ARES vs WRB Comparison

Ares Management is one of the world's largest alternative-asset managers, with $622.5 billion in total assets under management, or AUM, including $384.9 billion in fee-earning AUM, at the end of 2025. The company has four main business segments: credit strategies ($406.9 billion in total AUM and $249.8 billion in fee-earning AUM), private equity, ($25.3 billion/$14.4 billion), real estate/real assets ($139.1 billion/$84.1 billion), and other alternatives ($51.2 billion/$36.6 billion). The firm primarily serves institutional investors (80% of AUM) and high-net-worth individuals (20%). Ares operates through more than 35 offices in over 15 countries around the globe.

W.R. Berkley is an insurance holding company with a host of subsidiaries that primarily underwrite commercial casualty insurance. The firm specializes in niche products that include various excess and surplus lines, workers' compensation insurance, self-insurance consulting, reinsurance, and regional commercial lines for small and midsize businesses.