Family Office Association still advertising Tony Robbins event amid furor

The Family Office Association appears to be going forward with an event headlined by self-help guru Tony Robbins, despite a series of Buzzfeed stories saying former fans and employees alleged verbal abuse and sexual harassment.

The event, also sponsored by Dibico Construction, is scheduled for Aug. 13-14 in Santa Monica, California. Peter Mallouk, owner and chief executive of Creative Planning and co-author of two books with Robbins, is the co-headliner.

Titled “Wealth, Health, Impact and Inspiration” and billed as “an intimate private event,” the program, according to the FOA website, is a “once in a lifetime opportunity to connect with two of the most powerful forces in business and finance today, surrounded by an elite audience of multi-generational successful families in a very intimate setting.”

“The day and a half event will focus on the mind-sets, technologies, and distinctions for creating lasting wealth, optimizing your physical and emotional health, furthering your impact, and ultimately creating greater levels of fulfillment in all areas of your life,” the description goes on.

Angelo Robles, founder and CEO of FOA, has not responded to multiple queries from Buyouts about the event. He tweeted a promotion of the event on May 20, after the first of Buzzfeed’s stories came out.

On its website, the FOA calls itself “a global community of ultra-high net worth families and their single family offices” and holds frequent events across the country.

“The event’s going to happen,” said a woman with Dibico Construction who declined to give her name. “Nothing has changed at this point.”

Until recently, Robbins, who through his lawyers has staunchly denied all the allegations, worked with Mallouk at Creative Planning, an investment advisory firm with about $36.5 million in AUM, as chief of investor psychology.

Both Robbins and Mallouk were ranked among the most powerful men and women in global finance in 2018 by Worth magazine. Robbins’s bio on the list said he drove referrals to Mallouk for which he received a commission.

A Buzzfeed story out May 30 reports that Simon & Schuster scrapped publication of Robbins’s upcoming book The Path, co-authored with Mallouk. A Form ADV brochure filed by Creative Planning on May 22, after the Buzzfeed report, said Robbins is no longer with the company and his position had been eliminated.

Mallouk said in a Wednesday news release that Robbins leaving the company had nothing to do with the recent accusations.

“We’ve been negotiating an exit for six months,” he said. “The parting between Tony and Creative Planning was imminent regardless and it was a mutual decision and amicable.”

Mallouk also said his book, which had “contributions” from Robbins, was postponed. Robbins and Mallouk also co-wrote the 2017 book Unshakeable, with Robbins receiving much more prominent billing than Mallouk. Buyouts has asked Simon & Schuster to clarify the new book’s status.

Buyouts also reached out to Creative Planning and Tony Robbins’s company Robbins Research International about the event but has not heard back.