Rather & Kittrell

Rather & Kittrell

Rather & Kittrell opened in 2000 in Knoxville, Tennessee, established as a registered investment advisor by a team that includes principal Chris Kittrell. The firm's original value proposition has remained a coordinated planning approach for individuals, families, and business owners. It does not trace its capital to a single liquidity event or dynasty; the partnership grew organically by managing assets for a Southeastern client base, often stepping in during periods of financial complexity such as pre-retirement, career shifts, inheritance, or business sales. Investment strategy is not broken out by public-market, private, or alternative allocations in available materials. The firm acts as a unified wealth manager—its methodology described on its site covers investment guidance, tax-efficient strategy, retirement income design, estate planning, and insurance analysis. Rather & Kittrell structures its compensation as a blended annual fee charged on client AUM, with the schedule posted publicly at rkcapital.com/our-services/wealth-management/fees. For corporate clients, it designs and services retirement plans, positioning the offering as a retention and education tool. Service geography is concentrated in Eastern Tennessee. The firm has not publicly released its total AUM or assets under advisement. Team headcount is not disclosed on the website or through available filings. Rather & Kittrell does not list any additional office locations beyond its Farragut office in the Knoxville metro area, though remote or hybrid servicing may extend its footprint across Tennessee and neighboring states. In 2025, CNBC included Rather & Kittrell on its FA 100 list, a ranking compiled from an initial pool of over 40,000 SEC-registered RIA firms using criteria including years in business, advisor-to-staff ratio, and discretionary AUM (per CNBC, 2025). Rather & Kittrell's architecture differs from the multi-family-office shops or single-family-capital platforms that populate most institutional databases. It operates as a pure RIA wrapped around a financial-life-transition thesis: rather than convening a club of ultra-high-net-worth families for direct co-investments or charging carry on pooled vehicles, the firm monetizes advice through a disclosed fee schedule while deliberately narrowing its client focus to those who value integrated planning through life cycle events. This keeps the balance sheet off-platform and avoids the incentive complexity of introducing proprietary products or third-party-commission revenue streams.