The eighth edition of The Spear’s 500 – the indispensable guide to the top private client advisers, wealth managers, lawyers and service providers for high-net-worth individuals – launches today.

This year the print edition of The Spear’s 500, which has been described as ‘the Michelin Guide of wealth’, spans 612 pages and contains 2,361 profiles – more than ever.
The guide’s growth reflects the strength of the market for specialist advice and services tailored to the needs of high-net-worth individuals (HNWs).

Edwin Smith, Spear’s Editor-in-Chief said:

“There are other guides for HNWs, but none of them can make a serious claim to be the very best. There are two principal reasons for this.”
“First: Spear’s runs the gamut of advisers and service-providers to HNWs – from wealth managers and private bankers to tax advisers, family lawyers, property advisers, equine experts, whisky advisers, nannies and much else besides.”
“Second: every individual (of which there are 2,211 in the print guide) or firm (of which there are 150) has been included on merit.”
“Spear’s has become a byword for quality advice by recommending only people and companies that exhibit excellence. So while our coverage has been deepened and broadened in recent years, the standard has never dropped. Instead, we have reached new markets and new areas of expertise.”

Making their debut in the guide this year are advisers based in Dubai, Singapore and Monaco, as well as experts in everything from probate finance to ophthalmology.
This year’s Spear’s 500 includes a foreword by the entrepreneur Dame Stephanie ‘Steve’ Shirley, who describes her journey into philanthropy after she established a company where ‘70 of [her] company’s staff became millionaires and [she] was the fourth richest woman in Britain.’

The publication of this edition of The Spear’s 500 comes almost exactly two years after the launch of its revamped digital counterpart, spears500.com. The website is home to several hundred more profiles, which could not be squeezed into the printed guide. Visitors to spears500.com will discover that the digital profiles can be filtered, sorted and searched so users can find precisely the right advice for their specific requirements.

Spear’s rankings are the product of the research carried out by the Spear’s Research Unit, which comprises in-person and telephone interviews, peer reviews, analysis from subject-matter experts and information supplied by clients as well as the advisers and firms themselves.

How are advisers selected for inclusion?

Advisers and firms are selected for inclusion in the Spear’s rankings on merit and thanks to the research process. It is not possible to pay to be featured.