REALM Global, an invitation-only network of the world's most prolific luxury real estate advisors, has announced plans to publish The Age of the Trusted (working title), a definitive guide to luxury advisory intended to be published with Greenleaf Book Group. The book will not be written by a single author but by the world's leading luxury advisors alongside wealth managers and family office principals. Twelve councils will convene behind closed doors at the REALM Global Collective, May 17–19, 2027, at the Four Seasons Hotel Austin.
The announcement comes at a consequential moment for private wealth. According to Cerulli Associates, $124 trillion will change hands through 2048, with half of that—$62 trillion—coming from the 2% of households that are high- and ultra-high-net-worth. Meanwhile, the ultra-wealthy population has never been larger or more global: 556,850 individuals now hold $30 million or more, up 14.4% in a single year, the fastest growth since 2017. Altrata expects that number to reach 746,570 by 2030.
Yet many wealthy families remain underserved. Only 17% of high-net-worth individuals describe their advisory experience as seamless and personalized, according to Capgemini's World Wealth Report 2026. Excellence in advisory is rare and concentrated: among 840,000 producing U.S. agents, the top 1% close 18% of every transaction in the country, based on Mike DelPrete, Cotality data.
The book's premise is simple: information is everywhere and free, but trust is rare and priceless. "Every family we serve already has more information than they could ever use," said Julie Faupel, Founder and CEO of REALM Global. "What they cannot find on a screen is discernment, discretion and the quiet confidence of an advisor who will still be beside them a decade from now. That is this profession at its best. The Age of the Trusted is our commitment to put it in writing and establish a new standard of excellence for the industry."
Dr. Stephanie Gripne, Founder and CEO of Impact Finance Center, which maintains a database of 90,000 impact investors, will join the 2027 Collective to contribute her perspective on impact investing. "As wealth moves across generations, families have an opportunity to align their investments, philanthropy and real estate with what matters most to them," Gripne said. "Trusted advisors can help families translate those values into decisions that strengthen their financial futures and the communities they care about."
REALM was founded in March 2020 on the conviction that the trusted advisor is the enduring relationship at the heart of every great family's real estate decisions. The membership has grown to roughly 600 members across 23 countries, 40+ U.S. states and 150+ brokerage brands, closing more than $50 billion a year at an average sale price of $2.5 million. Nearly one in three REALM members appear on the RealTrends Verified rankings, with median production 2.5 times the national ranked median. REALM's Wealth Intelligence Hub spans more than 220,000 verified clients with an average net worth of $28.9 million.
The 2027 Collective will gather 250 invited participants—200 senior advisors and 50 capital gatekeepers. Each of the twelve councils will take one cohort of wealth—founders, generational families, the newly minted, family offices and more—and write its chapter. Every chapter will close with practices an advisor can put to work the next morning. The Collective's findings will be shared throughout 2027, building to the published compendium, which will be renewed annually. "The answer has never belonged to any one market or any one advisor," Faupel said. "It belongs to the room. Our role is to convene it with the right people, the right partners, the right environment and to capture what it knows, so the entire profession rises with it. A standard is not declared from a stage, it is proven in practice."
For the broader industry, the initiative signals a shift toward codifying trust as a professional standard, potentially raising the bar for how advisors serve wealthy families across generations and borders. As trillions transfer in the coming decades, the guide could become a reference point for advisors, families and gatekeepers alike. REALM is now welcoming a select group of partners and sponsors to join the 2027 Collective. More information is available at www.realm-global.com.
