The 12 best financial advisors
Are you stressed about budgeting, retirement planning, portfolio management, or other financial goals?
It may be time to meet with a financial advisor.
The best financial advisors can help you create an individualized plan that balances risk with reward for long-term savings.
And while the rise of online advisory services is making it easier than ever to find a financial advisor, this increase in options can actually make it harder to make a choice.
Let us simplify things for you. Review our analysis of how the best financial advisors stack up to find the firms best suited to help you reach your financial goals.
Best financial advisors
Here’s a quick rundown of the best financial advisors on our list, including their target clients, how much you need to deposit, and the fees you can expect.
The best financial advisors share a few characteristics — including official accreditations and a track record for security — but each platform offers features tailored to different users. Even if a financial advisor has a sterling reputation, it may not align with your financial goals. Take care to review the specifics of each financial advisor to see which one shares your vision.
- Advisor - best for white-glove service with a small, personalized team
- Betterment - best for robo-advisory with attractive fees
- Datalign - best for clients who want a vetted, one-on-one advisor
- Domain Money - best for hands-on investors
- Edward Jones - best for a traditional, face-to-face partnership
- Empower - best for high-net-worth investors focused on retirement goals
- Fidelity - best for accessible advisory service with multiple plans
- J. P. Morgan - best for a blend of humans and robo-advisory services
- Vanguard - best for low-risk, long-term investing focus
- Wealthfront - best for a digital-first, low-fee robo-advisory
- WiserAdvisor - best for working directly with a local advisor
- Zoe Financial - best for high-net-worth investors
Best for white-glove service: Advisor
- Account minimum: $0
- Fees: $3,750 annually or % of what you invest
- AUM: Not available
- BBB rating: Not available
Advisor.com is a Charleston-based financial advisory service offering clients high-performance technological tools and personal guidance from vetted experts. Although this company is new (founded in 2022), it has received initial positive feedback on sites like Trustpilot for its staff's knowledge, courtesy, and speed.
Advisor.com also takes a holistic approach to financial planning instead of specializing in one area like portfolio management. For those most interested in working with a small, focused team on goals such as budgeting, investing, and retirement, Advisor may offer a compelling personal feel.
Pros
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White glove service with screened experts tailored to your needs.
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Offers comprehensive plans for a holistic view into your finances.
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Highly accessible with zero minimum deposit.
Cons
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Smaller company with a short track record.
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Yearly fee may be cost prohibitive.
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Limited transparency on AUM and no BBB accreditation.
Robo-advisory with attractive fees: Betterment
- Account minimum: $10
- Fees: $4 monthly fee or 0.25% annual fee
- AUM: $50+ billion
- BBB rating: D -, 1.31 stars
Betterment has built a solid reputation as one of the best robo-advisors with its wide range of automated investment plans, each offering distinct risk profiles, themes, and goals. While these smart portfolios — including focus areas like climate change, crypto, and social impact — remain the hallmark of Betterment’s service, it continues to expand its offerings to help you save smarter.
For instance, you can now put cash in a high-yield savings account, and Betterment even offers personal guidance with an expert for a higher fee and a $100,000 deposit. However, Betterment has attractive rates for multiple offerings if you stick with the “bread and butter” robo-advisory service.
Pros
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Low fees and minimums for robo-advisory service.
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Wide range of investment vehicles, including high-yield savings and crypto investing.
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Tools to set and track multiple savings goals.
Cons
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Lacks customization and personal touch on robo-advisor plans.
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Steep minimum for Premium personalized service.
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Some may feel Betterment’s selected smart portfolios are limiting.
Best for a vetted, one-on-one advisor: Datalign
- Account minimum: Varies by advisor
- Fees: No fee to use the platform
- AUM: $14.8 billion
- BBB rating: No BBB page
Datalign’s mission is to match you with the best registered financial advisor for your needs. To do this, you’ll need to fill out a detailed questionnaire so Datalign knows the nitty-gritty about your needs and expectations. Datalign uses this information to link you to one of the thousands of vetted advisors in its network, and it will let you chat with your advisor for free to see if it’s a match.
The best part: It’s free to use Datalign’s service to find an advisor. Those who can’t be bothered doing a bunch of Google research for qualified financial advisors may most appreciate Datalign’s database.
Pros
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No fee to use Datalign or make your first call with a financial advisor.
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Comprehensive questionnaire to ensure the matched advisor aligns with your goals.
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Wide variety of choices with thousands of registered financial advisors.
Cons
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You can’t research Datalign’s pool of advisors on your own to pick and choose.
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No BBB page or Trustpilot reviews.
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Customer support limited to email.
Best for hands-on investors: Domain Money
- Account minimum: None
- Fees: $2,800, $4,800, or $7,800 one-time flat fee
- AUM: N/A
- BBB rating: None
Domain Money aims to empower users — particularly tech-savvy millennials — to get a comprehensive grasp on their finances with the help of a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). Unlike other advisory services, Domain Money focuses on short-duration "engagements" to review financial concerns and strategies for success.
Clients on Domain Money get a detailed report and a one-hour "implementation session" to review your money questions. Depending on your plan, you could have a one, two, or six-month engagement with your CFP and add yearly updates for an additional fee. While Domain Money doesn't do as much hand-holding as other financial advisory offerings, it may be all you need to kickstart your financial success.
Pros
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Access to a professional CFP, plus a personalized written report.
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One-time flat fee and no minimums.
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Handles various financial services, including real estate, family planning, and tax prep.
Cons
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Support lasts for just one - six-month engagements.
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Only for people ready to take a hands-on approach to their finances.
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Shorter track record (founded in 2021).
Best for a traditional, face-to-face partnership: Edward Jones
- Account minimum: $0 - $25,000
- Fees: 0.75% - 5.75% commissions or 1.4% annually, depending on plan
- AUM: $2 trillion
- BBB rating: A, 1.26 stars
Few financial advisory firms have as storied a reputation — or the type of scale — as Edward Jones. Founded in the 1920s, this investment company now has over 15,000 branches in the USA and Canada, and it places a heavy emphasis on one-on-one investment planning.
Anyone interested in a traditional, professional, and personal approach to financial planning typically appreciates the in-person guidance they get at Edward Jones. While Edward Jones has extra fees to consider due to its legacy and one-on-one guidance, some swear these fees are worth it for the extra hand-holding.
Pros
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Long history and vast network of branches.
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Face-to-face guidance with a professional financial advisor.
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Big-picture and long-term financial planning solutions.
Cons
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Higher and more complex fee structure, including commissions for some plans.
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Lacks innovative and robust tech tools and robo-advisory solutions.
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Primarily focuses on investment products.
Best for high-net-worth investors: Empower
- Account minimum: $100,000
- Fees: 0.89% for first $1 million, lower after that
- AUM: $1.6 trillion
- BBB rating: B, 1.07 stars
Empower traces its roots back to the 1890s, but the current version of this financial services firm has been around since 2014. Since then, Empower has become one of the leading names in retirement planning services, and it gained even more attention after acquiring the online platform Personal Capital in 2020. This acquisition made Empower more, well, "powerful" in terms of offering digital financial tracking tools.
While you could access these financial planning tools for free, Empower provides a human wealth management team. Those who meet Empower's criteria for an advisory account get even more personalized guidance on investments and taxes to meet long-term financial goals.
Pros
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Team of human advisors available to help meet your retirement goals.
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Tax optimization tools, including automated tax-loss harvesting.
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A comprehensive suite of advanced digital wealth planning and tracking tools.
Cons
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High minimum deposit.
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Primarily geared towards retirement planning.
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Relatively high flat fee versus competitors.
Best for accessible advisory, multiple plans: Fidelity
- Account minimum: $10 - $5,000
- Fees: Robo-advisor: 0.35%/yr with $25,000+; Wealth management: 0.50%–1.50%; Private wealth management: 0.20% –1.04%
- AUM: $14.1 trillion
- BBB rating: A+, 1.19
Fidelity is one of the largest asset managers in the world, which also makes it one of the most accessible choices for financial advisory services. Not only is it easy to access Fidelity’s portal via computer or mobile device, they offer a few different advisory plans to suit the needs of different clients.
Those most interested in a robo-advisory service could use Fidelity Go, but there are also phone-based support and dedicated advisory teams for higher minimums. While this wide range of options can be a bit overwhelming, it gives everyone the option to get access to Fidelity’s services at the rate they feel most comfortable paying.
Pros
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Wide range of plans to choose from, including robo-advisory to dedicated teams.
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Convenient digital integrations and apps.
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Huge financial institution with extensive resources and history.
Cons
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High minimums to work one-on-one with advisors.
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Emphasis on investments rather than other aspects of financial planning (e.g., budgeting or debt management)
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High advisory fees in higher tiers.
Best for a blend of humans and robo-advisory: JP Morgan
- Account minimum: $25,000
- Fees: 0.6% or 0.5% annually, depending on portfolio value
- AUM: $5.3 trillion
- BBB rating: A+, 1.12 stars
In international banking, nobody comes close to JP Morgan Chase. So, it makes sense that this NY-headquartered giant also has a long-standing wealth advisory firm called "JP Morgan Personal Advisors." Those who set up an account with JP Morgan Personal Advisors get a mix of robo-advisory services and a team of investment experts available via phone or live chat.
While JP Morgan's service doesn't have the "personal touch" of other one-on-one services, it offers comparatively lower fees and a more convenient experience for clients who want digital-first tools.
Pros
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Multiple automated features, including tax-loss harvesting and portfolio rebalancing.
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Video and phone meetings with a team of advisors.
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Convenient portfolio tracking and communication via the Chase mobile app.
Cons
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No in-person meetings for those who favor face-to-face consultations.
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While not the highest fees, they also aren’t the cheapest.
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Limited access to alternative assets like crypto and forex.
Best for low-risk, long-term investing focus: Vanguard
- Account minimum: $50,000
- Fees: 0.3% for first $5 million
- AUM: $9.3 trillion
- BBB rating: F, 1.08 stars
The investment firm Vanguard is well known for its mutual funds and ETFs, but you don't have to simply invest in Vanguard's products on your journey toward retirement. With a Vanguard Personal Advisor, you can receive advice on the ideal portfolio for your needs with an expert via video and phone chat. Vanguard describes this service as a hybrid model incorporating the best automation technology with a human advisor on standby.
While Vanguard's Personal Advisor offers a mix of personal and robo-advisory services, it also has a more affordable Digital Advisor and a Personal Advisor Select for high-net-worth clients.
Pros
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Long history in the investment space.
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Attractive flat fee.
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Offers a lower-cost Digital Advisor model for greater accessibility.
Cons
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Relatively high minimum deposit.
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For true personalized guidance in Personal Advisor Select, there' a prohibitively high minimum.
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Limited portfolio customization outside of Vanguard’s target mutual funds and ETFs.
Best for a digital-first, low-fee robo-advisory: Wealthfront
- Account minimum: $500
- Fees: 0.25% annually
- AUM: $75 billion
- BBB rating: F, 2.2 stars
Wealthfront has been making waves as one of the financial industry's most intuitive low-cost robo-advisors. Since its start in 2008, this digital platform continues attracting new users thanks to its low deposits, competitive flat fee, and access to multiple financial services.
Besides investing in strategic funds, Wealthfront offers products such as high-yield savings accounts, bonds, and automatic tax-loss harvesting. While there's no way to access a human advisor through Wealthfront, some people are OK trading off this personalized guidance for the features and greater accessibility Wealthfront offers.
Pros
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Highly accessible with a $500 minimum for investing.
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Straightforward and competitive flat fee.
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Offers additional features like high-yield savings and crypto trust exposure.
Cons
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No personal advisor available.
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Focus primarily on investments rather than other areas of financial planning.
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Complaints about slow or lackluster customer service on Trustpilot.
Best for working directly with a local advisor: WiserAdvisor
- Account minimum: No minimum to use the platform
- Fees: No fee to use the platform
- AUM: $15 billion per year
- BBB rating: A+, N/A
Since 1998, WiserAdvisor has been helping thousands of Americans connect with certified financial advisors in their local area. On this directory service, you could set up an account for free, plug in your zip code, and instantly start scrolling through the advisor profiles. You could also simplify your quest for an advisor by filling out WiserAdvisor's questionnaire and receiving a few targeted matches in your inbox.
Considering it's free to use WiserAdvisor and set up the first consultation call, this is one of the most attractive tools for working with a local financial advisor one-on-one.
Pros
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Free to use WiserAdvisor’s dashboard and set up first consultation.
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You can look through the directory and get a targeted match.
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A plethora of educational resources, calculators, and blog articles.
Cons
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Not all states are on WiserAdvisor’s directory.
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Complaints over difficulty finding advisors in some areas, especially outside big cities.
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Personalization questionnaire is not as robust as some competitors.
Best for high-net-worth investors: Zoe Financial
- Account minimum: $100,000
- Fees: No fees to use the platform
- AUM: $2.5+ billion
- BBB rating: NR
Founded as a subsidiary of SoftBank, Zoe Financial is a matchmaking service for clients looking for a vetted financial advisor. After setting up a free Zoe Financial account and filling out a form with your info and goals, Zoe Financial's algorithm matches you with a pool of CFP, CFA, or CPA-certified advisors.
There's no fee or minimum to use Zoe Financial's service, but each advisor has a unique fee structure and minimum deposit to consider on a consultation call. Zoe Financial also offers a Satisfaction Guarantee to refund any advisory fees if you find their picks aren't the right fit.
Pros
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Free to use Zoe Financial to find an advisor and set up a consultation.
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Works with experienced and vetted financial advisors
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Strong customer reviews on Trustpilot, plus Satisfaction Guarantee.
Cons
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High investment minimum.
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Lower stated AUM than bigger competitors.
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Lacks BBB accreditation and reviews.
Compare financial advisors
| Financial advisor company | Best for | Fees | Account minimum | Sign up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advisor | People who want white glove service with a small, personalized team | $3,750 annually or % of what you invest $0.00 | $0 | Get started |
| Betterment | Investors interested in robo-advisory services with attractive fees | $4 monthly fee or 0.25% annual fee | $10 | Get started |
| Datalign | Clients who want to work with a vetted advisor onNo fees to use platforme-on-one fit for your situation. | No fees to use platform | No minimums | Get started |
| Domain Money | Hands-on investors who need a push with a personalized report and short-term strategic partnership | $2,800, $4,800, or $7,800 one-time flat fee | No minimums | Get started |
| Edward Jones | Anyone who prefers a traditional, face-to-face partnership | 0.75% - 5.75% commissions or 1.4% annually | $0 - $25,000 | Learn more |
| Empower | High-net worth investors most concerned with retirement goals | 0.89% for first $1 million, gradually lower tiers afterward | 0.89% for first $1 million, gradually lower tiers afterward | Get started |
| Fidelity | Clients looking for an accessible advisory service with multiple plans to choose from | Robo-advisor: 0.35%/yr with $25,000+; Wealth management: 0.50%–1.50%; Private wealth management: 0.20%–1.04%$25,000 to $249,999: 0.6%/yr $250,000+: 0.5%/yr | Robo-adivsor: $10; Wealth management: $500,000; Private wealth management: $2 million | Learn more |
| J. P. Morgan | Investors who want to work with a trusted brand that offers a blend of humans and robo-advisory services. | $250,000+: 5%/yr | $25,000 | Get started |
| Vanguard | Investors most interested in low-risk, long-term investing focused on mutual funds and ETFs. | The first $5 million: 0.3% | $50,000 | Get started |
| Wealthfront | Anyone looking for a digital-first, low-fee robo-advisory service. | 0.25% annually | $500 for investing | Get started |
| WiserAdvisor | People who want to work directly with an advisor in their area. | No fee to use platform | No minimum investment | Get started |
| Zoe Financial | High-net worth investors who want a one-on-one relationship with a vetted advisor. | No fee to use platform | Typically $100,000 | Get started |
How to choose a financial advisor
Since you'll be entrusting a financial advisor with your savings, choosing who to partner with is a serious matter. It pays to take time researching different features on financial advisory services to see which best aligns with your preferences.
- History and reputation: First, make sure your financial advisor has a solid track record for providing clients with results. You don't need to work solely with firms that have centuries of history, but be sure you've looked into unbiased reviews, third-party ratings, and regulatory checks to bolster your confidence.
- Certifications and specialization: If you're working with one-on-one advisors, look for credentials like CFP (Certified Financial Planner), CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst), or CPA (Certified Public Accountant) for greater certainty. Also, ask what areas of financial planning they specialize in (e.g., retirement planning, investing, or tax strategies) to see if they match your interests.
- Investment style: Some advisors focus on a passive, low-risk approach to investing, while others take a riskier, active approach with heightened volatility. There's no right or wrong investment strategy, but you have to make sure you know what you're getting into.
- Fee structure and minimum deposit: Estimate how much fees will impact the value of your investment and if they could influence your advisor's impartiality. For example, commission-based advisors earn money from selling financial products, which could create conflicts of interest. Also, although robo-advisors tend to charge lower fees, consider whether this tradeoff is worth it for the lack of personalized guidance.
FAQs
Eric Esposito is a freelance contributor on MoneyWise with an interest in financial markets, investing, and trading. In addition to MoneyWise, Eric’s work can be found on financial publications such as WallStreetZen and CoinDesk. When not researching the latest stock market trends, Eric enjoys biking, walking his dog, and spending time with family in Central Florida. Eric holds a BA in English from Quinnipiac University.
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