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McDonald Hartman Wealth Advisors
McDonald Hartman Wealth Advisors was founded in 2004 by John McDonald and Charles Hartman in Cincinnati.
McDonald Hartman Wealth Advisors
McDonald Hartman Wealth Advisors was founded in 2004 by John McDonald and Charles Hartman in Cincinnati. The firm operates as an RIA with a multi-family-office structure, serving a network of families whose underlying wealth remains undisclosed. Unlike single-family offices, McDonald Hartman aggregates capital across its client base to access institutional-grade investments. The firm targets private credit, real estate, and hedge funds, often through direct co-investments or separate accounts alongside external GPs. Known positions include a stake in a commercial real estate portfolio managed by RREEF (per public filings) and participation in private credit deals via Golub Capital. Geographic focus is primarily North America, with occasional exposure to European real estate. Deployment size and team headcount are not publicly disclosed. The firm does not maintain philanthropic vehicles separate from its advisory business. A recent development: in early 2025, McDonald Hartman expanded its private credit allocation, according to a regulatory filing. Structurally, the firm's advantage is its ability to negotiate co-investment terms typically reserved for larger institutions, by pooling client capital into single-tranche vehicles. This model reduces fees and aligns incentives between the advisors and the families they serve.
General information
Firm type
Multi Family Office
Year founded
2004
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Cincinnati
Corporate office
Cincinnati, OH, United States
Principals
John H. McDonald
President
Charles L. Hartman
Vice President
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at McDonald Hartman Wealth Advisors?
John McDonald, President, and Charles Hartman, Vice President, oversee investment decisions. They source and negotiate co-investments directly with institutional GPs such as Golub Capital and RREEF.
How does McDonald Hartman source proprietary deal flow?
The firm relies on long-standing relationships with institutional GPs, leveraging aggregated capital from its client base to secure co-investment rights typically unavailable to smaller family offices.
Is McDonald Hartman structured as a single family office or does it operate more like a venture firm?
It is an RIA operating as a multi-family office. It does not manage a single-family fortune but pools capital from multiple families to access institutional-grade investments.
Does McDonald Hartman participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
The firm primarily does direct co-investments and separate accounts, avoiding open-ended fund structures. It uses single-tranche vehicles to aggregate capital across families.
What investment stages does McDonald Hartman typically target?
The firm focuses on middle-market private credit, core-plus real estate, and hedge funds. It does not target venture-stage or early-stage companies.
Which sectors does McDonald Hartman explicitly avoid?
The firm avoids venture capital, startups, and public equities as direct holdings. It maintains allocations through hedge funds but does not engage in day-to-day stock picking.
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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