2026 family office and
wealth management salary guide
Salary benchmarks for family offices, multi-family offices (MFOs) and wealth advisory platforms in the U.S.
Executive summary: what changed from 2025 to 2026
Family office pay moved materially in the past year. Here's what sits behind the numbers.
1. Executive pay kept climbing
Average compensation for U.S. family office executives:
| Year | Average base | Average bonus | Average total cash |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $471,000 | $448,000 | $849,000 |
| 2024 | $515,000 | $471,000 | $916,000 |
| 2025 | $541,000 | $563,000 | not yet published |
Base salary grew 14.9% across the 2 years. Bonuses grew 25.7%. Both run well ahead of the 2.1% average growth Robert Half projects for finance and accounting in 2026. On the total cash column: Heidrick & Struggles publishes total cash separately from base and bonus, and the component averages don't sum to it. We've left 2025 empty rather than adding 2 averages together and calling the result a total.
Source: Heidrick & Struggles, 2025 Family Offices Compensation Survey. 106 respondents, 54 U.S. and 51 Europe.
2. CIO pay has separated from the rest of the C-suite
U.S. family office CIOs averaged $864,000 in base and $958,000 in bonus in 2025, or $1.82 million in cash. That's 65% above the average family office executive on the same basis.
At investment-focused single family offices, Morgan Stanley and Botoff put the CIO median at $500,000 base and $896,000 total cash. Carried interest and co-investment sit on top of both figures.
The 2 numbers describe different populations. Heidrick surveys family office investors. Morgan Stanley surveys the offices. Use the Morgan Stanley medians to benchmark an offer and the Heidrick averages to understand where the top of the market sits.
3. Long-term incentives are standard at scale
62% of investment-focused single family offices run formal LTI plans, compared with 54% across all single family offices.
By AUM: 71% of investment-focused firms above $1 billion have an LTI plan, against 54% below. Across all SFOs the split is 65% and 44%.
90% of firms say employees are eligible for an annual incentive or bonus plan. Of the firms running LTI plans, 76% attach a bonus or reward to encourage participation.
Co-investment (57%) passed deferred incentive compensation as the most common LTI vehicle, the first time that's happened since Botoff began tracking LTI use in 2015. Among investment-focused firms the split runs 61% co-investment, 59% deferred compensation, 22% carried interest, 19% profit sharing.
Co-investment is nearly always voluntary. 96% of programs are optional, and 48% of firms set a dollar cap.
Source: Morgan Stanley and Botoff Consulting, Compensation practices of investment-focused family offices, 2025. Fielded June to August 2024.
4. The sector keeps expanding
Deloitte counts 8,030 single family offices worldwide, up from 6,130 in 2019. That's a 31% rise in 5 years. North America holds 3,180 of them, and Deloitte projects 10,720 globally by 2030.
Those are 2024 estimates. Deloitte hasn't published an update since, so treat them as a 2024 baseline rather than a 2026 count.
J.P. Morgan Private Bank's 2026 report puts average annual operating cost at $3 million, rising to $6.6 million for offices above $1 billion in AUM. Every new office needs a leadership team, and the cost of standing one up has moved.
5. AI oversight moved from pilot to governance
State AI rules moved fast in 2026, then moved again.
Colorado's AI Act (SB 24-205) never took effect. A federal court blocked enforcement on 27 April 2026, and the legislature repealed and replaced it with SB 26-189, signed 14 May 2026 and effective 1 January 2027. The replacement runs on notice rather than impact assessments. Developers supply technical documentation, and deployers tell consumers within 30 days of an adverse outcome.
Texas RAIGA has been in force since 1 January 2026, and it's narrower than early coverage suggested. It requires proof of discriminatory intent rather than disparate impact, puts the disclosure duty on government agencies, and gives the Attorney General exclusive enforcement with a 60-day cure period. There's no private right of action.
So the near-term pressure on family offices is fiduciary rather than statutory. Model oversight where AI touches investment screening, vendor diligence on tools handling family data, insurer questions at renewal. Offices are building that function now, ahead of Colorado's January 2027 date.
6. Cybersecurity is the top operational concern
60% of family offices have experienced at least one cyberattack, and 70% ranked cybersecurity their leading operational risk (AlTi Tiedemann Global and Campden Wealth, 16 June 2025).
J.P. Morgan's 2026 report finds 32% naming cybersecurity their greatest service priority, and 38% outsourcing it.
2026 benchmarks
All figures in this section are base salary for U.S.-based positions, national, across all AUM tiers. Bonuses, LTI, co-investment and carried interest sit on top. Regional premiums are further down the page.
Where a cell reads "not published," the underlying survey doesn't report that percentile. We'd rather leave it empty than estimate it.
Finance and accounting
| Role | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Financial Officer | $240,000 | $290,000 | $345,000 | $400,000 | 5 to 7% |
| Family Office Controller | $145,000 | $175,000 | $200,000 | $220,000 | 5 to 8% |
| Senior Accountant / Bookkeeper | $85,000 | $100,000 | $118,000 | $135,000 | 5 to 6% |
| Bill Pay and Expense Coordinator | $62,000 | $73,000 | $85,000 | $95,000 | 3 to 5% |
| Reporting Analyst | $95,000 | $112,000 | $128,000 | $145,000 | 5 to 7% |
| Trust / Entity Accountant | $100,000 | $118,000 | $135,000 | $150,000 | 5 to 7% |
| Tax Manager | $160,000 | $182,000 | $199,000 | not published | 6 to 8% |
| Tax Director | $206,000 | $238,000 | $322,000 | not published | 6 to 8% |
| Head of Tax | $238,000 | $298,000 | $380,000 | not published | 6 to 8% |
| Estate Planning Analyst | $128,000 | $150,000 | $172,000 | $195,000 | 7% |
| Investment Reporting Specialist | $108,000 | $128,000 | $145,000 | $162,000 | 7 to 8% |
| Cash Management Analyst | $100,000 | $118,000 | $135,000 | $150,000 | 5 to 7% |
| Capital Call / Distribution Coordinator | $100,000 | $118,000 | $135,000 | $150,000 | 5 to 7% |
Source rationale: Robert Half projects 2.1% average growth for finance and accounting in 2026. Family offices are running 5 to 8% on talent scarcity, and tax and estate roles carry the top of that range on multi-jurisdictional complexity.
Risk, legal and compliance
| Role | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Counsel / Legal Advisor | $195,000 | $235,000 | $268,000 | $295,000 | 7 to 8% |
| Head of Trust Company | $447,000 | $476,000 | $596,000 | not published | 6 to 8% |
| Senior Trust Officer | $266,000 | $272,000 | $383,000 | not published | 6 to 8% |
| Trust Administrator | $107,000 | $131,000 | $149,000 | not published | 6 to 8% |
| Entity Compliance Specialist | $98,000 | $118,000 | $135,000 | $150,000 | 7 to 8% |
| Enterprise Risk Analyst | $108,000 | $128,000 | $145,000 | $162,000 | 7 to 8% |
| Insurance Advisor | $95,000 | $112,000 | $128,000 | $145,000 | 5 to 7% |
| Governance Policy Manager | $118,000 | $140,000 | $162,000 | $180,000 | 7 to 9% |
| Technology Risk Analyst | $105,000 | $125,000 | $142,000 | $158,000 | 8 to 9% |
| Vendor Risk Coordinator | $90,000 | $108,000 | $125,000 | $140,000 | 6 to 8% |
| AI Governance and Compliance Lead | $130,000 | $155,000 | $180,000 | $210,000 | new role |
3 things to know about the trust rows
- Head of Trust Company is where base salary tells the smallest part of the story. The survey shows a $400,000 median base against $500,000 median total cash, and at the 75th percentile total cash reaches $1,250,000 against a $500,000 base. Most of the upside sits in bonus.
- Senior Trust Officer's 25th percentile and median sit $4,637 apart in the survey, which points to a thin sample. Treat that median as directional.
- Trust Administrator moved up. The survey puts the 2023 base median at $110,000, which ages to $131,000. Our previous $108,000 median was too low for 2026.
Investment function
| Role | 25th %ile | Median | 75th %ile | 90th %ile | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Investment Officer (CIO) | $310,000 | $365,000 | $425,000 | $500,000+ | ▲ 10-13% |
| Investment Analyst / Associate | $108,000 | $135,000 | $158,000 | $180,000 | ▲ 7-8% |
| Portfolio Manager | $165,000 | $200,000 | $235,000 | $270,000 | ▲ 8-10% |
| Research Analyst | $112,000 | $135,000 | $158,000 | $180,000 | ▲ 7-8% |
| Direct Investment Due Diligence Specialist | $135,000 | $158,000 | $180,000 | $205,000 | ▲ 8-9% |
| Private Equity Operations Analyst | $125,000 | $148,000 | $170,000 | $190,000 | ▲ 8-9% |
| ESG / Impact Research Analyst | $102,000 | $120,000 | $142,000 | $160,000 | ▲ 7-9% |
| Impact Investing Coordinator | $95,000 | $112,000 | $130,000 | $148,000 | ▲ 5-7% |
| Digital Assets & Alternative Data Analyst (NEW) | $120,000 | $145,000 | $172,000 | $200,000 | NEW ROLE |
These are base salaries across all family office types. Investment-focused offices pay well above them, and the published survey table further down shows how far above. The CIO figures here are the fixed component only. Bonus, carried interest and co-investment are additive and, at the top of this market, larger than base.
Client services and lifestyle management
| Role | 25th %ile | Median | 75th %ile | 90th %ile | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Client Service Director | $162,000 | $200,000 | $228,000 | $255,000 | ▲ 7-8% |
| Family Relationship Manager | $128,000 | $155,000 | $178,000 | $200,000 | ▲ 7-8% |
| Multi-Gen Planning Associate | $102,000 | $125,000 | $142,000 | $158,000 | ▲ 7-9% |
| Lifestyle Director / Personal Assistant | $92,000 | $110,000 | $128,000 | $145,000 | ▲ 8-12% |
| Travel & Event Planner | $75,000 | $92,000 | $105,000 | $118,000 | ▲ 7-10% |
| Financial Literacy & Next Gen Coordinator | $102,000 | $120,000 | $138,000 | $155,000 | ▲ 7-10% |
| Family Meeting Facilitator | $108,000 | $130,000 | $148,000 | $165,000 | ▲ 8-10% |
Lifestyle Director and personal assistant roles show the widest variance on the page. In New York and the Hamptons ranges run $110,000 to $250,000. The SF Bay Area runs $100,000 to $200,000 and Palm Beach $95,000 to $220,000 (Talent Gurus / Rouka, 2026). Multi-property estate manager roles push the median to $280,000 and the 90th percentile to $520,000.
Operations and technology
| Role | 25th %ile | Median | 75th %ile | 90th %ile | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family Office COO / Director of Operations | $210,000 | $248,000 | $280,000 | $305,000 | ▲ 8-10% |
| Workflow and Policy Coordinator | $102,000 | $122,000 | $140,000 | $158,000 | ▲ 7-8% |
| Family Office Technology Manager | $142,000 | $165,000 | $188,000 | $205,000 | ▲ 8-10% |
| Data Integrity Analyst | $102,000 | $120,000 | $138,000 | $155,000 | ▲ 8-10% |
| Custodian / Fund Admin Liaison | $90,000 | $108,000 | $125,000 | $142,000 | ▲ 6-8% |
| External Advisor Coordinator | $95,000 | $112,000 | $128,000 | $145,000 | ▲ 6-7% |
| Cybersecurity / Head of Digital Risk (NEW) | $145,000 | $175,000 | $205,000 | $240,000 | NEW ROLE |
Offices are hiring full-time or fractional heads of digital risk to own incident response, run simulations and manage the legal and IT handoff. 38% now outsource cybersecurity, which makes vendor selection and oversight part of the job.
Published benchmarks: investment-focused single family offices
| Role | Base 25th | Base median | Base 75th | Total cash median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Executive Officer / President | $371,250 | $500,000 | $701,600 | $720,000 |
| Chief Financial Officer | $334,750 | $400,000 | $491,400 | $550,000 |
| Chief Investment Officer | $325,000 | $500,000 | $795,000 | $896,000 |
| Chief Operating Officer | $265,000 | $367,500 | $514,125 | $525,000 |
| Chief Legal Officer / General Counsel | $242,500 | $341,250 | $388,000 | $475,000 |
| Senior Portfolio Manager | $260,000 | $375,000 | $500,000 | $584,500 |
| Portfolio Manager | $210,000 | $225,750 | $300,000 | $388,500 |
| Senior Associate | $157,500 | $200,000 | $251,875 | $257,120 |
| Associate | $129,250 | $155,000 | $180,000 | $196,000 |
| Senior Analyst | $103,875 | $120,000 | $142,344 | $151,853 |
| Analyst | $85,400 | $100,000 | $120,000 | $125,000 |
Survey base: 433 firms and 2,208 incumbents overall. The investment-focused cut is 113 firms and 581 incumbents. Fielded June to August 2024.
Base salary by AUM tier: tax and trust roles
Morgan Stanley and Botoff break tax and trust roles out by AUM. These are 2023 base salary medians as published, not aged forward.
| Role | Under $1B | $1.0B to $2.49B | Over $2.5B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head of Tax | $190,000 | $323,000 | $298,160 |
| Tax Director | $148,500 | $180,000 | $229,224 |
| Tax Manager | $146,944 | $143,500 | $156,750 |
| Senior Trust Officer | not published | not published | $320,000 |
Head of Tax pay peaks in the $1.0 billion to $2.49 billion band rather than at the top, which is unusual. The likeliest explanation is sample size in the top tier. It may also reflect larger offices splitting the function, with a Tax Director layer absorbing the execution work.
Compensation by AUM tier
| AUM tier | Typical staff | What changes | Sourced detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under $500M | 5 to 10 | Fractional or dual-role executives. A CFO/COO hybrid is common. | Average family office operating cost is $3 million a year (J.P. Morgan, 2026). |
| $500M to $1B | 10 to 25 | Lean but fully covered. Formal LTI starts here. | 44% of all SFOs under $1B run an LTI plan. 54% of investment-focused firms do. |
| $1B to $2.5B | 25 to 50 | Fully staffed. Benchmark at top quartile and formalize bonus structures. | 65% of all SFOs above $1B run an LTI plan. 71% of investment-focused firms do. |
| Above $2.5B | 50+ | Full in-house investment platform. Competing directly with PE and hedge funds. | Operating cost averages $6.6 million above $1B AUM (J.P. Morgan, 2026). |
Regional premium adjustments
Apply these premiums to the national medians above. Heidrick's regional averages give the shape of the spread:
| Region | Average total compensation (2024) |
|---|---|
| Northeast and Mid-Atlantic | $1,406,000 |
| West | $918,000 |
| Midwest | $684,000 |
| Southwest | $514,000 |
| Market | Premium | What's driving it |
|---|---|---|
| New York City | 25 to 35% | CIO base alone commonly runs $700,000 to $1.5 million at offices above $1B AUM (Talent Gurus / Rouka). |
| SF Bay Area and LA | 25 to 40% | Bay Area premium accelerating on tech-origin family offices. |
| Chicago | 8 to 18% | Established hub, steadier pay bands than the coasts. |
| Seattle | 12 to 22% | Tech-adjacent firms driving wider variance. |
| Palm Beach and Miami | 10 to 20% | Rising fast as offices relocate from the Northeast. Lifestyle director roles run $95,000 to $220,000. |
| Dallas, Houston, Austin | 5 to 15% | Dallas emerging as a significant hub. Texas RAIGA applies here from 1 January 2026. |
Total compensation components
| Component | Executives | Investment roles | Support and operations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonus (% of base) | 30 to 50% | Performance-linked | 15 to 25% discretionary |
| Co-investment | Offered by 57% of SFOs running LTI plans | Standard above $500M AUM | Selective |
| Carried interest | Offered by 22% of investment-focused firms | Standard above $1B AUM | Rare |
| Signing bonus | $100,000 to $200,000 (70% of placements) | $50,000 to $150,000 | $10,000 to $30,000 |
| LTI vehicles | Deferred comp, phantom equity | Carry, co-investment | Retention bonuses |
| Benefits premium | 15% of total comp | 12 to 15% | 15 to 20% |
What the 2026 data shows
1. Demand is growing structurally
The number of single family offices rose 31% in 5 years, from 6,130 to 8,030. Each one needs a leadership team, and many are building in-house investment platforms that put them in direct competition with KKR, Blackstone and Carlyle for mid-career talent.
Deloitte projects 10,720 offices by 2030. Compensation will keep rising above broader market rates for as long as that holds.
2. 3 roles are new to the guide
AI Governance and Compliance Lead. The driver is fiduciary rather than statutory. Colorado's replacement AI law lands 1 January 2027 and Texas RAIGA is narrower than early coverage suggested, so what's pushing these hires now is model oversight in investment screening, vendor diligence on tools handling family data, and insurer questions at renewal.
Cybersecurity / Head of Digital Risk. 60% of offices have been attacked and 70% rank cyber their top operational risk. 38% outsource it, which makes vendor oversight part of the role.
Digital Assets and Alternative Data Analyst. Offices moving into direct investments, venture and digital infrastructure are hiring analysts who work across traditional finance and emerging asset classes.
3. Compensation is getting formalized
Handshake agreements are giving way to structured plans benchmarked against market data. 90% of SFO employees are now eligible for a formal annual incentive plan.
Co-investment has overtaken deferred compensation as the most common LTI vehicle, and 96% of those programs are optional. Younger professionals entering family offices expect written compensation plans and formal governance.
4. Total compensation decides the offer
Robert Half finds 74% of employers worried about meeting candidates' salary expectations, and 50% expecting new benefits and perks to work as a recruiting strategy in 2026.
In family offices the stack runs base salary, annual bonus, benefits, and LTI vehicles including co-investment, carried interest, phantom equity and profit sharing. A base-only offer loses to a structured one at the same headline number.
5. Women are still underrepresented in executive roles
Women hold 24% of executive positions at investment-focused single family offices, against 29% across all single family offices. Moving that number is open ground for any office trying to differentiate how it hires.
What is the average family office CFO salary in 2026?
The median base salary for a U.S. family office CFO is $290,000 in 2026, with a range of $180,000 at the 25th percentile to $400,000 at the 90th percentile. At offices managing over $1 billion in assets, median CFO base compensation rises to approximately $620,000. Year-over-year growth for this role is 5–7%, outpacing the broader finance and accounting market average of 2.1%.
How much do family office CIOs earn in 2026?
Chief Investment Officers at U.S. family offices command the highest compensation of any C-suite role. The median CIO base salary is $365,000, but total cash compensation — including bonuses — averaged $1.82 million in 2025, with carried interest and co-investment pushing total packages significantly higher. At investment-focused single-family offices, CIO compensation has decoupled from other executive roles by approximately 40%.
What salary premium should I expect to pay in New York or California?
New York City commands a 25–35% premium over national medians across family office roles, with CIO base salaries alone commonly reaching $700,000–$1.5 million at offices managing over $1 billion. The San Francisco Bay Area carries a 25–40% premium, accelerating due to the concentration of tech-origin family offices. Palm Beach and Miami premiums range from 10–20% but are rising rapidly as family offices relocate from the Northeast.
What are the most in-demand family office roles for 2026?
Three new roles emerged for 2026 due to regulatory and operational shifts: AI Governance & Compliance Lead (driven by Colorado SB 205 and Texas RAIGA), Cybersecurity / Head of Digital Risk (60% of offices experienced cyberattacks in 2025), and Digital Assets & Alternative Data Analyst. Beyond new roles, demand remains strongest for CFOs, Controllers, CIOs, and technology-fluent operations professionals who can support real-time reporting and dashboard-driven workflows.
What long-term incentives are family offices offering in 2026?
Long-term incentive plans are now standard at most investment-focused family offices. Sixty-two percent of investment-focused single-family offices have formal LTI programs, rising to 73% at offices managing over $2.5 billion. Co-investment opportunities have overtaken deferred incentive compensation as the most common LTI vehicle for the first time since 2015. Signing bonuses of $100,000–$200,000 occur in 70% of senior-level placements.
How do I benchmark compensation for my family office?
Compensation benchmarking should account for AUM tier, geographic market, role complexity, and total compensation structure — not base salary alone. Offices under $500 million in AUM typically cannot sustain full C-suite hires and should consider fractional or dual-role executives. Offices above $1 billion should benchmark at top-quartile levels and formalize all bonus, co-investment, and carried interest structures. For a custom benchmarking strategy tailored to your office, contact Lyneer Search Group to speak with a specialist.
Methodology and sources
This guide aggregates compensation data from published industry surveys and our own placement work. All figures are base salary unless noted. Bonuses, LTI, co-investment and carried interest are additive. Regional premiums apply to national benchmarks.
- Morgan Stanley and Botoff Consulting. Compensation practices of investment-focused family offices, 2025. Fielded June to August 2024. 433 firms and 2,208 incumbents overall; investment-focused cut of 113 firms and 581 incumbents.
- Morgan Stanley and Botoff Consulting. Single family office compensation report, 2023. Fielded 9 November 2022 to 27 January 2023. 406 offices and 1,728 incumbents. Source of the tax and trust role tables.
- Heidrick & Struggles. 2025 Family Offices Compensation Survey. 106 respondents, 54 U.S. and 51 Europe.
- Robert Half. 2026 Salary Guide, published 29 September 2025. Surveyed April 2025, roughly 2,000 workers and 2,200 hiring managers.
- Deloitte Private. Defining the family office landscape, 2024. 354 single family offices surveyed, average AUM $2.0 billion.
- J.P. Morgan Private Bank. 2026 Global Family Office Report, published 2 February 2026. 333 family offices across 30 countries.
- AlTi Tiedemann Global and Campden Wealth. Family office research, published 16 June 2025.
- Talent Gurus / Rouka. Family Office Compensation and Salary Guide 2026.
- Colorado SB 26-189, signed 14 May 2026, effective 1 January 2027. Texas HB 149 (RAIGA), effective 1 January 2026.
Figures reflect U.S. national market trends unless a region is named.
Last updated 28 August 2026.