BMO Family Office

BMO Family Office is the dedicated multi-family office division of BMO Financial Group, one of the largest financial institutions in North America. Based in Chicago with offices across the United States, the firm manages approximately $30 billion in assets for ultra-high-net-worth families, providing a comprehensive suite of services that spans investment management, wealth planning, tax advisory, and family governance. The firm combines the institutional capabilities and financial strength of BMO with the personalized, holistic service model of a dedicated family office.

Investment Strategy

BMO Family Office constructs customized investment portfolios for each client family, beginning with a detailed analysis of the family’s financial objectives, risk tolerance, liquidity needs, tax circumstances, and multigenerational planning goals. The firm’s investment process is goals-based, anchoring portfolio construction in specific family outcomes rather than abstract benchmark-relative performance targets.

The firm’s investment team accesses a broad universe of asset classes and strategies, including public equities, fixed income, alternative investments, and real assets. Portfolio construction leverages BMO’s institutional research capabilities and manager relationships, providing families with access to investment opportunities across the full spectrum of global markets.

Public equity allocations span domestic and international markets, with exposure managed through a combination of direct security selection and third-party manager mandates. The firm’s equity research integrates fundamental analysis with macroeconomic perspective, constructing portfolios that balance growth potential with downside protection.

Fixed income portfolios are tailored to each family’s income needs, tax situation, and risk profile. BMO Family Office manages municipal bond portfolios for tax-sensitive families, investment-grade corporate bond allocations, and selective exposure to high-yield and emerging market debt for families with higher risk tolerance and return objectives.

Alternative investments, including private equity, hedge funds, and real estate, provide diversification and return enhancement. The firm’s scale and BMO’s institutional relationships give families access to top-tier alternative investment managers and co-investment opportunities.

Private Markets Approach

BMO Family Office provides access to private equity, real estate, and private credit strategies through a combination of fund commitments and co-investment opportunities. The firm’s alternative investment team conducts due diligence on fund managers across strategy types, evaluating track records, investment processes, team quality, and alignment of interests.

Private equity allocations typically span buyout, growth equity, and venture capital strategies, with commitments to established managers and selective exposure to emerging managers with differentiated strategies. The firm’s institutional backing through BMO provides access to manager relationships and co-investment deal flow that enhances net returns for client families.

Real estate investments include institutional fund commitments and direct property opportunities across residential, commercial, industrial, and specialty sectors. The firm evaluates real estate as a long-duration asset that provides income, inflation protection, and portfolio diversification.

BMO Family Office’s comprehensive service model extends well beyond investment management. The firm provides dedicated tax planning and compliance services, coordinating with families’ legal and accounting advisors to optimize tax outcomes across all aspects of their financial lives. Estate and trust administration services manage the complex structures that ultra-high-net-worth families use to preserve and transfer wealth across generations.

Philanthropic advisory services help families develop and implement charitable giving strategies, including the establishment and management of private foundations, donor-advised funds, and direct grantmaking programs. The firm integrates philanthropic planning with investment and tax strategy, ensuring that charitable objectives are achieved in the most tax-efficient manner possible.

Family governance consulting addresses the organizational and interpersonal dimensions of sustaining wealth across multiple generations. BMO Family Office advises on family meetings, governance structures, investment committee formation, and next-generation financial education, recognizing that family cohesion and shared values are as important as investment returns in preserving multigenerational wealth.