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Signature Financial Services
Rittmanic launched the firm in 1998 as an independent registered investment advisor. The practice grew by providing integrated financial planning, tax-aware...
Signature Financial Services
Rittmanic launched the firm in 1998 as an independent registered investment advisor. The practice grew by providing integrated financial planning, tax-aware portfolio construction, and estate-coordination services to private clients, primarily in the Chicago metropolitan area. The firm is structured as a fiduciary RIA, meaning it charges fees directly rather than earning commissions on product sales — a deliberate design choice common among practices that broke away from brokerage models in the late 1990s. The firm's strategy centers on discretionary portfolio management for individuals, trusts, and business entities. It builds allocations across equities, fixed income, and alternative investments, relying on both direct security selection and external manager due diligence. While Signature does not publicize specific portfolio companies or third-party manager relationships, its ADV filings historically reference standard institutional custody and trading arrangements. The client base is geographically concentrated in Illinois, with additional relationships in Wisconsin and Indiana. Signature operates from a single office in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The firm has not disclosed total assets under management or advisory-headcount figures, a posture consistent with smaller, privately held RIAs that do not compete for institutional mandates. As of the most recent public record, Mark Rittmanic remains the controlling principal and the firm has not disclosed succession-planning details or adjacent philanthropic vehicles. The firm's structural differentiator is simply its independence. As a boutique RIA without a parent bank, insurance company, or consolidator roll-up, Signature sits outside the conflict-of-interest pressure that shapes product recommendations at many larger wealth-management platforms. That independence — combined with more than 25 years operating under the same founder — anchors its identity among local clients who value stability and direct principal access.
General information
Firm type
Bank / Wealth / Trust
Year founded
1998
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Arlington Heights
Corporate office
Arlington Heights, IL, United States
Principals
Mark D. Rittmanic
Founder and President
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Is Signature Financial Services a family office or a traditional wealth manager?
Signature is a registered investment advisor, not a single-family or multi-family office. It provides financial planning and discretionary portfolio management to multiple unrelated clients, including individuals, trusts, and business entities. The firm does not market itself as a family office and is best understood as a boutique RIA serving a localized high-net-worth client base.
How does the firm charge for its services?
As a fee-only RIA, Signature charges clients directly, typically through a percentage of assets under management for discretionary portfolio services, and fixed or hourly fees for standalone financial planning engagements. The firm does not earn commissions from product sales. This fee structure is standard for independent fiduciary advisors and eliminates the transaction-based conflicts present at broker-dealers.
Who runs investment decisions at the firm?
Founder and President Mark D. Rittmanic leads the firm and its investment process. As the controlling principal of a small advisory practice, Rittmanic is directly involved in portfolio construction and client relationship management. The firm has not publicly disclosed a broader investment committee or named additional portfolio managers.
Does the firm use third-party asset managers or build portfolios directly?
Signature builds client portfolios using a mix of individual securities and third-party investment managers. This is a common model for RIAs serving high-net-worth clients, where the advisor handles asset allocation and manager selection while outsourcing specialized strategies to institutional asset managers. Specific manager relationships are not publicly disclosed.
What is the geographic focus of the firm's client base?
The firm is based in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and its client base is concentrated in the Chicago metropolitan area and broader upper Midwest. While clients may reside across multiple states, Signature does not maintain additional offices, and its marketing and referral networks are rooted in the suburban Chicago market.
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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