Frequently Asked Questions
Finding us
Where are you located?
The Norton Building in downtown Seattle:
801 2nd Avenue, Suite 1600
Seattle, WA 98104
Where can I park if I visit your office?
There is a garage in the Norton Building. The entrance is on 1st Avenue. As you head down Columbia Street, take a right on 1st Avenue and then an immediate right into the garage.
Do you have more than one location?
The majority of our staff is based in the Norton Building in downtown Seattle, Washington. We do also meet with clients and potential clients at locations convenient to them.
What is the best way for me to contact you?
Call us at (800) 426-5105 or (206) 464-5100 or email us at: hello@lnwm.com
Getting to know us
What is wealth management?
An array of services working together to optimize all that you own and activate the life you want. Wealth management at LNWM means your investments, financial plan, and estate plan will be expertly managed to target your goals and aspirations. The ultimate result: peace of mind.
Are you a trust company or registered investment advisor?
We are both: A trust company chartered by the state of Washington; and a registered investment advisor (RIA), regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Across all our operations, we are a fiduciary, required by law to act in your best interest.
Who owns Laird Norton Wealth Management?
We are employee and family-owned. We were founded by the Laird and Norton families, now into their seventh generation as successful business owners and entrepreneurs, and they remain the majority shareholders of LNWM.
What size of assets qualify me to become a client of LNWM?
Our clients’ investable assets range from a few million to hundreds of millions. Our most successful client relationships are with families and organizations who seek a long-term partnership in achieving their life and legacy goals.
Who is your typical client?
Our clients are wonderfully unique, but typically, they are successful individuals, families, foundations or endowments motivated to make the greatest impact with their wealth. Whether used to empower their life, their family, the community or all of the above, we help them make intentional choices on how to steward and deploy their full balance sheet.
How long have you been in business?
We were founded in 1967 and have expanded steadily since then to become one of the largest independent and privately owned wealth management firms based in the Pacific Northwest, with more than $8 billion in assets under advisement.
How are you compensated?
We are a “fee-only” firm. This means we are paid solely by our clients, via a fee based on assets under management. This fee includes all our services – managing your investment portfolio, creating and updating your financial wealth plan, and advising you on trust and estate strategies. If the assets we manage for you are in a trust, we charge an additional smaller fee to cover administrative expenses.
Exploring our services
How will you invest my portfolio?
Strategically, to target the highest after-tax return for the level of risk you and your finances can realistically tolerate. We derive your risk and return targets from the wealth plan we help you put in place, which reflects your need for income, time horizon, tax situation and many more things unique to you. Your portfolio will be diversified globally in terms of geography and asset class and invested with managers we believe are best-in-class, as well as low-cost index funds where appropriate. We may also propose private market and alternative investments, to enhance diversification and long-term risk-adjusted returns.
Can you help me with socially responsible and impact investing?
Yes. Investing for impact is a personal choice, and we work closely with you to determine the level of impact you want to have and how to go about it. Again, your wealth plan serves as our base. Based on that and your intent, we can propose specific vehicles for sustainable investing, from publicly traded funds to private debt and equity ventures.
How do you incorporate tax strategies into your services?
Tax planning is key to achieving great results for our clients. We manage your investment portfolio to minimize income and capital gains taxes, propose tax-efficient ways to turn your investments and other assets into income, and advise you on trust and estate planning strategies for transferring wealth in a tax-efficient manner.
Can you advise on if a trust is right for me?
Yes. We can explore with you the pros and cons of setting up a trust. While we do not draft trust documents or wills, we can advise your attorney on which type of trust(s) will work best for your situation, based on our in-depth analysis of your assets, finances, needs and goals.
Can you administer and manage my existing trust?
Yes. As a trust company since 1967, we have deep expertise serving as trustee to administer your trust (ensure your intent is carried out). And we can manage the assets within your trust so they last for the life of the trust and support the people and causes you name as beneficiaries. We can also serve as co-trustee with family members or others you designate.
Working with us – your team at LNWM
Whom will I be working with at LNWM?
We take a team approach to serving clients. Your dedicated, core team works closely with our in-house experts on investments, tax and financial planning, and trust services to apply our firm’s collective expertise to your assets and finances.
How often can I contact my team with financial questions and concerns?
As often as you like. We do not work by the hour nor are we paid by commissions. In managing your investment portfolio, wealth plan, and trust and estate plan we get to know you and your family well. We are here to help you make smart decisions, be it financing a new house, finding the right long-term care insurance plan, or making the most of your stock options.
Can you help my family members with their finances?
Multi-generational family wealth is in our roots. We were founded as the Laird Norton Trust Company to facilitate the management of family wealth for generations. And for clients who may not require multi-generational planning, we can educate and inform your family members — especially the younger generations — on how to budget, invest and handle wealth responsibly. We can also propose wealth transfer strategies, taking into account the different personalities and needs within your family.
I don’t live in the Seattle area; can you still help me?
Yes, definitely. Although we are based in Seattle, we work with clients across the U.S. and abroad.
Getting started with us
What type of account can I open?
At LNWM, you can open an investment management account and/or a trust account.
Where can I see reports about my investment portfolio and wealth plan?
At any time, you can access the latest results for your portfolio and wealth plan via our secure online portal. Find out more about the portal.
How long does it take to transfer existing accounts to LNWM?
This varies greatly, depending on account type and assets within the account. On average, the transfer period is two to three weeks.
