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Private Client Wealth Advisors
Rush Barrett Steelman Jr's Denver RIA runs a fee-only fiduciary model with DFA and Vanguard portfolios for families and businesses across five states.
Private Client Wealth Advisors
Private Client Wealth Advisors opened in 2014 under managing partner Rush Barrett Steelman Jr and financial advisor Michael T. Cleary. The Denver-based registered investment advisor positions itself as a fiduciary partner to families, trusts, and business clients. That fiduciary status is the firm's legal backbone — it requires placing client interests before its own. The firm's website notes registrations in Colorado, Alaska, Arizona, Nevada, and South Dakota, though the team itself appears concentrated at its Gaylord Street office in Denver. The firm structures portfolios around Dimensional Fund Advisors mutual funds, Vanguard products, and exchange-traded funds. Its investment advisory fee runs from 85 to 150 basis points annually, with transaction costs negotiated to $9.99 at TD Ameritrade Institutional and $25.00 at Charles Schwab Institutional for certain mutual fund trades. Private Client Wealth Advisors explicitly states it carries no loads or 12b-1 fees on the DFA funds it selects. The geographic reach spans at least five states, though the firm's marketing emphasizes a one-office, high-touch model for families navigating estate plans, charitable giving strategies, and retirement readiness. The team lists two client-facing professionals on its website. Steelman holds the Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF) and Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA) designations. The firm promotes a free risk-tolerance analysis tool on its homepage, using it as a lead-generation mechanism to assess whether a prospect's current portfolio matches their risk profile. Private Client Wealth Advisors's structural differentiator is its fee-only RIA model paired with a multi-state registration footprint that suggests a dispersed client base served from a single central office. Unlike larger wealth managers, the firm does not operate adjacent philanthropic vehicles, club deal networks, or proprietary alternative-investment platforms. Its architecture is a lean fiduciary advisory — a personal CFO model that farms out asset management to low-cost fund providers while retaining planning and client-relationship oversight in-house.
General information
Firm type
Consultant
Year founded
2014
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Denver
Corporate office
1040 S Gaylord Street, Suite 12, Denver, CO 80209
Principals
Rush Barrett Steelman Jr
Managing Partner, Client Advocate
Michael T. Cleary
Financial Advisor, Client Advocate
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Private Client Wealth Advisors?
Managing partner Rush Barrett Steelman Jr and financial advisor Michael T. Cleary handle client relationships and portfolio construction. The firm uses Dimensional Fund Advisors, Vanguard, and ETF strategies rather than proprietary funds, so investment decisions center on asset allocation and fund selection within each client's risk profile. Steelman carries the AIF and CPFA designations, signaling a focus on fiduciary plan governance.
Is Private Client Wealth Advisors structured as a multi-family office?
No. The firm operates as a registered investment advisor, not a multi-family office. It provides financial planning, investment management, and personal CFO services to individuals, families, trusts, and business clients. Its fee-only RIA structure distinguishes it from broker-dealers and multi-family offices that may aggregate family capital into direct deals or club investments.
Does the firm participate in direct deals or fund commitments?
Private Client Wealth Advisors's public materials do not reference direct co-investments, private equity, venture capital, or alternative fund commitments. The investment approach appears limited to publicly available mutual funds and ETFs from DFA, Vanguard, and similar providers. There is no indication of a fund-of-funds or direct-deal program.
How does the firm source clients?
The website offers a free risk analysis tool as a lead-generation mechanism. Beyond that, the firm markets a fiduciary, planning-first approach to families and business owners rather than broadcasting a specific institutional sourcing channel. Its multi-state registration in Colorado, Alaska, Arizona, Nevada, and South Dakota suggests a client base across those states, though the firm does not disclose a formal referral network or partnership program.
What is Private Client Wealth Advisors's fee structure?
The firm charges an investment advisory fee of 85 to 150 basis points annually, according to its own fee disclosure page. It negotiates transaction costs with custodians — $9.99 at TD Ameritrade Institutional and $25.00 at Charles Schwab Institutional for certain mutual fund trades. The firm states it uses no-load DFA funds and avoids 12b-1 fees. There is no mention of performance fees or carried interest.
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