Nick Smith and Chris Tiano previously served as Directors with Lazard Wealth
NEW YORK – July 21, 2026 – Cresset announced today that Chris Tiano and Nick Smith have joined the firm as Managing Directors, Wealth Advisors in Cresset’s Los Angeles and New York offices, respectively. Tiano and Smith previously served as Directors for Lazard Wealth, where they oversaw $1.1 billion in assets under advisement.
Chris Tiano
Tiano works closely with business owners and entrepreneurs whose wealth is concentrated in the companies they’ve built. He has extensive experience guiding clients through the pivotal moments that define their financial lives, from scaling a business to a liquidity event and the complexity that follows, including designing sophisticated portfolios across public and private markets and coordinating with trust and estate attorneys and CPAs on tax planning, wealth transfer, liquidity needs, and long-term preservation of capital.
“Cresset has built a platform that truly understands the complexities entrepreneurs, business owners, and multigenerational families face as their wealth evolves,” Tiano said. “Cresset brings together sophisticated investment management, private market opportunities, and comprehensive planning capabilities all under one roof. I’m excited to join a team that shares my commitment to delivering highly personalized advice and helping clients navigate life’s most important financial decisions with confidence.”
Prior to joining Cresset, Tiano advised individuals, families, and non-profit institutions at Lazard Wealth, Focus Financial Partners, and Glenmede Trust Company, delivering customized investment and financial planning solutions.
Tiano earned an MBA from Columbia Business School and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Columbia University.
Nick Smith
For the past 15 years, Smith has advised ultra-high-net-worth individuals, families, and institutional clients on investment management, estate planning, wealth transfer, and tax strategy. He has extensive experience working with both established multigenerational families and ambitious individuals navigating pivotal moments of wealth creation.
“Wealth management is ultimately about great relationships built on trust, transparency, and a genuine understanding of what matters most to each client,” Smith said. “That is exactly what Cresset delivers each and every day through the incredible depth of its family office team. I’m excited and honored to have access to such a robust platform that can serve clients more holistically how and where they want to be served.”
Prior to joining Cresset, Smith served as a Director and Portfolio & Wealth Advisor at Lazard Wealth, where he advised ultra-high-net-worth and institutional clients. Before that, he was a Senior Relationship Manager at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, delivering customized investment and financial planning solutions to high- and ultra-high-net-worth clients. He built the foundation of his career as a Client Advisor at Bessemer Trust and in an associate role at Fiduciary Trust Company International.
Smith earned an MBA from Cornell University’s S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Denison University, as well as the Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor (CTFA) designation.
“Nick and Chris exemplify the high caliber of advisor we seek to attract to Cresset—deeply experienced professionals who put clients at the center of everything they do,” said Cresset CEO Susie Cranston. “Their expertise serving entrepreneurs, business owners, and multigenerational families aligns perfectly with our mission to deliver truly comprehensive, integrated wealth management. We are thrilled to welcome them to Cresset and look forward to supporting their continued success as they help clients navigate increasingly complex financial lives.”
Cresset’s independent, employee- and client-owned multi-family office model integrates investment advisory, private markets access, trust services, tax strategy, family governance, and other family office capabilities to provide coordinated, long-term guidance. As families navigate liquidity events, concentrated positions, and generational wealth transfer, demand continues to grow for integrated advice that coordinates investment strategy, planning, and family office services under one aligned platform.
*Disclosures related to awards, recognitions, and rankings available here. Forbes Top RIA Firms (issued 10.2025). Based on data from April of the prior year through March of the award year. Rankings are determined by SHOOK Research using a proprietary methodology that considers qualitative and quantitative factors. Barron’s Top 100 RIA Firms (issued 09.2025). Based on data from July of the prior year through June of the award year. Rankings are determined using a proprietary methodology that considers qualitative and quantitative factors. Cresset paid a licensing fee to use the Forbes and Barron’s award logos.