There’s a particular kind of founder who’s not chasing the next exit or plotting a quick IPO. They’re thinking in decades, not quarters—about grandchildren they haven’t met yet and companies that will still matter long after they’re gone. Eric Becker is one of them. As co-founder and co-chairman of Cresset, a $ 70 billion multi-family office built around a “100-year vision,” Becker has spent the better part of his career reimagining what wealth, leadership, and legacy truly mean.
That perspective didn’t arrive in a boardroom. It was forged in the crucible of personal tragedy—the loss of his daughter Cara—and in the reckoning that followed. Becker walked away from the private-equity firm he’d built, reassessed what success should look like, and set out to design a wealth-management firm that put families first, including his own. The result is Cresset, an organization that’s equal parts investment engine, strategic advisor, and trusted confidant, serving entrepreneurs and families with a rare mix of rigor and empathy.
In our conversation, Becker reflects on how to build enterprises that endure, the lessons he’s learned from decades of investing, and why, in the end, the real measure of wealth isn’t what you accumulate—it’s what you pass on.
Cresset is often framed as a “100-year multi-family office.” What does a century-long vision mean in today’s financial landscape, and how does it shape the way you think about risk and opportunity?
When Avy Stein and I started Cresset in 2017, we told our first ten employees, “We’re on a 100-year journey together.” From day one, our focus has been culture, protecting the integrity of our decisions so that Cresset endures for generations. That’s what The Long Game is all about.
A century-long vision shapes everything, from how we assess risk to how we invest in innovation and pursue opportunity. Too much of today’s financial landscape runs on a quarterly clock. We orient instead around decades and generations. That perspective has been a powerful tool in building an organization that now manages over $70 billion in assets in under eight years.
Risk, to us, isn’t just volatility on a screen—it’s whether the families we serve can preserve and grow their capital in ways that sustain opportunity for generations. A 100-year lens demands structures, governance, and investment strategies resilient across cycles, not just reactive to the trend of the moment.
We describe Centurion Culture as leaders who step up, set the tone, and serve from the front. That’s how enduring organizations thrive: by creating a legacy that outlasts any one person, quarter, or market cycle.
You and Avy were among Cresset’s first clients. How did that experience influence the firm’s ethos, and how do you maintain that client-founder perspective as Cresset scales?
I retired from the company I founded, Sterling Partners, after the trajectory of my life had been altered by a family tragedy, the death of our daughter, Cara, from complications of leukemia. In that moment, my priority was my family. At the time, I realized I still had two sons and a beautiful wife, and I wanted our sons to see that even after the worst of the worst, you can rebuild a life of meaning and purpose. So, I set out on a new course.
Part of that journey involved reassessing the family office that had managed my wealth for 25 years. To be frank, I was disappointed: the culture didn’t reflect my values, it wasn’t adequately resourced, and the relationships weren’t as deep or lasting as I had hoped. It wasn’t designed with my family’s long-term future in mind.
Avy realized that we shared the same frustrations, and we committed to founding Cresset as clients first, because we could not find the kind of integrated, values-based guidance we wanted for our own families. That experience instilled a deep empathy for the client’s perspective, which remains a defining aspect of our ethos today. We don’t think in terms of transactions; we think in terms of trust. At every decision point, we ask: Would I want this for my family? That mindset grounds us as stewards, not just advisors, and has allowed us to scale with integrity, measuring success by impact, not just assets under management.
Cresset’s offering spans fractional CFO services, curated learning opportunities, and even support for personal challenges. What common thread connects these services, and how do they reflect your definition of value for ultra-high-net-worth clients?
We want to be the first call our clients make whenever something meaningful or important happens in their lives. Whether it’s the joy of a new grandchild, the challenge of a medical diagnosis, or the complexity of selling a business. We’ve built Cresset so that our relationships extend well beyond managing wealth.
The common thread is trust in the relationships we’ve built. Because our clients know we understand them and their families, they can lean on us with confidence.
Sometimes that means helping organize a high-quality family meeting or curating enriching summer experiences for their children. Other times, it means being there in a crisis, moving quickly and quietly to remove burdens and give families back their most valuable resource: time.
Wealth is not simply a set of numbers. It is entangled with family dynamics, legacy, opportunities, and challenges. It is not just about solving problems, it’s about partnering with people we deeply respect, with empathy and expertise. That’s why at Cresset, our purpose isn’t just to manage capital, it’s to help families flourish across generations.
Looking across your ventures—Sterling Partners, Caretta, Vennpoint, LifeCard—what threads of mission or methodology connect them, and how do you decide when to evolve versus start something entirely new?
I didn’t set out to launch something new after Sterling Partners. The tragic loss of our daughter put me deeply into the client’s seat, and my focus shifted to my family and how our wealth would be managed for future generations. I realized I needed to treat that responsibility like a business.
But across every venture, the mission has been the same: solving meaningful problems with leaders I respect and values we share. As an entrepreneur, I learned how to build companies from the ground up. At Sterling, we focused on providing growth capital to help companies grow. After I retired, at Caretta we backed founder-led companies with purpose. With Vennpoint, it was about building communities and finding real estate in the path of progress. And LifeCard, our first venture, was really about bringing innovation to the healthcare space and giving patients control of their medical records.
When I spend time on ventures like these, rather than with my family or the community, my filter is always simple: Does this matter, and am I the right person to help?
If the answer is yes, I lean in. If the answer shifts, it’s time to reimagine my role or plan for succession. To me, the legacy of a founder isn’t permanence—it’s relevance, stewardship, and passing on the opportunity for the next generation to grow, lead, and keep the mission alive.
On the boards of organizations like Positive Coaching Alliance and Chicago Ideas Week, you’ve blended business acumen with civic engagement. How do these roles inform your leadership at Cresset, and vice versa?
My parents were deeply involved in the arts community in Baltimore, so I grew up seeing civic engagement as second nature. For me, the causes I’ve connected to most are those that help the next generation drive change.
After Cara passed, my wife Jill and I started Karma for Cara, which funds service projects led by teens. That same belief in developing potential is what drew me to Positive Coaching Alliance, which equips coaches, often in underserved communities, not only to teach sports, but also to instill resilience and character. And with Chicago Ideas Week, I found another avenue to amplify potential: a platform where bold ideas, whether about longevity, technology, or the environment, could gain traction and help shape the world.
What ties all of these together is impact. Whether in a nonprofit boardroom or at Cresset, the work requires clarity, vision, and values. My civic work inspires how we mentor the next generation and invest in inclusive prosperity. And my business experience brings rigor and sustainability to civic efforts. I don’t see a line between the two but rather a continuum of responsibility to leverage whatever platform I have to create enduring value.
Worth often talks about “Worth Beyond Wealth.” What does that phrase mean to you personally, and how does it influence the way you lead and invest?
At Cresset, we say: wealth optimized, life elevated. To me, life is so much more than money. That belief led me to write an ethical will for my children, not about financial assets, but about the values and lessons that have shaped me, in the hope of guiding them.
After experiencing entrepreneurial success, failure, and personal tragedy, I’ve come to this conclusion: what truly endures in life are your relationships, your reputation, and your standards. Material wealth can be lost, taxed, or mismanaged. But values live on.
When I invest, I look for integrity. When I lead, I seek purpose. And when I sit with clients, I ask about meaning, not just money. Ultimately, our legacy will not be defined solely by returns—it will be shaped by the relationships we foster, the trust we maintain, and the standards we uphold. That, to me, is worth beyond wealth.
Building Cresset’s brand digitally in just a few years was no small feat. What strategies or platforms have proved most impactful, and where do you see further opportunity?
We’ve always known our audience: entrepreneurs and founders navigating complex wealth. That clarity shaped a focused digital strategy—targeted keywords, paid channels, and content that speaks to their needs.
One of the most impactful moves was launching our speaker series early on, which gave us an outsized presence. Bringing in voices like Eric Schmidt, Matthew McConaughey, Mustafa Suleyman, and Ursula Burns not only built credibility but also created a community around big ideas.
Looking ahead, we see tremendous opportunity in AI—rethinking search, investing in prompt engineering, and exploring new channels to stay ahead of how people discover and engage with ideas. For me, it’s not just about technology for its own sake; it’s about staying relevant, reaching people where they are, and continuing to add value in authentic ways.
You’ve described culture as a protective moat for Cresset. How do you intentionally cultivate—and preserve—that culture amid rapid growth and employee ownership?
Culture is the foundation of everything we do at Cresset. Strategy can be copied, but culture—when it’s authentic and alive—sets an organization apart.
For us, culture rests on three things: authenticity, repetition, and ownership. Authenticity starts with leadership. People know when a culture is contrived, and they also know when it’s real. Repetition matters because values aren’t defined once—they have to be reinforced every day in decisions, in client interactions, and in how we treat each other. And ownership is key. That mindset creates accountability and pride in the collective mission.
After working with businesses for decades, I know culture isn’t static. It evolves. The job of a leader is to keep it true to its core, even as the organization grows and changes. That’s why culture, when nurtured with intention, becomes the protective moat that sustains long-term success.
You’ve reflected on reframing success as an entrepreneur. How has your personal definition of success evolved, and how does that influence the way you mentor or advise founders today?
For a long time, I was “all-in” at work. I measured worth in outcomes, valuations, and exits. The tragic loss of our daughter changed that perspective completely. It forced me to step back and redefine success—not as accumulation, but as alignment between my values, my relationships, and my work. That shift ultimately led to the building of Cresset with a very different outlook.
I often tell my children and the founders I mentor that success rests on three principles.
First, establish a solid foundation of relationships, reputation, and values. Businesses rise and fall, but if you have that foundation, you can always rebuild.
Second, never underestimate kindness. Nice people create trust, attract opportunity, and build enduring partnerships. In my experience, nice people really do finish first.
Third, let people blossom. Great leaders, including the Centurion founders I studied for The Long Game, encourage others to find their purpose, even if it takes them outside the family business and succession looks different than originally imagined.
When we advise founders, we urge them not just to build a company they can sell, but a life they can live. Protect your relationships, your well-being, and your moral compass. At the end of the day, those are the measures of success that truly endure.
Governance is a tricky issue for families and founders. What advice do you have for creating structures that balance personal legacy with professional rigor?
The best governance structures don’t start with lawyers, documents and assets—they start with values. Before you decide how decisions will be made, ask: What do we want our legacy to stand for? What behaviors do we hope our children and grandchildren will model? If those questions come first, the structures that follow will have real meaning.
Good governance isn’t bureaucracy. It’s clarity, continuity, and care. It creates confidence that roles are defined, conflicts can be managed, and the family’s purpose is preserved. And just like a family, governance has to evolve. What works for a founder in the first generation may not serve a third-generation enterprise.
When we advise families, we remind them that governance isn’t about control, but about stewardship. Done well, it gives families the freedom to focus on what matters most—relationships, legacy, and opportunity—while knowing the guardrails are there to protect them across generations.
