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D.B. Root & Company
David B. Root Jr. founded D.B. Root & Company in 1994, a Pittsburgh RIA advising clients across 20+ states with a multi-generational and fiduciary focus.
D.B. Root & Company
D.B. Root & Company was launched in Pittsburgh in 1994 by David B. Root Jr., a CFP who remains CEO. The firm operates as a registered investment adviser with a client base spanning individuals, multi-generational families, physicians, businesses, endowments, and foundations. Its wealth-management posture is built on a fiduciary standard, with the firm explicitly stating it never pays for industry recognition. The firm’s investment approach blends comprehensive financial planning with discretionary portfolio management, covering retirement planning, estate and legacy planning, tax planning, cash-flow planning, risk management, and ERISA-governed retirement-plan consulting. D.B. Root structures its services around three client verticals: individual and family wealth, multi-generational families, and institutional clients such as endowments and foundations. The team includes CFA and CFP charterholders who operate across distinct disciplines — investment management, wealth planning, and fiduciary plan specialization — rather than a generalist advisor model. Geographic reach extends to clients in more than 20 states. The firm fields roughly 20 professionals, including a dedicated investments group led by CIO Michael J. Aroesty, a fiduciary plan-specialist unit, and a wealth-planning practice overseen by Chief Planning Officer Steven Kohler. Operations are run by COO Jesse B. Root, and compliance by Richard Chen. D.B. Root earned a spot on the Financial Times 300 Top Financial Advisers list in 2020 and was named one of the Pittsburgh region’s fastest-growing companies in 2020 by the Pittsburgh Business Times. D.B. Root’s structural differentiator is its explicit multi-generational-family practice, which is built to address the governance and communication dynamics unique to wealth spanning several generations, rather than treating those clients as an extension of high-net-worth individual services. The firm also maintains a co-fiduciary posture for ERISA plans, positioning itself as an independent investment consultant alongside plan sponsors, which separates it from commission-driven advisory models.
General information
Firm type
Bank / Wealth / Trust
Year founded
1994
AUM
<$1B (Altss estimate)
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Austin
Corporate office
Pittsburgh, PA, United States
Principals
David B. Root, Jr.
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Michael J. Aroesty
Chief Investment Officer
Jesse B. Root
Chief Operating Officer
Steven Kohler
Chief Planning Officer
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at D.B. Root & Company?
Michael J. Aroesty serves as Chief Investment Officer, overseeing the firm’s investment team. Founder and CEO David B. Root Jr. maintains strategic leadership, while a group of CFA charterholders — including COO Jesse B. Root and Senior Advisor Alec F. Root — contribute to portfolio management and investment policy formation.
Is D.B. Root & Company a single-family office?
No. D.B. Root is a registered investment adviser that serves multiple client types, including individuals, multi-generational families, businesses, endowments, and foundations. It is not structured around the wealth of a single family, though its multi-generational-family practice applies family-office-style governance and planning techniques to external clients.
Does D.B. Root & Company manage ERISA retirement plans?
Yes. The firm provides independent investment consulting and co-fiduciary services for ERISA-governed retirement plans. This practice is led by dedicated fiduciary plan specialists, including Loraine Montanye, who holds the AIF designation, and is supported by advisors carrying CPFA certifications.
What is D.B. Root & Company’s investment philosophy?
The firm emphasizes an independent, fiduciary-based approach centered on financial planning rather than product sales. It structures portfolios across retirement, taxable, and institutional accounts with a focus on client-specific goals, cash-flow needs, risk management, and tax efficiency, drawing on a team whose members average more than 20 years of investment experience.
How does D.B. Root handle multi-generational wealth?
The firm maintains a dedicated practice for multi-generational families that addresses wealth transfer, estate planning, and the interpersonal dynamics of shared family assets. This service line is designed separately from its individual wealth management, with planning tools and advisory processes built for the complexity of family governance across generations.
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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