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Based in St. Louis, Moneta Group Investment Advisors provides portfolio management and financial planning services, working with individuals and families as well as institutions. The employee-owned firm operates on a fee-only basis, and notably has no minimum investment requirement. That said, the bulk of its clients are high net worth individuals.
The bottom line: With four locations across the U.S., Moneta Group Investment Advisors is focused on providing financial management to both individual and institutional investors.
| Assets under management: $32,888,762,887 | |
| Minimum investment: No minimum | |
| Individual investor to advisor ratio: 37:1 | |
| Fee structure: A percentage of AUM, hourly charges, fixed fees | |
| Headquarters: 100 S. Brentwood Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63105 Website: www.monetagroup.com Phone: 314-726-2300 |
All information included in this profile is accurate as of April 27, 2022. For more information, please consult Moneta Group Investment Advisors’ website.
Moneta Group Investment Advisors is a portfolio and wealth management firm that celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2019. The firm traces its roots back to the 1869 foundation of the Home Life Insurance Company.
Over time, the company has gone through a series of rebrands and expansions, finally adopting the name Moneta Group in 1988. Today, the firm is wholly employee-owned. Moneta has close to 400 employees, around 160 of whom provide investment advisory and research services.
The bulk of Moneta Group’s clients are high net worth individuals and families and trusts and estates, which the firm refers to as “Family CFOs.” For reference, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) defines a high net worth individual as someone with at least $750,000 under management or a net worth of at least $1.5 million. The firm does serve a number of individual investors who do not meet this threshold, as well as a range of institutional investors.
Moneta Group requires no account minimums for its own clients. However, some of the third-party investment management partners Moneta works with, such as Charles Schwab, may have their own account minimums.
The firm offers a full suite of money management services. Its wealth management service, dubbed the Family CFO, provides a full financial management plan tailored to each client. Clients will receive investment advice as well as a range of financial planning services, with additional consulting services provided as needed. Basically, Moneta Group claims that it offers its clients all the services that a chief financial officer would offer to a company.
Additionally, the firm offers family office services to ultra-high net worth clients, providing assistance with tasks like family education, lifetime giving, tax efficiency and family mission statements. Moneta Group also provides trust services, retirement plan consulting and institutional consulting, such as for foundations and endowments.
In summary, here is the full menu of services provided by Moneta Group:
Moneta Group Investment Partners sets each client up with a partner-led team, which reviews your goals and risk tolerance. This team is then responsible for putting together an investing plan and portfolio, which includes a review of performance expectations and economic and tax considerations.
This process delivers each client a unique investment portfolio, closely tailored to their needs. The partner team periodically reviews the portfolio, your ongoing situation and your changing financial goals, and then adjusts your investment allocations as needed.
Moneta uses both discretionary and non-discretionary approaches. Under the discretionary approach, Moneta makes some investment choices without client approval; however, it’s possible to place restrictions on the types of investments and strategies that can be used. Under the non-discretionary approach, the client signs off on all investment decisions. Partner Teams work with clients to determine the best approach and figure out if it makes sense to use discretionary or non-discretionary management, or a combination of the two.
When building portfolios, Moneta Group focuses on three main asset classes:
The firm also uses third parties to manage some of its investments, including Schwab Institutional Intelligent Portfolios. However, even though Moneta uses Schwab, the program is based on strategies put together by Moneta, and managed by Moneta.
Rather than publishing a set fee schedule, Moneta Group Investment Advisors charges fees on a client-by-client basis. In general, the firm’s fees are based on a percentage of assets under management. Rates typically range from 0.50% to 1.00%, though they can be higher. Moneta Group states that fees generally won’t exceed 2%, however.
Other costs clients may incur include additional fees for concierge services, such as bill pay and money management. Clients are also responsible for the fees charged by third-party brokers as well as expense ratios and other investment-related fees.
Moneta Group has no disciplinary disclosures. As an SEC-registered investment advisor, Moneta Group is required to disclose on its Form ADV any and all material facts regarding legal action or disciplinary events that could impact a client’s evaluation of the firm or the integrity of its team.
For more information, visit Moneta Group Investment Advisor’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure (IAPD) page.
Moneta Group has offices in the following cities:
For those who are looking for a full-service money management company, Moneta Group might be a good choice. Those who have a high net worth or have family office and succession issues might also benefit from engaging with this firm.
However, the firm’s fee structure is somewhat opaque and could vary widely, depending on your total assets under management and a variety of other options and considerations. While there aren’t account minimums, some of the third parties used to manage portfolios might have their own minimums. And if you don’t have a high net worth, you might not benefit from the full functionality of this firm. Be sure to research multiple firms to ensure you find the right advisor for you.
Miranda MarquitMiranda Marquit has been a financial journalist for more than 12 years and has contributed to numerous national and local media outlets, including Forbes, NPR, CNBC, FOX Business, and The Wall Street Journal.
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