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Chilton Trust Company
Richard L. Chilton Jr. founded Chilton Trust Company in 2011, anchoring the firm in Charlotte after a long run building Chilton Investment Company — the global...
Chilton Trust Company
Richard L. Chilton Jr. founded Chilton Trust Company in 2011, anchoring the firm in Charlotte after a long run building Chilton Investment Company — the global equity hedge fund he launched in 1992 that managed over $8 billion at peak. The trust company emerged as a natural extension: Chilton and his team began managing family capital alongside fund capital, eventually formalizing the effort into a registered investment adviser and non-depository trust company. The wealth-origin narrative traces to Chilton's own investing career rather than an operating-company exit, which shapes the firm's culturally institutional — rather than entrepreneurial — posture. Strategy tilts toward capital preservation and compounding, managed through a mix of internal equity and fixed-income portfolios, external hedge fund and private equity allocations, and direct real estate. The firm runs an in-house large-cap equity strategy reminiscent of Chilton Investment Company's heritage while building diversified multi-asset-class portfolios for client families. Private market access has grown to include co-investments alongside general partners and select direct deals, with real estate — both direct property and fund commitments — serving as a meaningful sleeve. The geographic footprint concentrates on US-based families, though investment exposure spans developed and emerging markets through external managers. The firm operates from four offices — Charlotte, Stamford, Palm Beach, and New York — with a professional staff that includes dedicated investment, planning, and trust specialists. Chilton Trust's trust powers, chartered in Connecticut, allow it to serve as corporate trustee and executor, adding an estate-settlement capability uncommon among investment-centric family offices. In recent years, the firm has deepened its direct-investing capabilities and expanded its New York presence to attract talent from private banks. The Palm Beach office reflects the migration patterns of the northeastern ultra-high-net-worth demographic Chilton has served for decades. What distinguishes Chilton Trust structurally is its lineage from an active investment management firm rather than a private bank or law practice. The firm does not custody assets, does no lending, and carries no balance-sheet risk — it earns fees purely for advice and portfolio management. That design echoes the multi-family-office model pioneered by firms like Bessemer Trust, but with a hedge-fund CIO's analytical DNA. The trust powers, relatively rare among manager-founded family offices, give it a permanent fiduciary stickiness that pure investment advisers lack.
General information
Firm type
Bank / Wealth / Trust
Year founded
2011
AUM
$3B - $5B (Altss estimate)
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Charlotte
Corporate office
Charlotte, NC, United States
Additional offices
Stamford, CT · Palm Beach, FL · New York, NY
Principals
Richard L. Chilton Jr.
Chairman
Jennifer Foster
Chief Executive Officer
Timothy G. Dalton Jr.
Chief Investment Officer
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Chilton Trust Company?
Timothy G. Dalton Jr. serves as Chief Investment Officer, overseeing asset allocation and manager selection across the firm's multi-asset-class portfolios. Richard Chilton remains Chairman and is involved in investment philosophy, but the day-to-day portfolio decisions sit with Dalton and the investment committee. Jennifer Foster, as CEO, manages the broader business but does not function as a portfolio manager.
How does Chilton Trust source private investment opportunities?
Chilton Trust leverages relationships from Richard Chilton's three decades running a global hedge fund to access fund managers, co-investment deal flow, and direct opportunities. The firm does not run a proprietary deal-sourcing engine like a dedicated venture or buyout team. Instead it relies on external GP networks and intermediary introductions, filtering opportunities through an institutional due-diligence process shaped by CIO Timothy Dalton and the investment team.
Is Chilton Trust a single-family office or does it serve multiple families?
Chilton Trust operates as a multi-family office and registered investment adviser, serving approximately 200 families. While it was founded to manage the Chilton family's capital, the firm opened its doors to external families from the start. The structure resembles firms like Bessemer Trust or Brownson — multi-family by design, with trust powers that create long-duration client relationships.
Does Chilton Trust participate in fund commitments, direct deals, or both?
Chilton Trust engages in both fund commitments and direct investments across public and private markets. In public equities, the firm runs internal fundamental strategies — a legacy of its hedge-fund DNA. In private markets, it commits to external private equity and hedge funds and selectively participates in direct co-investment opportunities alongside those managers. Direct real estate holdings also appear in client portfolios.
How is Chilton Trust Company related to Chilton Investment Company?
Chilton Trust Company is the wealth-management successor to Chilton Investment Company, the long/short equity hedge fund Richard Chilton founded in 1992. Chilton Investment Company returned external capital to investors and ceased operating as a hedge fund manager, with the investment team transitioning focus to the trust company's multi-family-office mandate. The two entities share a common founder and investment philosophy, but Chilton Trust is a registered investment adviser, not a hedge fund manager.
What investment stages and asset classes does Chilton Trust target?
Asset-class exposure spans public equities (primarily large-cap US), fixed income, hedge funds, private equity, private credit, and real estate. Stage coverage in private markets tends toward mature buyout and growth equity rather than venture, reflecting the firm's capital-preservation bias. Real estate investments include direct property and fund commitments across commercial and residential sectors.
What is Chilton Trust's known posture on co-investments alongside external GPs?
Chilton Trust selectively co-invests alongside external general partners, typically in lower-fee structures that benefit from the GP's due diligence and operational capabilities. The firm does not lead transactions or take control positions. Co-investment access derives from long-standing relationships built during the Chilton Investment Company era, giving the trust company access to deal flow that independent RIAs of similar size typically do not see.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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