Updated:
Duncan & Haley
Duncan & Haley, a 1998 Seattle wealth practice, now operates within Creative Planning — an RIA reporting $710B in combined client assets as of December...
Duncan & Haley
Duncan & Haley was founded in Seattle in 1998 as a Washington-based wealth management firm serving individuals, corporate pension plans, charitable institutions, and trusts. The firm has since been absorbed by Creative Planning, an independent registered investment advisory firm headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas. Creative Planning operates as a multi-disciplinary private wealth manager, coordinating investment management, tax planning, estate planning, and retirement strategies under one fiduciary roof. The firm reports $710 billion in combined assets under management or advisement by its affiliates as of December 31, 2025 — a figure that places it among the largest RIAs in the United States. The platform serves clients nationwide, with over 3,400 relationships exceeding $5 million in assets. The service model layers in-house CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioners, CPAs, attorneys, and insurance specialists onto each client team. For ultra-high-net-worth families, a dedicated family office group handles advanced wealth transfer, family governance, and consolidated reporting. Specialty practice areas target law enforcement, pilots, athletic coaches, professional athletes and entertainers, dentists, and families with special-needs planning requirements. Creative Planning has been recognized on the Top RIA Firms list each year from 2019 through 2025 and appeared in the Best Wealth Management Firms ranking in February 2026. In May 2025, the firm reported serving clients across all 50 states, with an emphasis on planning-led engagement that makes tax optimization a central, recurring element of portfolio construction rather than a year-end afterthought. The Duncan & Haley legacy book now operates entirely under the Creative Planning brand and its fiduciary, fee-only structure. Duncan & Haley’s original independent advisory practice no longer exists as a separate entity. The structural differentiator today is Creative Planning’s in-house integration model — a single firm housing investment management, tax preparation, estate attorneys, and insurance professionals — which is uncommon among national RIAs that typically outsource tax and legal work to third-party providers.
General information
Firm type
Bank / Wealth / Trust
Year founded
1998
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Seattle
Corporate office
Seattle, WA, United States
Frequently asked questions
What happened to Duncan & Haley as an independent firm?
Duncan & Haley has been fully merged into Creative Planning, one of the largest independent RIAs in the United States. The Seattle-based practice no longer operates under its own brand or ADV; all client relationships, advisors, and service delivery now fall under Creative Planning's fiduciary umbrella. The firm's legacy client base receives planning-led wealth management integrated with in-house tax, estate, and insurance specialists.
Who runs investment decisions for former Duncan & Haley clients?
All investment decisions are made within Creative Planning's centralized portfolio management and financial planning framework. The firm does not publicly name a distinct CIO for the legacy Duncan & Haley book. Advisors collaborate with in-house investment specialists to construct portfolios aligned with each client's overall financial plan, with tax efficiency as a core design principle.
Does the firm manage proprietary funds or act as a fiduciary?
Creative Planning operates as a fee-only fiduciary and states explicitly that it is not tied to a family of funds or proprietary products. The firm charges a single asset-based fee for integrated wealth management, which it describes as directly aligning its incentives with client outcomes. No performance fees, commissions, or proprietary fund sales are part of the model.
What scale does Creative Planning bring to the Duncan & Haley client base?
Creative Planning and its affiliates report $710 billion in combined assets under management or advisement as of December 31, 2025, per the firm's disclosures. The platform counts more than 3,400 client relationships above $5 million in assets and serves all 50 states. This scale supports in-house tax, legal, and insurance teams that smaller independent RIAs typically outsource.
What specialized planning does the firm offer for niche professions?
Creative Planning has dedicated specialty areas for law enforcement professionals, commercial and private pilots, athletic coaches, professional athletes and entertainers, and dentists. It also maintains a focused practice for families with special-needs planning requirements and offers social-responsibility investment overlays. These verticals apply the same integrated planning framework with profession-specific tax, benefits, and income-structuring expertise.
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.
Need institutional-grade insight on asset managers?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: