As $124 trillion is projected to change hands through 2048, according to Cerulli, the families who hold that wealth are asking a new question: not who can sell this, but who can I trust with it. REALM Global, an invitation-only network of roughly 600 luxury real estate advisors across 23 countries, has announced its answer: The Age of the Trusted, 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, convened in twelve closed-door councils at the REALM Global Collective in May 2027.
The timing is consequential. 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, and Altrata expects that number to reach 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 expectation and experience is what REALM aims to close. As Julie Faupel, Founder and CEO of REALM Global, said, "Every family we serve already has more information than they could ever use. 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 initiative also signals a shift in how luxury real estate advisors differentiate themselves. In a profession where rankings and forecasts are common but a shared standard for advising the family itself is absent, The Age of the Trusted seeks to codify best practices. Excellence is already rare and concentrated: among 840,000 producing U.S. agents, the top 1% close 18% of every transaction, according to Mike DelPrete, Cotality data. REALM's members are among the most productive, closing more than $50 billion annually at an average sale price of $2.5 million, and nearly one in three appear on the RealTrends Verified rankings.
The book is designed for three readers: the advisor, who gains a standard worth rising to; the family, who gains a clear picture of what to expect from a trusted advisor; and the gatekeeper, who gains a shared language for serving the family as one team. For brokerages, it offers a resource written across 150+ brands and 23 countries, with editions they can adapt. The Collective's findings will be shared throughout 2027, building to the published compendium, which will be renewed annually. "A standard is not declared from a stage; it is proven in practice," Faupel said. As capital moves across borders and generations, The Age of the Trusted represents an attempt to define what trust means in luxury advisory—and to make it the new luxury. More information is available at www.realm-global.com.
