As $124 trillion is projected to change hands through 2048, according to Cerulli, the families directing that capital are increasingly asking not who can sell them something, but who they can trust with their legacy. REALM Global, an invitation-only network of roughly 600 luxury real estate advisors across 23 countries, has announced The Age of the Trusted (working title), a book intended to establish a shared standard for luxury advisory. The guide will be written not by a single author but by the world's leading advisors and the wealth managers and family office principals who serve alongside them, following twelve closed-door councils at the REALM Global Collective in May 2027.
The timing reflects a historic transfer of wealth. More than half of the $124 trillion, or $62 trillion, will come from the 2% of households that are high- and ultra-high-net-worth. The ultra-wealthy population has also 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, and Altrata expects 746,570 by 2030. Yet only 17% of high-net-worth individuals describe their advisory experience as seamless and personalized, according to Capgemini's World Wealth Report 2026. That gap between available information and trusted judgment is the book's central premise.
"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." The guide aims to codify that standard, offering a clear picture of what families should expect from their advisors and a shared language for gatekeepers serving the family as one team.
REALM's membership includes some of the most productive advisors in the industry, closing more than $50 billion annually at an average sale price of $2.5 million. Nearly one in three members appear on the RealTrends Verified rankings, with median production 2.5 times the national ranked median. Among 840,000 producing U.S. agents, the top 1% close 18% of every transaction, according to Mike DelPrete, Cotality data, underscoring how concentrated excellence is in this field. The book will draw on that expertise, with each chapter closing with practices an advisor can put to work the next morning.
The initiative also signals a broader shift in luxury real estate, where rankings and forecasts are common but a shared standard for advising the family itself, across generations and borders, has yet to be written. By convening 200 senior advisors and 50 capital gatekeepers behind closed doors, REALM aims to produce a living document that will be renewed annually, with editions that brokerages can adapt for their own brands. More information about the network is available at www.realm-global.com.
