Aaron Ward

Aaron Ward is a Principal and Financial Advisor at CAPTRUST Financial Advisors, where he provides investment advisory services focused on corporate retirement plans, endowments, foundations, and family offices. He joined CAPTRUST in 2021 following the firm's acquisition of Ellwood Associates, a Chicago-based investment consulting firm where Ward had risen to senior leadership.

Ward earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Michigan State University. Following graduation, he built his career in investment consulting, eventually joining J.H. Ellwood & Associates, a firm founded in 1977 that became one of Chicago's most respected investment consultancies. Ellwood Associates provided comprehensive investment consulting services to corporations, endowments, foundations, hospitals, high-net-worth individuals and families, and wealth advisors.

At Ellwood Associates, Ward demonstrated exceptional leadership abilities, advancing to Managing Director of Consulting and earning a seat on the firm's management committee. In this capacity, he was responsible for overseeing Ellwood's entire consulting practice and directing the strategic growth of the firm's practice areas. Prior to his promotion to the management committee, Ward served as the head of Ellwood's private equity research team, where he developed deep expertise in alternative investments and private markets.

Ward holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and maintains active memberships with both the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of Chicago. His professional philosophy centers on "enriching lives through sound investment advice," helping clients achieve their financial goals through disciplined investment strategies and committed service.

In August 2021, CAPTRUST acquired Ellwood Associates in a transaction that brought approximately $85 billion in assets under advisement, around 200 clients, and 55 employees to CAPTRUST. The acquisition established CAPTRUST's first Chicago location and marked the firm's 51st acquisition since 2006. Ward transitioned to CAPTRUST as a Principal, initially based in the Chicago area before relocating to CAPTRUST's Southfield, Michigan office.

As an institutional investment consultant, Aaron Ward specializes in providing comprehensive investment advisory services to institutional clients across multiple segments:

Primary Client Focus:

Service Offerings:

Investment Approach: Ward's approach emphasizes disciplined, long-term investment strategies tailored to each client's specific objectives, risk tolerance, and fiduciary requirements. His background leading Ellwood's private equity research team provides particular expertise in evaluating and implementing alternative investment strategies for institutional portfolios.

• Corporate retirement plans (defined contribution and defined benefit)
• Endowments and foundations
• Family offices and high-net-worth individuals
• Healthcare systems and hospitals
• Investment policy development and implementation
• Asset allocation strategies
• Investment manager search and selection
• Portfolio monitoring and performance reporting
• Alternative investment evaluation (private equity, real estate, hedge funds)
• Fiduciary consulting and governance

While the source file identified Aaron Ward as an "Angel Investor" conducting "Seed Round" investments, publicly available information primarily documents his career as an institutional investment consultant rather than as a direct angel investor or venture capital investor. His expertise appears to be centered on advising institutional clients (retirement plans, endowments, foundations, family offices) on their investment portfolios, which may include exposure to venture capital and private equity as asset classes, rather than making direct seed-stage investments in individual companies.

It is possible that Aaron Ward engages in angel investing activities separately from his institutional consulting work, but such activities are not prominently documented in public sources as of March 2026. The email address ([hidden]) suggests historical affiliation with Ellwood Associates, which was acquired by CAPTRUST in 2021.