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Live Oak Wealth Management
Live Oak Wealth Management was founded in 1986 by Howard Smith in Columbia, South Carolina.
Live Oak Wealth Management
Live Oak Wealth Management was founded in 1986 by Howard Smith in Columbia, South Carolina. Tommy Wilson serves as President and CEO, leading a team that manages wealth for families through a multi-family office structure. The firm offers investment management, financial planning, tax strategy, and estate planning services. It positions itself as a fee-only advisor, avoiding commissions that could create conflicts of interest. Live Oak targets high-net-worth clients, typically those with investable assets exceeding $5 million. Live Oak operates primarily from its Columbia headquarters. The firm does not publicly disclose AUM or headcount. It maintains a relationship with Live Oak Bank, a separate entity focused on small business lending, though the wealth management arm operates independently. The firm's differentiating structure is its fee-only, multi-family office model combined with deep roots in the Southeastern US market. This allows it to offer personalized service without the scale-driven pressures of larger wirehouse firms.
General information
Firm type
Multi Family Office
Year founded
1986
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Columbia
Corporate office
Columbia, SC, United States
Principals
Tommy Wilson
President & CEO
Howard Smith
Founder
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Live Oak Wealth Management?
Tommy Wilson, serving as President and CEO, leads the firm's investment committee. Howard Smith, the founder, remains involved in strategic direction. The firm's investment team follows a disciplined asset allocation process tailored to each client's goals, though individual portfolio managers are not publicly named.
Is Live Oak Wealth Management a single-family office or multi-family office?
Live Oak operates as a multi-family office. It serves multiple high-net-worth families, offering integrated financial planning, tax strategy, and estate planning alongside investment management. This structure allows clients to access services typically reserved for ultra-high-net-worth families without maintaining their own dedicated office.
Does Live Oak Wealth Management participate in direct investments or only fund commitments?
Live Oak primarily allocates client capital through traditional fund vehicles. The firm does not publicly disclose direct co-investment activity, but as a multi-family office with Southeastern roots, it may facilitate select private placements for qualified clients. Most publicly available information focuses on its core portfolio management and financial planning services.
What is Live Oak Wealth Management's minimum account size?
The firm typically targets clients with investable assets of $5 million or more. This threshold aligns with its multi-family office positioning, which demands a certain asset base to justify the comprehensive service model. The exact minimum is not publicly disclosed and may vary based on relationship scope.
Where does the underlying wealth served by Live Oak come from?
Live Oak serves families whose wealth originates from a range of sources common to the Southeastern US economy, including business ownership, professional services, real estate, and inherited wealth. The firm does not publicly attribute its client base to any single industry or fortune.
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