Farr Miller & Washington

Farr Miller & Washington

Farr Miller & Washington was founded in 1996 and operates from Washington, D.C., as an independent, 100% employee-owned registered investment adviser. The firm's wealth-origin base is diffuse — it serves a client pool of local high-net-worth families, institutions, and retirement-plan beneficiaries rather than managing a single concentrated fortune. Its four CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals bring nearly 50 years of combined planning experience and hold the additional designations of CPA, CFA, JD, and MS in Taxation. The firm provides discretionary investment management and comprehensive financial planning, constructing portfolios focused on high-quality stocks and bonds. Its investment committee applies a risk-averse, fundamentals-driven process targeting long-term capital appreciation with downside protection. The institutional practice serves public funds, family offices, foundations, endowments, and pension plans — in some engagements managing a specific low-beta equity sleeve and in others developing the full investment policy statement. The geographic footprint is concentrated in the United States, delivered from a single office in Washington, D.C. Farr Miller & Washington operates as a boutique practice deeply embedded in the Hightower ecosystem. It offers securities through Hightower Securities and advisory services through Hightower Advisors, an SEC-registered firm. The firm has maintained a consistent investment committee for nearly two decades, a tenure that spans the 2008 financial crisis and the 2020 pandemic drawdown. In a display of the firm's advisory reach, its planners combine tax expertise with investment management, integrating tax-sensitive strategies into portfolio implementation. The firm's independence creates an advisory posture free from proprietary product pressures — a genuine structural difference from bank or wirehouse wealth management. Its specialized focus on high-touch, tax-aware planning for a concentrated local client base means it competes on bespoke service and relationship longevity rather than on scalable asset-gathering. The long-standing relationship with a large back-office and compliance platform allows the team to remain focused on client portfolios while outsourcing custody and brokerage infrastructure.