Flora Dong

Ardenwood Advisors, LLC

Founder

Palo Alto, California, United States

2025 – Present

UBS

Managing Director - Wealth Management

2008 – 2025

Merrill Lynch

Vice President

2003 – 2008

Morgan Stanley

Assistant VP

1999 – 2003

Flora Dong's Next Chapter in Wealth Management

Flora Dong has spent over twenty-five years working with entrepreneurs, business owners, and multigenerational families whose financial lives often stretch across continents. She launched Ardenwood Advisors, an independent multi-family office in Palo Alto in 2025, after building a nationally recognized career at Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, and UBS Private Wealth Management. Her work earned national recognition, including rankings from Forbes among America's Top Wealth Advisors, America's Top Women Advisors, and Best-In-State Wealth Advisors in California.

True wealth management is not about selling products—it's about stewardship.

Flora Dong on Why Wealthy Families Are Moving Beyond Traditional Private Banking

Flora Dong, Founder and Managing Partner of Ardenwood Advisors, spent more than 25 years advising ultra-high-net-worth individuals and multigenerational families at firms including Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, and UBS Private Wealth Management. She believes the growing popularity of the family office model reflects a broader shift in how wealthy families define financial success, particularly among families with international footprints spanning Asia and North America.

For many families, wealth management is no longer just about managing investments. It's about coordinating every aspect of a family's financial life, from estate planning and philanthropy to family governance and preparing future generations for responsibility.

How Flora Dong's Experience Led Her to Focus on Cross-Border Wealth Planning

After more than twenty-five years in wealth management, Flora Dong has worked with individuals, families, entrepreneurs, and business owners whose financial interests often extend beyond a single country. A significant portion of Dong's practice includes clients whose financial interests span North America, Asia, and other international markets, where planning often requires coordination among multiple professional advisors.

My clients' circumstances are often more complex than a traditional investment relationship. Many have businesses, investments, or family members in multiple countries, so planning discussions may involve coordinating with legal, tax, and other professional advisors, depending on each family's situation.

Flora Dong

Flora Dong is the Founder and Managing Partner of Ardenwood Advisors, an SEC-registered investment advisory firm based in Palo Alto, California. She works with individuals, families, entrepreneurs, business owners, and family offices on investment advisory and wealth planning matters, with a significant portion of her practice including clients with financial interests across multiple countries.

I believe every client relationship begins with understanding the individual's or family's objectives, financial circumstances, and long-term priorities. Those conversations provide the foundation for developing recommendations that are appropriate for the client's situation.

Flora Dong Discusses Observations on Family Governance in Cross-Border Wealth Planning

Flora Dong discusses her observations on family governance considerations in cross-border wealth planning for families with international financial interests.