The Top Financial Advisors in the U.S.

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CAPTRUST has the highest AUM on our list. This fee-based firm is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina and serves both non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth, as well as banks, investment companies, retirement plans, charitable organizations, government entities, insurance companies and corporations.

In general, the firm does not require a minimum account sixe. However, it may impose a minimum annual consulting fee. But the firm can also waive these fees based on discretion. 

Services available through the firm's individual-centric programs include wealth planning, investment management, retirement planning and advice, risk management, tax review, estate planning, charitable gift planning, cash flow planning and other services.

Certain on-staff advisors at CAPTRUST can earn commissions from insurance sales. Despite the potential conflict of interest this creates, the firm is bound by fiduciary duty to act in your best interest.

CAPTRUST Background

CAPTRUST was established in 2003. Today, the firm's leadership team is under the control of co-founder and CEO James Fielding Miller. The firm's shares are owned by a holding company called The CapFinancial Group, LLC.

The advisory team at CAPTRUST holds multiple certifications, including certified public accountants (CPAs), accredited investment fiduciaries (AIFs), chartered financial analysts (CFAs), certified fund specialists (CFSs), certified investment management analysts (CIMAs), certified financial planners (CFPs) and chartered financial consultants (ChFCs), among other designations.

CAPTRUST has a number of branches nationwide.

CAPTRUST Investing Strategy

CAPTRUST utilizes an investment philosophy that features the customization of a portfolio for each individual client. While clients are allowed to set some restrictions to how their money is managed, portfolios will generally be based on their personal risk tolerance, financial goals, time horizon, income needs, tax situation, net worth and any other applicable factors. As this portfolio ages and returns affect its allocations, though, the firm may decide to either reallocate assets or redesign the portfolio entirely.

The firm may utilize long- or short-term purchases within your portfolio, depending on your needs and goals. CAPTRUST tends to invest in stocks, mutual funds, fixed-income securities and options. Additionally, the firm offers a wrap fee program, which bundles all transactional and advisory fees into a single rate.

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Fisher Investments is a fee-only financial advisor firm based in Texas that has over 130,000 non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth clients. The firm also works with investment companies, pooled investment vehicles, retirement plans, charities, government entities, other investment advisors, insurance companies, foreign wealth funds, corporations and proprietary accounts.

If you're an individual interested in working with Fisher, you'll generally need at least $500,000 in investable assets, though this minimum is waivable. Clients who use the firm's WealthBuilder program are only required to have $200,000 in investable assets.

Fisher offers a vast range of services to its individual clients, including working with clients to create and manage investment portfolios. The firm also has an extensive set of retirement planning services, as well as other financial planning services like goal planning, income tax planning and more. Fisher also has an annuity conversion service, which is a fairly unique offering among advisor firms.

Fisher Investments Background

Fisher Investments was founded in 1979 by Ken Fisher. Fisher still principally owns the firm. He also had a hand in creating the theory behind the "Price-to-Sales Ratio," and he was a Forbes investment columnist from 1984 until 2016. Fisher has also been ranked on Forbes' list of the Richest Americans, as well as its list of Global Billionaires.

The firm operates many branches in other U.S. states outside of its headquarters in Plano, Texas, as well as in other countries globally.

Fisher Investments Investing Strategy

According to its SEC-filed Form ADV, Fisher Investments principal goal is "maximizing returns relative to risk compared to particular benchmarks."

Depending on your long- or short-term goals, risk tolerance and time horizon, the firm will recommend a distinct set of investments. For example, riskier investors will have portfolios centered around common stock and cash equivalents. Risk-averse investors will have their assets invested more in fixed-income secuties, such as bonds and cash. For those in between those two extremes, Fisher recommends a blended portfolio that features some proportionate allocation of stocks, fixed-income and cash.

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In business for just about a half-century, GW&K Investment Management is a fee-only firm headquartered in Boston. The firm offers investment advisory services to high-net-worth individuals, banks, investment companies, pooled investment vehicles, retirement plans, government entities and corporations.

GW&K specializes in active equity and fixed-income investment solutions, and it incorporates equity, municipal bond and taxable bond strategies in its investment process. The firm additionally receives performance-based fees for its investment management. The fees are based on a percentage of the net profits being managed. The firm’s standard fee schedules are negotiable, and its fees are usually billed quarterly in advance or in arrears.

GW&K Investment Management Background

GW&K was founded in 1974 and it is a partner of Affiliated Managers Group, Inc., a publicly-traded global asset management company.

In addition to its municipal bond strategies, the firm employs small cap and small/mid cap and core fixed income investment approaches. GW&K manages wrap accounts, and it also participates in certain sub-advisory agreements. 

GW&K offers a variety of services, including portfolio management, investment strategies, equity, taxable bonds and municipal bonds.

GW&K Investment Management Investing Strategy

GW&K says that it believes in rigorous research, disciplined management and a client-driven culture. It seeks to find unexpected investment opportunities and provides personalized management services.

The firm describes its management approach as one that places clients’ interests first and strives to meet investment objectives in the midst of market fluctuations.

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Headquartered in Miami, Florida, CI Private Wealth (CIPW) is a fee-only firm that earns money through management fees paid by clients.

CIPW serves both non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individuals. Institutional clients include pooled investment vehicles, retirement plans, charities, state or municipal governments, other investment advisors, insurance companies and businesses, among others.

The firm says that it generally aims to establish relationships with clients who have at least $1 million in investable assets, though this isn't a hard-and-fast requirement. Some investment strategies at the firm may require asset amounts up to $100 million.

CI Private Wealth Background

CIPW is wholly-owned by CIPW Holdings, LLC, which is a majority-owned subsidiary of CI US Holdings, Inc.

According to the firm's brochure, CIPW provides wealth management solutions for individuals, families, pension plans, trusts, endowments, other institutional clients and private funds. The firm also says that it operates through several business units that have the flexibility to provide services on a discretionary or non-discretionary basis, depending on client preferences.

CI Private Wealth Investment Strategy

CIPW offers a broad range of investment strategies across different asset classes. The firm's brochure says that investment strategies are executed through separately managed accounts, private funds and registered funds, among other means.

From time to time, CIPW may also recommend separately managed account programs, private fund advisors or registered funds sponsored or managed by affiliates.

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New York City-based Summit Rock Advisors is the quintessential exclusive family office, as the firm works with less than 50 high-net-worth individual clients. This becomes even more clear when you look at its Form ADV brochure, which states that the average client size is approximately $415 million. In short, only those with at least $100 million in investable assets have a chance at becoming a client of Summit Rock Advisors.

This is a fee-only firm, which means that none of the advisors at Summit Rock, nor the firm itself, earn compensation from any source other than client-paid fees. A fee-based firm, on the other hand, may have advisors who sell insurance products or securities on a commission basis.

Summit Rock Advisors also holds the top spots on SmartAsset's lists of the top financial advisors in New York City and the top financial advisors in New York State.

Summit Rock Advisors Background

Summit Rock Advisors' headquarters is in Manhattan. The firm is independently owned by its co-founders: CEO David Dechman and chief investment strategist Nancy Donohue. The firm has been in business since 2007.

Clients of Summit Rock will receive intensely close attention on their investment portfolios and long-term financial plans. The firm works with clients in a holistic manner, attempting to account for all of their financial specifics and goals when making decisions.

Summit Rock Advisors Investing Strategy

Summit Rock Advisors works to understand clients' personal needs and objectives prior to investing any of their money. In turn, a Summit Rock advisor will personally work with you to determine exactly what you're looking for in the short and long term. The firm often looks to incorporate multiple investment managers within clients' portfolios According to its Form ADV, it chooses managers that it "believes are the most talented across a wide universe of choices, encompassing various sectors of the market, geographies, and liquidity spectrums."

As you can tell from the above, diversification is incredibly important to Summit Rock's overarching investment philosophy. Strategic asset allocation planning is also a focus point, as the firm will use your risk tolerance and time horizon to select investment allocations in a manner that aligns with those factors.

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Mercer Global Advisors is a fee-based firm headquartered in Denver, but serves clients nationwide. It works with both non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individuals, as well as retirement plans, charities and corporations. The firm's minimum annual fee requirements can range from $800 to $75,000, depending on the type of service and account.

Some of Mercer's on-staff advisors have the opportunity to sell insurance products on a commission basis. Although this represents a potential conflict of interest, the firm's fiduciary duty means it must act in clients' best interests.

You can also find Mercer Global Advisors on two other SmartAsset lists: the top financial advisors in Denver and the top financial advisors in Colorado.

Mercer Global Advisors Background

Mercer Global Advisors has been in business for nearly 40 years, as it was founded in 1985. The firm's team of advisors holds multiple certifications, including certified financial planners (CFPs), chartered financial analysts (CFAs) and certified public accoutants (CPAs), among other designations.

Financial planning, investment management and family office services are all available at Mercer. Investment portfolios are managed on a custom basis, and financial planning can cover a wide range of topics.

Mercer Global Advisors Investing Strategy

Mercer Global Advisors focuses on investing for the long term. In concert with this approach, the firm believes ample planning is necessary to achieve success over time. Advisors therefore stress this planning specifically around clients' personal financial situations and goals.

Unsurpisingly, Mercer works to diversify clients' assets throughout various securities and market sectors. This is done to protect portfolios from heavily earning returns from very specific areas of the market, which can create higher-than-intended volatility. As your portfolio ages, the firm may decide to rebalance your investments back to their intended allocations.

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Fort Washington Investment Advisors is a Cincinnati-based advisory firm that offers a wide range of services, including individual and family wealth management, investment services for institutions and private equity fund management.

Services for individuals include goal-based financial planning, investment management, insurance planning, trust and estate planning, tax planning, charitable gift planning, risk management, charitable gift planning, executive compensation planning and more.

When it comes to individual clients, Fort Washington only serves those with a high net worth. The rest of the firm's client base is entirely institutional, including investment companies, pooled investment vehicles, retirement plans, charitable organizations, government entities, insurance companies and corporations. The minimum account size for clients here vary depending on the service being provided.

As a fee-based firm, certain on-staff advisors at Fort Washington can receive commissions from the sale of insurance products, which causes a potential conflict of interest. The firm is still required to abide by fiduciary duty, though, meaning it will act in your best interest.

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Background

Founded in 1990, Fort Washington Investment Advisors has grown considerably over the last three decades. The firm is the investment branch of Western & Southern Financial Group, Inc., a large financial services company. As a result, the firm is a wholly owned subsidiary of a handful of Western & Southern's child companies.

There is no shortage of advisory certifications among the advisory staff at Fort Washington Investment Advisors. More specifically, the staff holds multiple certifications, including chartered financial analyst (CFA), certified financial planner (CFP), chartered alternative investment analyst (CAIA) and certified investment management analyst (CIMA), among other designations.

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Investing Strategy

Fort Washington Investment Advisors believes in aligning all of your financial needs into a single strategy. This will principally involve the creation and maintenance of an investment portfolio, as well as a detailed financial plan. Before any asset management decisions are made on your behalf, the firm will do a deep dive into your ultimate financial goals, risk tolerance, time horizon, liquidity needs, anticipated returns and investment preferences. Based on the insights gleaned from this information, a holistic investment and financial plan will be built for you.

The firm doesn't have a specific set of securities that it prefers to invest in. Instead, it will devise an asset allocation that considers whatever investments fit your needs. That could mean your money will be invested in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), cash allocations or any other investments the firm deems appropriate.

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Cerity Partners is a fee-only firm that is based in New York. It works with both non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individuals.  Institutional clients include pooled investment vehicles, pension and profit sharing plans, charitable organizations, state or municipal governments, insurance companies and corporations.

As a fee-only firm, the advisory team at Cerity Partners does not receive third-party commissions from selling securities or insurance. By contrast, advisors at a fee-based firm can earn commissions that could lead to potential conflicts of interest.

Cerity Partners Background

Cerity Partners has been in business since 2009. According to its brochure, the firm is controlled by Cerity Partners Equity Holding LLC. This LLC, in turn, is controlled by Cerity Partners EOE LLC, which is owned by certain employees of Cerity Partners. Kurt Miscinski is the firm’s president and CEO.

Cerity Partners provides a variety of services, including:

• Financial planning
• Wealth planning
• Retirement planning
• Portfolio management
• Tax planning
• Estate planning

Cerity Partners Investment Strategy

Cerity Partners uses asset allocation to reduce risk for each client’s investment portfolio. Asset classes include cash and cash equivalents, global fixed-income, global equity, real return, hedge funds and private equity.

According to the firm's Form ADV, it takes into account a number of investor characteristics when building portfolios. In fact, it states the following: "Cerity Partners customizes all services to the individual needs of its clients by determining each client’s specific goals, objectives, risk tolerance, time horizon, investment restrictions and other factors that affect the appropriate financial advice."

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NFP Retirement's advisory services are heavily focused around helping clients with retirement planning and the management of their retirement assets. In terms of assets under management, the firm's client base is dominated by retirement plan sponsors, though it technically works with a majority of individuals with and without a high net worth. The firm's investment minimum is $25,000.

Certain on-staff advisors at NFP can sell insurance products and securities on a commission basis. Although this presents a potential conflict of interest, the firm's fiduciary duty means it acts in clients' best interests.

This isn't the only SmartAsset top financial advisor list NFP Retirement holds a spot on. In fact, it is also featured on our Aliso Viejo and California lists.

NFP Retirement Background

Founded in 1980, NFP Retirement is under the ownership of its parent entity, NFP Corp. The firm's leadership team is headed by chairman and CEO Doug Hammond and president and chief operating officer (COO) Mike Goldman.

NFP Retirement also has offices in New York City; Austin, Texas; Palm Beach Gardens, Florida; Toronto, Canada; Birmingham, United Kingdom; Dublin, Ireland; and San Juan; Puerto Rico.

NFP Retirement Investing Strategy

NFP Retirement's individual investing and financial planning services are based on the needs each individual client has. For instance, your advisor will discuss with you your risk tolerance, income needs and financial goals before making any decisions on your behalf.

Generally speaking, NFP's advisors tend to invest in some combination of mutual funds and ETFs. However, the firm also sometimes utilizes a Schwab-created automated asset allocation service. This uses model portfolios that are chosen based on the client's goals.

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Moneta Group Investment Advisors has a client base mostly comprised of individuals above and below the high-net-worth threshold. Although the firm works with more high-net-worth individuals than not, it does not have a specific account minimum for new clients. It also has a number of institutional relationships as well, including retirement plans, businesses and charitable organizations.

Moneta is a fee-only firm, which means that it earns money solely through management fees that are paid by clients. By contrast, a fee-based firm has some employees that can also sell insurance policies and other financial products for commissions.

There is no shortage of individual, institutional and retirement plan advisory services available at Moneta. As a matter of fact, individual clients will have access to services like investment management, estate planning, risk management, retirement planning, business succession consulting, tax planning and more.

SmartAsset has also featured Moneta Group Investment Advisors in its lists of the top financial advisors in St. Louis and Missouri.

Moneta Group Investment Advisors Background

Moneta Group Investment Advisors can trace its history all the way back to 1869. The firm is owned by Moneta Group, LLC, which is in turn owned by Moneta's partners. 

According to the firm's website, its team of advisors hold multiple certifications, includeing certified public accountants (CPAs), certified financial planners (CFPs), chartered financial analysts (CFAs), accredited wealth management advisors (AWMAs), certified divorce financial analysts (CDFAs) and accredited investment fiduciary analysts (AIFAs), among other designations.

Moneta Group Investment Advisors Investing Strategy

At the start of each client relationship, the advisors at Moneta will review what type of investor the client is. This will involve discussing and determing their risk tolerance, income needs, financial goals, time horizon and investment preferences. Once the information-gathering process is complete, the firm will write up an investment policy statement (IPS). This will eventually dictate how your portfolio is built and managed.

Generally speaking, the firm tends to invest in the interest of garnering long-term returns. In turn, it will invest in some combination of fixed-income securities, equities and alternative investments. As your portfolio ages, the firm will review its allocations and make adjustments as they become necessary.