Cambridge Associates

Cambridge Associates was founded in 1973 and has operated as a privately held, independent investment firm for over 50 years. That independence matters to family office clients: the firm has no proprietary products to sell, no banking relationships to protect, and no retail business diluting its focus. Private clients and family offices represent 25% of the firm’s client base, with roughly 280 private client relationships globally as of December 2025. The minimum portfolio size is $125 million, which effectively positions Cambridge Associates for single family offices and ultra-high-net-worth individuals rather than smaller or emerging family wealth structures.

The private client offering centers on custom portfolio construction across traditional and alternative asset classes. Three delivery models are available depending on how much internal investment capacity a family already has:

• Discretionary OCIO: full delegation of portfolio strategy, implementation, and day-to-day management
• Advisory: augments in-house investment staff with manager networks, asset allocation recommendations, and portfolio structure guidance
• Asset class mandates: targeted access to private equity, hedge funds, real assets, private credit, co-investments, and secondaries on a discretionary or non-discretionary basis

Cambridge Associates explicitly addresses the issues most likely to disrupt family portfolio performance over time, including generational wealth transfer, liquidity planning, and governance structure changes. The firm’s depth in private markets, where it has been active since its early years, gives it a sourcing advantage that smaller advisory boutiques rarely replicate. With approximately 80 senior investment professionals dedicated to the private client practice and an average of 18 years of industry experience across the firm, the team size supports genuine ongoing relationships rather than periodic check-ins. Fees are not publicly disclosed, and given the bespoke nature of the service, pricing will vary materially by mandate size and complexity.