Private Wealth Management

For more than 25 years, the Private Wealth Management (PWM) program, a collaboration between Wharton and the Institute for Private Investors (IPI) , has offered a tailored learning experience to empower wealthy investors in achieving the financial goals they have for themselves and their families.

As the first and most-attended wealth management program at a major business school, PWM has developed a global reputation with an alumni community of over 1,400 participants from 50 countries. PWM draws a diverse mix of wealth creators, multi-generational family members, and "next gen" participants. Designed by family wealth holders specifically for family wealth holders, PWM extends its focus beyond financial education. Through faculty- and practitioner-led discussions and peer-to-peer learning, PWM addresses the unique challenges and opportunities faced by wealth creators, inheritors, and their families.

Wharton Professor Richard Marston, who co-developed PWM with IPI founder Charlotte Beyer, has emphasized, “Wealthy families need to guide their own destinies when making investment decisions. Charlotte and I designed PWM to help family members make their own decisions.” Professor Marston has passed the torch to new faculty leads, Mike Kane and Nikolai Roussanov, who are committed to this mission and to maximizing PWM’s impact on and relevance for Family Wealth Holders.

Private Wealth Management offers an immersive, six-day learning experience that will increase your knowledge and ability to make confident, informed wealth management decisions.

Throughout the PWM learning journey, you will heighten your understanding of financial asset classes and wealth allocation strategies, and learn how to strengthen the Family Office. This content, which will be delivered through multiple learning modalities, targets the specific needs and requirements of family wealth holders (rather than advisors or family office executives).

PWM also taps into the wisdom of program participants, each of whom brings unique perspectives and expertise. Participants are screened through an interview process conducted with IPI. This allows all participants to be in a room of their peers. In this way, PWM ignites peer-to-peer learning in an exclusive, confidential setting that fosters long-lasting relationships with other family wealth holders.

Underpinning and further distinguishing it from other wealth management programs, PWM engages participants in a proprietary case study. Families in the program will need to solve for the investment, philanthropic, and governance challenges presented in the case study. This immediate application of classroom learning provides a memorable experience and reinforces the practical knowledge upon which participants will draw for years to come.

Wharton faculty – led by Nikolai Roussanov, a leading expert in capital markets and behavioral finance, and Mike Kane, a recognized leader in the family office space who is the founder and principal of a single family office– will apply both field-based research and first-hand experiences to broaden your perspectives.

Session topics include:

Private Wealth Management is designed for ultra-high-net-worth family members whose family is in transition from illiquid to liquid assets or whose leadership is shifting from one generation to the next. The program also attracts financially sophisticated individuals who seek a more disciplined strategy for today’s financial markets and individuals looking for a current and rigorous curriculum on wealth management.

Participants in this program are a diverse group of global investors from multiple geographies, carefully selected to ensure an exclusive experience and to promote effective peer-to-peer learning and relationship building. Faculty tailor the program content to reflect the needs of the participants, ensuring application richness and relevance. They enjoy an executive education experience that truly resonates with them and meets their learning needs.

This program is held at the Steinberg Conference Center located on the University of Pennsylvania campus in Philadelphia. Meals and accommodations are included in the program fees. Learn more about planning your stay at Wharton’s Philadelphia campus .