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Smith & Howard Wealth Management
Smith & Howard Wealth Management was established in 1971 as the investment advisory affiliate of Smith & Howard, an Atlanta-based certified public accounting...
Smith & Howard Wealth Management
Smith & Howard Wealth Management was established in 1971 as the investment advisory affiliate of Smith & Howard, an Atlanta-based certified public accounting firm. The firm's footprint remains concentrated in the Southeast, serving a client base of privately held business owners, executives, and families whose financial lives are interwoven with their operating companies. CEO John Lucht oversees a practice built on the thesis that meaningful wealth management begins inside the tax return — a model that distinguishes CPA-firm RIAs from broker-dealer or private-bank advisory platforms. Asset allocation is customized per client, spanning equity and fixed-income portfolios, alternatives, and private investment opportunities sourced through the accounting firm's business networks. The firm emphasizes tax-aware portfolio construction, often layering municipal bond ladders, direct indexing, and qualified small business stock planning atop standard model allocations. Deal flow arrives through the accounting partnership's relationships with regional investment banks, private equity groups, and commercial lenders active in the Southeastern middle market. The advisory team operates alongside Smith & Howard's audit, tax, and advisory professionals, drawing on roughly 150 firm-wide staff across the Atlanta headquarters. While the wealth management practice does not publicly disclose its assets under management or exact team size, it operates under the regulatory umbrella of the parent CPA firm's SEC-registered investment advisor. The firm has expanded its presence through the accounting practice's broader growth, which has included mergers with smaller Southeastern CPA firms to deepen its regional coverage. CPAs are the original embedded fiduciary, and Smith & Howard Wealth Management runs on that premise — every investment recommendation is tested against a tax projection that the same firm prepares. That dual relationship creates a structural moat that standalone RIAs cannot replicate without buying an accounting practice.
General information
Firm type
Bank / Wealth / Trust
Year founded
1971
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Greensboro
Corporate office
Atlanta, GA, United States
Principals
John Lucht
CEO
Frequently asked questions
How is Smith & Howard Wealth Management related to the accounting firm?
The wealth management practice operates as an SEC-registered investment advisor under the umbrella of Smith & Howard, the Atlanta-based CPA firm founded in 1971. Clients of the advisory practice are typically also tax or audit clients of the accounting firm, which means portfolio decisions are made with direct access to the client's full tax picture. This integrated structure differs from independent RIAs that must coordinate with outside tax preparers.
Who makes investment decisions at the firm?
CEO John Lucht leads the wealth management division, drawing on the broader partnership's resources for client sourcing and investment due diligence. The firm operates a centralized investment committee structure, though specific committee members beyond Lucht are not publicly disclosed. The parent accounting firm's partners frequently participate in client relationship management given the tax-integrated service model.
What types of clients does the firm typically serve?
The firm's client base skews heavily toward privately held business owners, corporate executives, and multi-generational families concentrated in the Southeastern United States. Because the wealth management practice shares a roof with Smith & Howard's CPA firm, many clients come through existing tax and audit relationships — business owners whose companies generate $5 million to $150 million in annual revenue are common.
Does the firm offer access to private investments or alternative assets?
Yes, though the firm does not maintain a dedicated private equity or venture capital platform. Alternative investment opportunities are typically sourced through the CPA partnership's relationships with regional investment banks, commercial lenders, and private equity groups active in the Southeastern middle market. These are offered on a deal-by-deal basis to qualified clients rather than through discretionary fund vehicles.
What is the firm's geographic footprint?
The firm's sole office is in Atlanta, Georgia, and its client base is overwhelmingly concentrated in the Southeast. The parent accounting firm has expanded its regional reach through mergers with smaller Southeastern CPA practices, which in turn has broadened the wealth management division's referral network across Georgia and neighboring states.
Is Smith & Howard Wealth Management a fiduciary?
As an SEC-registered investment advisor, the firm operates under a fiduciary standard, meaning it is legally obligated to act in its clients' best interests. This fiduciary posture is reinforced by the accounting-firm context: tax preparers at Smith & Howard already operate under IRS Circular 230 and AICPA ethical standards, creating what the firm describes as a culture where client-first behavior is embedded rather than disclosed.
Does the firm have any disclosed conflicts of interest?
The primary structural conflict is the referral relationship between the CPA firm and the wealth management practice — tax clients are steered toward the affiliated RIA. The firm mitigates this through SEC-mandated disclosure and the argument that integrated tax and investment advice produces better outcomes. As with all CPA-affiliated RIAs, clients should verify fee structures, as the wealth management division may charge asset-based fees while the CPA firm bills hourly or on retainer.
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