American Century Investments Private Client Group

American Century Investments Private Client Group

American Century Investments Private Client Group was established as the private wealth arm of American Century Investments, which itself was founded in 1958 by James Stowers Jr. The parent firm gained prominence through equity growth funds and later expanded into quantitative and active strategies. The private client division serves high-net-worth individuals, trusts, and endowments with a fee-based advisory model that emphasizes tax efficiency and customization. The group invests primarily in U.S. and global equities, fixed income, and alternative assets, using direct indexing separately managed accounts (SMAs) and model portfolios. It draws on the parent firm's proprietary research and quantitative tools for factor tilts, ESG screening, and sector rotation. Portfolio holdings are disclosed on a custom basis per client; no specific concentrat-ed positions are made public. Geographically, the group focuses on U.S. clients, with some international equity exposure through American Century's global funds. Headquarters are in Kansas City, Missouri, the same location as the parent firm. The broader American Century organization employed about 3,300 people as of 2024; the private client group's headcount is not separately disclosed. American Century Investments is 40% employee-owned and 60% owned by the James E. Stowers Jr. Family Trust, which also supports the Stowers Institute for Medical Research. In 2024, the firm launched a suite of separately managed account solutions using direct indexing (per the firm, January 2024). The private client group distinguishes itself by operating as an RIA within a large asset manager, offering institutional-level research and risk management to individual portfolios. Its legal structure—a wholly owned but operationally separate subsidiary—allows it to provide fiduciary advice under its own ADV filing while accessing the parent's trading and analytics infrastructure. This hybrid model sits between wirehouse private banking and independent RIA firms.