On Monday, August 3, the FCS partnered with Living Group for a free virtual event celebrating the launch of the agency’s inaugural Living Ratings of U.S. UHNW Wealth Managers 2026. Living‘s CEOKate Shaw presented findings from the proprietary benchmarking report and then discussed the results with FCS CEOKevin Windorf, who also moderated questions from the online audience.
Beyond The Relationship
Drawing on Living’s evaluation of 35 leading U.S. firms across private wealth, RIAs, private banking and alternative asset management, Kate argued that the client journey now begins long before the first meeting. Increasingly, prospective clients, family offices and intermediaries form opinions through a firm’s digital presence, making websites, educational resources and thought leadership integral to building trust and influence. One of the report’s most notable findings was the strong performance of alternative asset managers, many of whom have invested heavily in educational content that helps explain complex investment strategies while improving digital discoverability.
Trust Through Evidence
A recurring theme throughout the discussion was the distinction between engagement and evidence. While many firms have improved the usability and design of their digital experiences, Kate emphasized that leading firms go further by providing tangible proof of their expertise through thought leadership, research, case studies, investment insights and detailed leadership profiles. In an increasingly AI-driven search environment, demonstrating expertise has become just as important as claiming it.
Preparing For AI Discoverability
Kate also addressed one of the report’s newest measures: AI visibility. The research found considerable room for improvement across the industry, with many firms failing to appear consistently in AI-generated responses. Rather than requiring entirely new marketing strategies, she argued that firms should focus on creating content that is clear, well-structured and easy to navigate through concise summaries, FAQs, logical page architecture and direct answers to common questions. These same principles benefit both human audiences and AI systems.
Digital As A Competitive Advantage
The session concluded with practical guidance for financial marketers. Kate encouraged firms to begin with the fundamentals: strengthen homepages, improve educational content, build richer capability pages and make expertise easier to discover. Her closing message extended beyond marketing leaders to the C-suite, emphasizing that a firm’s digital presence has become a critical component of client experience, brand perception and business development. In today’s wealth management landscape, digital no longer simply supports the business—it increasingly shapes how firms are perceived before a relationship ever begins.
The FCS is excited to partner with Living Group to celebrate the launch of the agency’s inaugural Living Ratings of U.S. UHNW Wealth Managers 2026. During a free virtual event, Living’s CEO Kate Shaw will present the report’s findings with a focus on the top performing firms.
The proprietary benchmarking report examines a curated universe of 35 leading U.S. firms across four categories: private wealth, RIA/advisory, private banking and alternative asset management. The research reveals how firms serving ultra-high-net-worth clients are competing for influence, access and investment authority in an increasingly complex wealth landscape. Kate’s presentation, “Beyond The Relationship,” will highlight the brands setting the standard for digital engagement, evidence-led content and AI-enabled discoverability across the UHNW wealth market.
In gratitude to Living, the FCS will donate $1,000 to the children’s charity of their choice: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, whose mission is to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Consistent with the vision of St. Jude’s founder Danny Thomas, no child is denied treatment based on race, religion or a family’s ability to pay.
Kate is co-Founder and CEO of Living Group, founded in 2004. She has over 20 years of City experience covering investment banking, private client wealth management and hedge fund trading which includes eight years at UBS, latterly sales trading to hedge fund clients. Kate is responsible for Living’s financial services clients and brings extensive, invaluable […]
Kate is co-Founder and CEO of Living Group, founded in 2004. She has over 20 years of City experience covering investment banking, private client wealth management and hedge fund trading which includes eight years at UBS, latterly sales trading to hedge fund clients. Kate is responsible for Living’s financial services clients and brings extensive, invaluable knowledge of the alternative investment arena. She also oversees Living’s financial control and growth strategy in Europe, Asia and America.
