Top Financial Advisors in Leawood, KS

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Financial Advisory Service (FAS), the top-rated financial advisor firms in Leawood, also appears on SmartAsset’s list of the top financial advisor firms in the state of Kansas. 

Much of FAS’ client base is composed of individuals and high-net-worth individuals. Outside of these groups, the firm works with a select few businesses, retirement plans, trusts, estates and charitable organizations. To become a client of the firm, you’ll typically want to have at least $500,000 in investable assets, though this isn't a set requirement. The firm's asset-based fees may be cost prohibitive for clients with less than $500,000 under management. 

As a fee-based firm, some of the advisors at FAS can earn commissions from the sale of insurance products or securities. Although this represents a potential conflict of interest, the firm is a fiduciary and therefore must act in clients’ best interests.

Financial Advisory Service Background

Financial Advisory Service was founded in 1979 by Max Greer Jr., although he no longer works with the firm. The firm, which registered with the SEC in 1983, is currently owned by 20 people and trusts.

FAS offers both financial planning and investment management services. More specifically, these include goal-based investing, retirement planning, income tax planning, insurance planning, estate planning, education fund planning and more.

Financial Advisory Service Investment Strategy

Rather than use a single investing strategy for all clients, Financial Advisory Service looks to match your needs with an appropriate investment portfolio. To do this, you and your advisor will go over a number of important factors, such as your risk tolerance, time horizon and liquidity needs. If applicable, the firm may use your family composition and background to help create a more robust plan. Depending on the results of these conversations, FAS will pair you with a risk-adjusted asset allocation for your portfolio.

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The Retirement Planning Group (RPG), the next firm on our list, is also ranked among the top financial advisors in the state. The firm currently only works with individual investors, although it is open to working with corporate retirement plans and private companies. While the firm can handle the needs of high-net-worth individuals, the vast majority of its client base consists of individuals beneath that threshold. It even has services developed specifically for business owners and executives. There are also no minimum investment requirements here.

The firm's advisors do no sell financial products or insurance for commissions or other third-party compensation. As a result, RPG's revenue comes solely from the advisory fees that its clients pay. Those fees are based on a percentage of a client's assets under management. 

RPG has a number of accredited financial professionals on staff, including chartered retirement planning counselors (CRPCs), certified financial planners (CFPs) and chartered mutual fund counselors (CMFCs). 

The Retirement Planning Group Background

Co-founders Chris Costello and Kevin Conard opened The Retirement Planning Group in 2004. Today, the firm is under the principal ownership of Conard, firm president Ryan Costello, chief compliance officer (CCO) Rob O'Blennis, senior VP of wealth management Dwight Twillman and Kevin Jaegers. In addition to its main office in Leawood, the firm also operates branch offices in St. Louis and Springfield, Missouri.

As the firm’s name indicates, RPG’s primary service is its comprehensive retirement planning. However, the firm hasn’t been shy about expanding beyond this, as it also offers investment management, tax management and planning, cash management, charitable trust planning, estate planning and much more.

The Retirement Planning Group Investment Strategy

In an effort to build safe, retirement-minded portfolios, The Retirement Planning Group chiefly utilizes mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) when building client portfolios. The firm does its own proprietary analysis and research to determine which securities are best suited for your needs.

The goal of RPG is create a well-diversified asset allocation that uses many different areas of the investment market. To do this effectively, the firm will work with you to develop a sense for your risk tolerance. While the firm occasionally uses active investment principles, it tends to focus on passive investing.

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Mitchell Capital Management (MCM) is a fee-only firm with no minimum investment requirements for new clients. Most of MCM's clients are individuals and high-net-worth individuals. The firm also currently works with banks, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, investment advisors, insurance companies, businesses and trusts.

The MCM team features chartered financial analysts (CFAs), certified financial planners (CFP) and one chartered alternative investment analyst (CAIA). 

Mitchell Capital Management Background

Fred Mitchell founded Mitchell Capital Management in 1987, though he is no longer with the firm. Today, the principal owners of the firm are Ken Green and Jonn Wullschleger. Christen Dusselier, Phil Kernen, Barbara Roszel and Janet Rowe are other employees with ownership stakes in the business. 

Mitchell Capital Management primarily offers investment management and financial planning services. More specifically, the firm can provide investment planning and analysis, retirement planning, education savings planning, Social Security planning debt management, tax planning and life event planning.

Mitchell Capital Management Investment Strategy

Prior to making any final investment decisions, Mitchell Capital Management will go over your personal investment objectives, risk tolerance and time horizon. Once this review is complete, you’ll be paired with one of the firm’s investment strategies. Here’s an overview of each of them:

• Stock strategies
  • All-Cap Equity Growth: This focuses on long-term gains by choosing stocks with strong growth potential.
  • All-Cap Equity Value: This looks to invest in stocks that the firm believes are largely undervalued by the market.
  • All-Cap Equity International: This is based around high quality, non-U.S. stocks that are traded on U.S. exchanges.
  • Strategic Allocation: This is centered around stock ETFs that are inherently diversified.
  • Global Equity: This strategy seeks long-term capital gains and income by identify both U.S. and international companies, as well as ETFs with growth potential. 
• Bond strategies: The only difference between MCM’s two bond strategies is that one solely utilizes taxable bonds and the other sticks to tax-exempt bonds.

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Kavar Capital Partners Group is the next firm up on our list of the top financial advisors in Leawood. It works almost exclusively with individual clients. Of these individual clients, about half are high-net-worth individuals. The firm works with some institutional clients, including charities, corporations and other businesses.

Kavar is a fee-only firm, so advisors won't receive commissions from selling financial products or insurance to clients. As a result, there is no conflict of interest. The firm also doesn't impose a minimum account size requirement and charges fees that are based on a client's assets under management. 

Kavar has one certified financial planner (CFP) and one chartered financial analyst (CFA) on staff. 

Kavar Capital Partners Group Background

Kavar Capital Partners Group is the youngest advisory firm on our Leawood list. The firm was founded and began conducting business in 2011, but it only became an SEC-registered investment advisor in 2021. The firm is part of a partnership with Focus Financial Partners, LLC. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Focus Operating, LLC.

Kavar provides its clients with investment management and financial planning, which are combined under the firm's wealth management services. The firm also offers retirement plan advisory services.

Kavar Capital Partners Group Investment Strategy

Kavar Capital Partners Group is similar to many other financial advisory firms in that it looks to tailor its investment strategies to the needs of its clients. Advisors do so by meeting with clients to determine their investment objectives and overall financial situation. They also gather information on each client's tolerance for risk, liquidity needs and other important information.

Advisors at Kavar may invest clients in a wide variety of investment securities. They primarily use fundamental and technical methods of analysis to evaluate potential investments and portfolios. The firm offers advice on equity securities, corporate debt securities (other than commercial paper), commercial paper, certificates of deposit, municipal securities, mutual funds, U.S. government securities, options contracts on securities, money market funds, structured notes and exchange-traded funds.

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The Legacy Financial Strategies team of advisors includes certified financial planners (CFPs), chartered retirement planning counselors (CRPCs) and accredited portfolio management advisors (APMAs), among other certifications.

This fee-only firm requires new clients have at least $250,000 in investable assets to open an account. The firm may decide to waive this, though. Individuals and high-net-worth individuals make up the largest portion of Legacy’s client base, but it also works with pension and profit-sharing plans.

As a fee-only practice, Legacy's advisors do no collect any third-party compensation, like sales commissions for recommending financial products or insurance. Like most other firms, Legacy charges an asset-based fee, which includes portfolio management and financial planning services. Legacy also offers financial planning/consulting services at an hourly rate of $250.

Legacy Financial Strategies Background

Legacy Financial Strategies has been in business since 2000. CEO Michael Lutz is the founder of the firm, though he now indirectly owns it through his trust, The Michael W. Lutz Irrevocable Trust. Lutz has worked in the financial services industry for more than 20 years.

This firm offers a wide range of services, including general investment management, retirement planning, estate planning, college fund planning, business tax planning and fiduciary and non-fiduciary retirement plan services.

Legacy Financial Strategies Investment Strategy

Legacy Financial Strategies keeps an eye on the market climate and anticipates where things might head next. The information it gathers throughout this process is integrated into the firm’s portfolio models. That means your investments could change regularly as market conditions shift.

At its core, Legacy believes in strong diversification across different securities and areas of the market. The firm principally focuses on mutual funds, ETFs, stocks, corporate and municipal bonds, annuities and alternative investments.

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Normandy Investment Advisors is a fee-based practice serving individuals, high-net-worth individuals, retirement plans, charities, coporations and other business entities. The firm requires a minimum account size of $500,000. 

For asset management, Normandy charges a fee that's based on a client's assets under management. The firm may also charge flat fees or retainers for certain services. As a fee-based practice, some Normandy advisors may earn commissions or third-party compensation for the sale of securities or insurance. While this creates a conflict of interest, the firm's fiduciary duty requires it to always act in the best interests of its clients. 

As for advisors, Normandy has a certified financial planner (CFP) on staff, as well as one certified financial fiduciary (CFF). 

Normandy Investment Advisors Background

Founded in 2006 by Jeffrey A. Tudas, Normandy Investment Advisors is the business name for Summit Investment Advisors, Inc. The firm began operating as an investment advisor in 2021. Tudas remains the principal owner of the firm and shares management duties with Brent A. Caswell. 

Normandy provides personalized wealth management solutions and customized portfoloi management to its clients. The firm also offers wealth management and retirement plan consulting services. 

Normandy Investment Advisors Investment Strategy

Normandy typically adheres to modern portfolio theory, which seeks to maximize a portfolio's expected return given a particular level of risk. The firm uses both active and passive management, and generally allocates client assets among equity securities, debt and fixed income instruments. Normandy advisors may also invest a client's money in options, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, as well as cash or cash equivalents. 

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Fee-only Everest Wealth Management (EWM) has a single financial advisor on staff - its founder, John Seitzer. Seitzer is both a certified financial planner (CFP) and a chartered financial analyst (CFA).

Rather than impose an investable asset-based minimum, Everest institutes a $2,500 minimum quarterly fee based on its proprietary fee schedule. The firm’s client base comprises individuals with and without a high net worth.

As a fee-only firm, Everest does not collect commissions or other third-party compensation for recommending financial products and services. Instead, the firm is solely compensated by the fees that clients pay directly for advisory services. 

Everest Wealth Management Background

Seitzer established the firm in 2004. To this day, Seitzer owns 100% of the firm’s shares. Seitzer graduated magna cum laude from Kansas State University and has spent more than three decades working in the financial services industry.

There’s no shortage of services available at Everest. This list includes cash flow management, investment management and planning, retirement planning, income tax planning, stock option analysis and planning, estate planning with tax minimization and education fund planning.

Everest Wealth Management Investment Strategy

First and foremost, Everest Wealth Management will create an investment policy statement, or IPS, for each of its clients. This paperwork explicitly details the time horizon, risk tolerance, tax situation and investment goals of the client. Only after this is complete can the firm formulate a proper asset allocation plan.

The aforementioned factors will help your advisor establish a strategic investment plan. For these, EWM tends to stick with some combination of ETFs, index funds, actively-managed funds and private investments. Diversification is another major consideration, as the firm purposely selects investments that have little to no market correlation.