Ultra High Net Worth or High Net Worth

So, what defines ultra-high-net-worth? An individual is generally considered an Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individual (UHNWI) when their total net worth exceeds $30 million. This threshold—often ranging up to $100 million—places them in a distinct financial category that offers access to more specialized wealth advisory services, private investment management strategies, and exclusive financial planning options not typically available to lower tiers.

The insights you’ll discover from our published book will help you integrate a variety of wealth management tools with financial planning, providing guidance for your future security alongside complex financial strategies, so your human and financial capital will both flourish.

Clients frequently share with us how the knowledge gained from this book helped provide them tremendous clarity, shattering industry-pitched ideologies, while offering insight and direction in making such important financial decisions.

That’s you. An ultra-high net worth individual. And here’s what makes you very different. Your financial picture and life goals are radically different from everyone else. Yes, that includes high net worth individuals. High net worth individuals have a net worth of less than $10 million. What you need. What’s important to you. How you spend your time.

You can download the ultimate guide for investors with $10+ million liquid investable portfolios here.

The World of Ultra-High Net Worth: Unveiling the UHNWI

An Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individual (UHNWI) represents one of the wealthiest tiers in private wealth management, defined by a net worth exceeding $30 million. These individuals belong to a small, elite segment of global asset holders with access to specialized wealth advisory services. Notably, around 60% of UHNWIs reside in the United States, making it the most dominant market for high-net-worth financial activity worldwide. Among various asset classes, residential real estate remains a primary contributor to wealth accumulation in this group, often representing a significant portion of their total net worth.

Understanding Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individuals (UHNWIs)

Most individuals in the ultra-high-net-worth category are men over the age of 50. However, this demographic is evolving. Recent data shows a growing presence of women among younger UHNWIs—13.9% of women under 50 now fall into this category, compared to 10.2% of men in the same age group. This shift signals a gradual diversification in how and by whom wealth is being accumulated and managed.

Examples of UHNWIs

Among the wealthiest women, examples include Christy Walton (Walmart), Jane Lauder (Estée Lauder), Ronda Stryker (Stryker Corporation), and the Mars sisters, heirs to the Mars candy empire.

How the UHNWIs Invest

Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individuals (UHNWIs) often maintain at least $1 million in liquid, debt-free assets. They typically allocate a significant portion of their wealth into well-structured investment portfolios designed to capture high-potential opportunities while avoiding those that don’t align with their long-term goals.

These portfolios often include a diversified mix of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and alternative investments such as real estate. For example, Mark Zuckerberg, recognized as a UHNWI, made headlines with his $37 million purchase of a ranch in Hawaii—an example of how real estate can play a strategic role in the investment approach of ultra-wealthy individuals.

Benefits Afforded to HNWIs

High-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) often have access to a broader array of financial services compared to individuals with more limited assets. These benefits include the ability to work with private wealth management firms, gain tax efficiencies, plan for retirement with tailored strategies, and participate in exclusive investment opportunities such as hedge funds and private equity.

Wealth Management Firms
HNWIs can work with private wealth management firms that offer customized financial planning and investment management. These firms support clients with multi-faceted services, including portfolio management, asset allocation, risk mitigation, and estate planning—often designed to align with long-term financial goals.

Tax Advantages
Wealthy individuals may benefit from tax strategies that allow for deductions, credits, or deferrals that are less accessible to others. These strategies can lead to significant savings, preserving more capital for reinvestment or future use.

Retirement Planning
Retirement planning for HNWIs is typically more complex due to multiple income streams, such as real estate income, dividends, pensions, and Social Security. Personalized retirement strategies can help integrate these elements while factoring in estate transfer goals and longevity planning.

Direct Investments
HNWIs often meet the minimum thresholds required for access to alternative investments such as hedge funds, venture capital, and private equity. While these investments may carry higher risks, they can also provide attractive returns when aligned with a diversified investment strategy.

Special Considerations

The Americas—comprising North and South America—represent a significant portion of the global high-net-worth (HNW) population. North America accounts for approximately 7.4 million HNW individuals, while South America is home to around 4.5 million. Globally, countries such as China, Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom also host substantial and diverse HNW populations, reflecting a wide range of investment behaviors, financial goals, and regional opportunities.

Types of High-Net-Worth Individuals (HNWI)

High-net-worth individuals are typically categorized based on the value of their liquid investable assets. Those with assets between $100,000 and $999,999 are sometimes referred to as sub-HNWIs. Individuals with $1 million or more in investable assets fall into the HNWI category. Those with $5 million or more are often classified as very-high-net-worth individuals (VHNWIs), while individuals with over $30 million in assets are considered ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs).

The 10 ultra-rich cities with the greatest mass of extreme wealth.

1. Washington, D.C.

UHNWIs with primary or secondary residences: 5,732

2. Chicago

UHNWIs with primary or secondary residences: 6,506

3. Singapore

UHNWIs with primary or secondary residences: 7,471

4. Beijing

UHNWIs with primary or secondary residences: 8,923

5. San Francisco

UHNWIs with primary or secondary residences: 9,221

6. Miami

UHNWIs with primary or secondary residences: 10,831

7. Los Angeles

UHNWIs with primary or secondary residences: 13,194

8. Hong Kong

UHNWIs with primary or secondary residences: 15,175

9. London

UHNWIs with primary or secondary residences: 15,907

10. New York

UHNWIs with primary or secondary residences: 21,714

Ultra High Net Worth or High Net Worth? 3 Things That Matter

As the global economy evolves, so does the demand for greater personalization among high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals. The more wealth you accumulate, the more diverse and complex your financial needs become—driving the need for specialized wealth advisory services tailored to your goals.

Understanding your values and financial priorities helps define the direction of your wealth strategy.

What qualifies as ultra-high net worth?
Most private wealth management firms categorize ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs) as those with at least $30 million in liquid investable assets.

How many people in the world are ultra-high net worth?
Recent data indicates that approximately 11.8 million U.S. households qualify as high-net-worth. Globally, around 33 million individuals are classified as ultra-high net worth—half of whom reside in North America.

Managing this level of wealth requires expert planning. A skilled wealth manager can craft a customized financial plan that reflects your unique goals, risk tolerance, and long-term vision.

This article explores three key differences between high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals—and why those differences matter when choosing the right wealth advisory services.

Consider This

Have you ever listened to financial experts only to realize their advice doesn’t apply to your situation at all?

Many public financial voices—bloggers, journalists, and so-called gurus—speak broadly to reach the largest audience possible. But for individuals with significant wealth, much of that advice feels disconnected. The reality is, financial planning looks very different when you’re not worried about credit card debt, student loans, or building a basic emergency fund.

Instead, your focus might be on optimizing investments, navigating tax-efficient strategies, or protecting multi-generational wealth.

That’s not only valid—it’s necessary. Recognizing your unique financial circumstances helps you focus on what matters most to your life and legacy. Generic advice won’t meet the needs of someone managing millions in assets.

By the end of this article, you may discover aspects of your financial life that require a more nuanced and personalized approach—one that aligns with your goals, values, and long-term strategy.

Let’s break this down:

There are three key differences that set high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals apart—and they affect everything from:

• Investment management
• Estate planning
• Tax efficiency
• Asset allocation and risk protection during market downturns

These distinctions shape how you should think about wealth management. In the following sections, we’ll explore them in depth—so you can approach your financial decisions with greater clarity and confidence.

Just to clarify:

PillarWM Finder is an independent, research-based directory designed to help individuals with $500,000 or more in liquid assets explore wealth advisory services. While many firms offer financial planning, not all approaches are built to address the complexity that comes with significant wealth.

That’s where understanding the distinction between high-net-worth (HNW) and ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) individuals becomes essential—especially when navigating wealth management near you.

1. Greater Wealth Requires Greater Customization

The more assets you hold, the more complex your financial picture becomes.

If you have $10 million in investable wealth, your financial planning should not follow the same model used for someone with $100,000. Not because you’re “better”—but because your risk exposure, legacy concerns, and investment strategies require far more precision.

Consider this example:
A 33% portfolio drop would cost an investor with $200,000 about $67,000. That’s significant. But for an individual with $75 million, that same loss equates to $25 million. That’s not just a setback—it’s a shift that could affect generational wealth.

And yet, many UHNW individuals are still placed in standardized financial plans.

These templated strategies often come from large institutions or discount brokers that treat clients as account sizes rather than individuals. Without customized planning, wealth is left unprotected against market shocks or missed opportunities.

The Solution: Tailored Wealth Management

Strategic, personalized planning—based on your goals, preferences, and long-term lifestyle needs—offers the most reliable path toward preserving and growing your wealth.

Yet surprisingly, many firms don’t offer fully customized services, even for HNW and UHNW clients. Instead, they follow internal models, product-driven approaches, or pre-built templates with limited flexibility.

That’s why finding an independent advisor or investment firm that offers custom planning is critical. Whether your goals involve philanthropic giving, family office structuring, or cross-border investments, the right planning framework should be as distinct as your financial profile.

To explore wealth management options tailored to your financial situation, use the PillarWM Finder to [Explore Wealth Management Options]. You can also [Browse Financial Advisors], [Compare Investment Firms], or [Plan Your Retirement] to find services that align with your goals.

2. Higher Wealth Involves a Broader Range of Services

As wealth increases, so does the complexity of managing it. That’s why many private wealth management firms establish minimum portfolio thresholds—often beginning around $500,000 or more—for clients seeking more tailored financial planning.

High-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals typically require more than just investment advice. Their needs often extend to areas such as estate planning, succession planning, tax strategy, and philanthropic structuring—services that go beyond the scope of traditional portfolio management.

While some firms are structured to serve a broad audience, their service models are typically streamlined to accommodate common financial scenarios. These often lack the flexibility or depth needed to address multifaceted financial lives. In contrast, independent or private wealth management firms working with clients at higher asset levels often provide access to more advanced offerings, such as:

• Strategic estate planning coordination
• Multi-generational wealth transfer planning
• Portfolio rebalancing and performance monitoring
• Insurance planning and risk mitigation
• Family governance and trustee selection support
• Business transition and succession planning
• Philanthropic and charitable planning
• Assistance with debt structuring and credit lines
• Guidance for college funding and education planning
• Planning for aging parents and long-term care

For individuals with significant assets, accessing these wealth advisory services becomes less of a luxury and more of a necessity.

To explore firms that offer this level of support, use PillarWM Finder to [Explore Wealth Management Options] or [Compare Investment Firms] based on your specific financial goals. You can also [Browse Financial Advisors] or [Plan Your Retirement] to discover a wider range of tailored planning services.

3. Knowing Your Worth Helps Define Your Goals

Let’s imagine the possibilities:

Suppose you retire with $25 million in liquid assets. You might envision leaving behind a $70 million legacy, supporting multiple generations or funding long-term philanthropic initiatives. But that’s just one scenario. Individuals with ultra-high-net-worth often have diverse goals shaped by their lifestyles, values, and families.

The first step is clarifying what those goals are—whether it’s preserving wealth, expanding it, or distributing it in meaningful ways. Once your objectives are defined, they guide everything else: your investment strategy, risk tolerance, tax approach, and the wealth advisory services you’ll need along the way.

These objectives are personal. They may include:

• Creating a family office or private foundation
  
• Supporting global causes or launching a charitable fund
  
• Funding multiple trusts or estate vehicles
  
• Expanding investments into real estate, venture capital, or art collections
  
• Preparing for intergenerational wealth transfer
  

This is where your wealth truly becomes a tool for impact. And the more your assets grow, the more nuanced and customized your planning must be.

Each of the three ideas—greater customization, broader service needs, and goal clarity—build on one another. They reflect a financial life that requires intentional structure, not generic solutions.

Ready to move forward? Explore options aligned with your vision:
→ [Explore Wealth Management Options]
→ [Browse Financial Advisors]
→ [Compare Investment Firms]
→ [Plan Your Retirement]

1. Higher Wealth Demands Greater Customization

At least – it should.

Seriously:

If you have $10 million as your accessible funds, then your investment plan should not be merged with people having even less than 1% of that. Also, let me say, I do not mean this with the idea of being ‘better’ than people who have less money. It’s simply a reality:

With great wealth comes great complexity.

Click to Tweet: With great wealth comes great complexity.

You need customized investment planning. If you don’t get it, you put your assets at unnecessary risk. The scale of loss you face if you do it like everyone else far outweighs that of others. For example, suppose two investors lose 33% of their portfolio value in a market crash, such as the one caused by the coronavirus.

An ultra high net worth investor who had $75 million will lose $25 million. A more typical investor who has $200,000 will lose $67,000. Now, losing $67k is no picnic if all you have is $200k, so let’s not minimize that.

But let’s get real:

Losing $25 million simply does not compare. This is generational wealth. To learn more about how a wealth manager can prevent this from happening, order a free copy of our book, 7 Secrets To High Net Worth Investment Management, Estate, Tax and Financial Planning

Here’s the frustrating part:

An ultra high net worth investor should not be exposed to this much risk. Ever.

But cookie-cutter financial plans from big banks, Wall Street, and discount brokers have driven us to write this post to warn and educate ultra high net worth families about the devastation such losses would inflict.

Pillar Wealth Management adopts techniques that bring in a solid portfolio and virtually vague losses are very difficult to present. We have published the article in which you will find more information on how to lift your portfolio up. Have a look at it by clicking here!

Sometimes we’ve witnessed the uneducated capital investors withdraw as much as two-thirds of their capital after market crashes due to unprofessional financial planning from other entities.

Can you imagine?

The significant market headache for wealthier individuals and their ultra wealthy counterparties is at odds.

Here’s the good news:

Customized financial planning – based upon your goals and preferred lifestyle outcomes – offers the greatest potential for long term financial stability.

Very few financial advisors offer 100% customized financial planning, even to ultra high net worth investors. They will tell you they do. But it’s not at the level you are expecting, and that’s why you never quite feel like you’re in the right place when you’re listening to the ’experts’ talk.

It’s in your best interest to talk with someone who does both: expertly advises high net worth clients and offers custom wealth planning services.

To understand the importance of custom wealth management in more detail, we recommend reading our free book.

A call to Hutch Ashoo, CEO and Co-founder of Pillar Wealth Management, would be a good first step if you want to see how fully custom financial planning looks and feels when it is created for someone with ultra high net worth. Our firm does nothing but custom wealth planning for high and ultrahigh net worth investors.

2. Higher Wealth Means Greater Need for Additional Services

Many wealth managers set minimum requirements on who they will work with. Pillar Wealth Management requires a $5 million minimum. Why? Part of the reason is because the array of services you need increases with greater wealth.

This is mind-blowing:

As part of our across-the-board fee of 1% (reduced for $10+ million clients), you would get all of the following white glove services at no extra charge:

Coordination of estate planning that minimizes taxes and protects assets from creditors

Quarterly updates, rebalancing, and portfolio adjustments

Friendly humans answer your calls or call back the same day

Insurance advice or counsel

Trustee selection & family governance assistance

Tax planning coordination with your tax advisor, accountant, and other key members of your team

M&A assistance for businesses

Manage family business succession

Help with debt consulting (lines of credit, mortgages, etc)

Assist with college education planning (such as 529s)

Set up assistance with aging parents and care-giving

Try getting even half of these from a typical financial advisory firm, big bank, or discount broker.

You won’t.

It’s just not their business model. Why? Because they serve the masses, and have designed their processes and methods around meeting the needs of a vast number of people, because most people have fairly similar needs when you boil it all down.

But not you.

Anyone with ultra high net worth will need most if not all of the highly specialized wealth management services listed above.

You are different. And you need a different level of service from a wealth management firm.

If you are interested in learning about how to find a financial advisor that can offer you this approach, click here to read our guide.

3. Knowing Your Worth Clarifies Your Goals

Let’s dream a little:

If you have $25 million upon retirement, you might set a goal to have $70 million remaining when you die so you can pass on an ultra high net worth legacy.

That’s just one dream. You could come up with a hundred more for each person, because everyone with ultra high net worth has a very different life situation.

Knowing your goals comes first, because that determines the customized investment plan you’ll use to reach these goals, and it will direct you to the additional services you’ll need to make it happen.

Are you getting the picture?

Do you see how all three of these reasons relate to each other?

The essence of being ultra-high-net-worth transcends mere possession of wealth or engagement in an opulent lifestyle. It permeates one’s very being.

The farther up that scale you go, the more services and customization you need in order to achieve your expanding set of goals and lifestyle dreams.

What’s possible for you is far beyond the comprehension of the average person, even someone with one or two million dollars. They’re still trying to figure out how to become ultra high net worth. You already are.

Ultra High Net Worth Individuals (UHNWI) Explained

Those in finance recognize ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs) as people with at least $30 million in investable assets. These assets are typically highly liquid, meaning they can be quickly converted into cash when needed. This specific threshold is used to distinguish UHNWIs within the broader financial landscape.

Characteristics of UHNWI

Ultra-high-net-worth individuals aim to both preserve and grow their wealth. To do this, they tend to be highly selective with their spending habits and maintain close oversight of their financial decisions. Many reinvest their income to pursue long-term growth. Although they have access to vast resources, UHNWIs often remain cautious, understanding that significant wealth can also bring increased risk.

They usually work closely with trusted advisors and financial strategists who help them implement investment tools that align with their personal and financial goals. These professionals also play a key role in developing tax-efficient strategies designed to reduce exposure and protect generational wealth.

Many UHNWIs are self-made, having built successful businesses from the ground up. Their wealth is often a result of long-term planning, disciplined investment, and strategic risk-taking.

Where do UHNWI Live?

The countries with the largest UHNWI populations include the United States, China, Japan, Germany, Canada, France, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and India. The United States alone accounts for nearly one-third of the global UHNWI population, making it a dominant hub for ultra-high-net-worth individuals.

UHNWI and Their Investments

UHNWIs tend to build diversified portfolios to manage risk across asset classes. Their investments often include low-yield but stable vehicles such as CDs, bank accounts, and money market funds. At the same time, many place a significant portion of their wealth in alternative assets, including private equity, cryptocurrencies, and hedge funds.

In addition to financial instruments, UHNWIs also invest in physical assets such as real estate, fine art, classic automobiles, and collectibles. This strategy not only diversifies their portfolios but also helps preserve wealth over time while offering potential appreciation in niche markets.To take the next step in aligning your financial priorities with tailored solutions, explore our key directories: