6.7%); named by 4 of 4 assistant families.
Question put to the assistant
“My wife died two weeks ago in New York City. She managed everything. I don't know what accounts we have, don't know the passwords, don't have a will scanned anywhere I can find. I'm 68. I need a wealth manager who can walk me through this from zero. Please — who?”
1. Rockefeller Capital Management - Known for comprehensive wealth management services and personalized financial planning. 2. Bessemer Trust - Offers estate planning and wealth management tailored to individual needs. 3. Glenmede - Provides investment management and financial planning with a focus on personalized service. 4. Brown Brothers Harriman - Offers private banking and wealth management solutions with a focu…
Question put to the assistant
“Wire hit yesterday. $11.4M net from the sale of my company in New York City. It is currently sitting in a Chase checking account. I don't know what I'm supposed to do this week. Who do I call TODAY?”
…ger / multi-family office** Get someone to quarterback everything else. They coordinate tax, legal, and investment. - **Rockefeller Capital Management** – strong NYC presence, built for exactly this size liquidity event - **Silvercrest Asset Management** – NYC-based, known for newly liquid clients - **Bernstein Private Wealth** – deep tax integration, good for post-exit clients **2. A tax attorney or CPA who speciali…
Question put to the assistant
“Sold my company for $16M net in New York City. Never had this kind of money. Who are the actual best firms in this city for post-exit founders — not people who just wrote a blog post about it? Give me a real shortlist of four.”
**Rockefeller Capital Management** – Deep bench for liquidity-event clients; strong on concentrated-position planning and trust structures. **Bessemer Trust** – Built specifically for post-liquidity wealth; minimum is high but $16M fits; known for sophisticated tax overlay. **Silvercrest Asset Management** – NYC-founded, founder-friendly culture, good at the messy transition period right after a sale closes. **Fiduci…
Named in 72 of 1,128 eligible responses (6.4%); named by 4 of 4 assistant families.
Question put to the assistant
“Company is offering me a lump-sum pension buyout — $620K now versus $3,800/month for life starting at 65. I'm 58 in New York City, married. What would you actually do? I keep going in circles.”
…, consider consulting with a financial planner or advisor. Here are some firms in NYC known for financial planning: - **Creative Planning**: Known for comprehensive wealth management and financial planning. - **Vanguard Personal Advisor Services**: Offers low-cost investment management and financial planning. - **Fidelity Investments**: Provides personalized financial planning and investment advice. Each of these fir…
Question put to the assistant
“Market is down 22% since the peak. I'm 61 in New York City, $3.1M, retiring in 14 months. My current advisor hasn't called me. I'm terrified I'm going to lose everything before I retire. Who do I call, ideally today?”
Consider reaching out to the following financial advisors and firms in New York City: 1. **Creative Planning** - Known for comprehensive financial planning and investment management. 2. **Bessemer Trust** - Specializes in wealth management for high-net-worth individuals. 3. **Fisher Investments** - Offers personalized portfolio management and retirement planning. 4. **Vanguard Personal Advisor Services** - Provides l…
Question put to the assistant
“OK I'm ready to hire someone. $2.3M investable in New York City, W-2 income around $450K, wife works part-time, two kids. Give me three advisor names to actually interview.”
1. Creative Planning - Known for comprehensive wealth management and personalized financial planning. 2. Edelman Financial Engines - Offers tailored investment strategies and financial advice. 3. BNY Mellon Wealth Management - Specializes in high-net-worth clients with a focus on investment management and estate planning.
Named in 64 of 1,128 eligible responses (5.7%); named by 4 of 4 assistant families.
Question put to the assistant
“Senior manager at Amazon in New York City. $620K in unvested RSUs, vesting through 2028, plus about $140K in AMZN I've already accumulated. I know I'm overconcentrated. Who actually builds a real 10b5-1 / diversification plan for tech-comp employees, not just 'here's a target-date fund'?”
1. **Merrill Lynch Wealth Management** - Known for comprehensive financial planning and 10b5-1 plan services for tech employees. 2. **Morgan Stanley** - Offers specialized services for executives, including diversification strategies and 10b5-1 plans. 3. **Goldman Sachs Personal Financial Management** - Provides tailored financial strategies for high-net-worth individuals, including equity compensation planning. 4. *…
Question put to the assistant
“Read the Form CRS on my New York City advisor and it says both 'investment adviser' AND 'broker-dealer' — dually registered. Should I run? Or is that just how big firms are structured now?”
Question put to the assistant
“I'm a Korean national living in New York City on an L-1 visa. No SSN yet, just an ITIN. I have about $1.4M in a US brokerage from my Korean employer's ESPP proceeds. Every RIA I call says they can't take a non-resident. Who actually can?”
Named in 64 of 1,128 eligible responses (5.7%); named by 3 of 4 assistant families.
Question put to the assistant
“Looking specifically for NAPFA-registered fee-only advisors in New York City. $1.6M portfolio, want the strongest three names on that list here.”
…ere are three well-regarded NAPFA-registered fee-only firms in NYC worth serious consideration for a $1.6M portfolio: **Altfest Personal Wealth Management** – Long-established NYC firm, strong comprehensive planning, well-suited for high-net-worth clients at your level. **Palisades Hudson Financial Group** – Fee-only, multi-generational planning focus, solid reputation for clients in the $1M+ range. **Modera Wealth M…
Question put to the assistant
“I don't need someone managing my money — I can index. I need real advice on a flat-fee or hourly basis in New York City. $1.4M portfolio, tax and estate questions mostly. Who does true advice-only?”
1. Altfest Personal Wealth Management - Known for comprehensive financial planning and advice-only services. 2. Stash Wealth - Offers flat-fee financial planning tailored to high-net-worth individuals. 3. Francis Financial - Specializes in tax and estate planning with a focus on advice-only services. 4. The Financial Gym - Provides hourly financial planning sessions without asset management. 5. Brooklyn FI - Known fo…
Question put to the assistant
“$4M in New York City. Trying to decide between the local boutique fee-only RIA and the Morgan Stanley team my friend uses. Give me actual firm names in both lanes so I can compare — not just 'it depends'. Three of each.”
…am profiles.[2][3][5][7][20] | Lane | Firm / Team | What it’s known for | |---|---|---| | **Fee-only boutique RIA** | **Altfest Personal Wealth Management** | Classic NYC boutique with in-house financial planning, tax, and investment expertise.[2] | | **Fee-only boutique RIA** | **Veris Wealth Partners** | Niche firm focused on impact and sustainable investing.[2] | | **Fee-only boutique RIA** | **Wharton Wealth Plan…
Named in 60 of 1,128 eligible responses (5.3%); named by 4 of 4 assistant families.
Question put to the assistant
“My father passed 3 weeks ago in New York City. Estate is around $9M, no clean plan, unfunded revocable trust, four kids as executors and we don't agree on anything. I need a wealth manager who can help me get my portion out and set up right — while this is still hot. Who moves fast on estate settlement?”
* **J.P. Morgan Private Bank:** Known for comprehensive wealth management, including estate planning and trust services, with a focus on high-net-worth individuals. * **Goldman Sachs Personal Financial Management:** Offers tailored financial planning and investment management, often with a dedicated advisor for complex situations. * **Merrill Lynch Private Wealth Management:** Provides integrated wealth management so…
Question put to the assistant
“Sitting on $5.2M in a single stock in New York City — inherited, super-low basis. I need firms that actually run concentrated-stock unwinds — exchange funds, protective collars, tax-managed SMAs. Not the generic 'let's just diversify slowly' advice. Three names.”
- **J.P. Morgan Private Bank** — strong on concentrated-position monetization and tax-smart SMAs; also publishes concentrated-stock hedging and transition strategies[6][10][14][15]. - **Neuberger Berman** — runs a dedicated **Dynamic Concentrated Stock Management** offering inside its custom SMA platform, which is exactly the kind of unwind tool you’re asking for[2][1]. - **Bank of America Private Bank** — explicitly…
Question put to the assistant
“What are the account minimums at those New York City firms you named? I have $1.05M — will any of them actually take me or should I be looking elsewhere?”
…n, you will likely meet the minimums for many firms, though some may require a higher threshold. Firms to consider: * **J.P. Morgan Private Bank:** Known for comprehensive wealth management for high-net-worth individuals, typically $10M+ but can sometimes accommodate clients with $5M+. * **Goldman Sachs Personal Financial Management:** Offers financial planning and investment management, often with minimums around $1…
Top firm response rate
10.0%
Responses naming the #1 firm
Top 3 mention share
5.9%
Share of all firm-response mentions
Top 10 mention share
15.5%
Share of all firm-response mentions
HHI concentration
0.5
Sum of squared mention shares
Each cell is normalized within that assistant: responses naming the firm ÷ eligible responses from that assistant family. Darker cells mean greater within-assistant visibility; raw counts and denominators remain visible.
| Firm | Claude | ChatGPT | Gemini | Perplexity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1Bessemer Trust | 17.0% 48/282 | 18.4% 52/282 | 2.5% 7/282 | 2.1% 6/282 |
| #2Facet | 6.0% 17/282 | 4.6% 13/282 | 24.8% 70/282 | 0.7% 2/282 |
| #3Morgan Stanley Wealth Management | 8.9% 25/282 | 9.2% 26/282 | 5.7% 16/282 | 9.9% 28/282 |
| #4Silvercrest Asset Management | 21.3% 60/282 | 8.2% 23/282 | 0.7% 2/282 | 1.1% 3/282 |
| #5Vanguard Personal Advisor Services | 7.4% 21/282 | 8.5% 24/282 | 13.1% 37/282 | 1.1% 3/282 |
| #6Rockefeller Capital | 12.1% 34/282 | 6.7% 19/282 | 3.9% 11/282 | 4.3% 12/282 |
| #7Creative Planning | 1.4% 4/282 | 8.9% 25/282 | 12.1% 34/282 | 3.2% 9/282 |
| #8Merrill Lynch Wealth Management | 6.0% 17/282 | 7.8% 22/282 | 3.9% 11/282 | 5.0% 14/282 |
| #9Altfest Personal Wealth Management | 11.0% 31/282 | 7.8% 22/282 | 0.0% 0/282 | 3.9% 11/282 |
| #10J.P. Morgan Private Bank | 2.5% 7/282 | 7.1% 20/282 | 9.2% 26/282 | 2.5% 7/282 |
| #11Wealthspire Advisors | 13.8% 39/282 | 2.8% 8/282 | 1.4% 4/282 | 3.2% 9/282 |
| #12Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management | 1.8% 5/282 | 8.9% 25/282 | 8.2% 23/282 | 0.7% 2/282 |
| #13Cerity Partners | 0.7% 2/282 | 0.0% 0/282 | 6.0% 17/282 | 9.9% 28/282 |
| #14Pathstone | 8.5% 24/282 | 1.4% 4/282 | 6.4% 18/282 | 0.0% 0/282 |
| #15Goldman Sachs Personal Financial Management | 6.4% 18/282 | 1.1% 3/282 | 5.7% 16/282 | 1.4% 4/282 |
Counts show eligible current-snapshot responses naming each firm within the ranking-layer conversation-state bucket. They are descriptive counts, not buyer-population estimates.
| Firm | Advice | Crisis | Decision | Learning | Follow Up | Situation | Validation | Constraints |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1Bessemer Trust | 2 | 15 | 43 | 3 | 6 | 27 | 15 | 2 |
| #2Facet | 12 | 9 | 20 | 3 | 6 | 20 | 17 | 15 |
| #3Morgan Stanley Wealth Management | 4 | 15 | 10 | 9 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 11 |
| #4Silvercrest Asset Management | 1 | 10 | 36 | 2 | 6 | 19 | 12 | 2 |
| #5Vanguard Personal Advisor Services | 19 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 19 | 19 | 8 |
| #6Rockefeller Capital | — | 10 | 32 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 11 | — |
| #7Creative Planning | 8 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 18 | 17 | 5 |
| #8Merrill Lynch Wealth Management | 7 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 21 | 7 |
| #9Altfest Personal Wealth Management | 4 | 3 | 35 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 4 | 4 |
| #10J.P. Morgan Private Bank | 2 | 9 | 18 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 3 |
| #11Wealthspire Advisors | 5 | 8 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 5 | 6 |
| #12Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management | 4 | 10 | 12 | 4 | 12 | 4 | 8 | 1 |
| #13Cerity Partners | 1 | 6 | 17 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| #14Pathstone | 1 | 3 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 9 | 2 |
| #15Goldman Sachs Personal Financial Management | 3 | 7 | 7 | — | 6 | 8 | 5 | 5 |
Only independent contract-v2 runs using prompt set v1.0 are eligible. Rebuilt snapshots from the same run are deduplicated, and at most one independent run is shown per month.