PAOLI, PA — Valen Private Capital has launched as an independent advisory firm focused on wealth management, succession planning, and multigenerational financial stewardship for affluent families, expanding the competitive landscape for private wealth advisory services in the Philadelphia region.
The firm, headquartered in Paoli, will advise business owners, executives, closely held companies, and families navigating wealth transfers, founder John P. Durham said. The launch comes as aging business owners and affluent households increasingly confront succession, estate planning, and intergenerational wealth-transfer decisions.
Durham, the firm’s founder and managing partner, brings more than 25 years of experience advising high-net-worth clients on investment management, tax strategy, estate planning, philanthropic giving, and executive compensation. Before establishing Valen, he held senior advisory positions at Merrill Lynch, Coho Partners, and Delaware Investments.
“We created Valen Private Capital to help families prepare the next generation to understand both the weight and the possibility of wealth,” Durham said. “Our perspective is shaped not only by decades advising families through these moments, but by a firsthand understanding of the responsibilities that come with generational wealth.”
Valen said it will work with families following liquidity events such as business sales, ownership transitions, and other significant wealth-creation milestones. The firm also plans to coordinate with estate attorneys, tax professionals, trustees, and philanthropic advisors as part of its planning process.
Benjamin M. Durham has joined the firm as partner and director of financial planning, while Lisa Downey will serve as director of operations.
“Clients want to know that the people advising their children will understand what they’re inheriting — not just the assets, but the responsibility,” Benjamin Durham said.
Goldman Sachs Custody Solutions will serve as custodian for client assets, providing custody, reporting, research, and investment platform services. Valen also will utilize infrastructure and advisory resources available through its relationship with Sanctuary Wealth.
The firm said it will serve clients throughout Pennsylvania and nationally from its Main Line headquarters.
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