Top Financial Advisors in Newton, MA

Find an Advisor

Adviser Investments, a full-service advisory firm, is the No. 1 practice in Newton, Massachusetts. This fee-only firm has the largest client base of any firm on our list, as it works primarily with individual clients above and below the high-net-worth threshold. Adviser Investments also serves pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, government entities and corporations. 

The firm requires a minimum relationship size of $350,000, although certain strategies have their own minimum initial account requirements. For instance, the firm requires $100,000 for accounts using mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and individual equities, but $500,000 for those that hold individual bonds.

As a fee-only firm, Adviser Investments is compensated only through the fees that advisory clients pay. The firm's advisors do not collect commissions from third-parties for selling financial products and services. For investment management, the firm charges an asset-based fee that ranges from 0.40% to 1.50% of assets under management. Fees for other services may be determined on a case by case basis. 

The team at Adviser Investments comprises a number of accredited professionals, including those holding the certified financial planner (CFP), chartered financial analyst (CFA), certified divorce financial analyst (CDFA) and chartered financial consultant (ChFC) designations.

Adviser Investments Background

Adviser Investments was founded in 1994 by former investigative reporter Dan Wiener in collaboration with David Thorne and Dan Silver. Wiener, who remains the firm's chairman, previously published an independent newsletter on Vanguard funds but sold the venture to start Adviser Investments with Thorne and Silver. 

Today, the firm offers investment management, financial planning, tax planning, 401(k) advisory services and a managed bond program. 

Adviser Investments Investment Strategy

Adviser Investments offers a variety of investment strategies that range from equities to fixed income. Advisors rely on both fundamental and technical analysis, depending on the strategy being implemented. The firm offers the following investment options: 

• ETFs and mutual funds
• Dividend income
• Managed bonds
• Tactical investing
• Adviser Capital American Ingenuity 

Find an Advisor

Next on our list is Excalibur Management, a fee-based firm. At least of the advisors who work at this firm can earn insurance sales commissions in addition to advisory fees. While this represents a potential conflict of interest, the firm's fiduciary duty legally requires it to act in clients' best interests.

Excalibur’s client base is split almost evenly between non-high-net-worth individuals and high-net-worth individuals. The firm also works with pension plans, businesses and charities. Excalibur typically imposes an account minimum of $1 million for its advisory services, though this is negotiable.

Excalibur Management Background

Excalibur Management was founded in 1979, making it the oldest firm on this list. Two employees, president Michael W. Delduchetto and managing director Marc H. Ohler, act as the firm's principal owners.

The firm offers both individual portfolio management and financial planning services to its clients. The former can include equity portfolios, fixed-income portfolios or multi-asset portfolios. The latter can cover a range of topics, including:

• Tax and cash flow planning
• Death and disability planning
• Estate planning
• Retirement planning

Excalibur Management Corp. Investment Philosophy

Excalibur Management will build a portfolio for you that's entirely dependent on your investing goals. This not only involves your ultimate financial goals, but also your risk tolerance, time horizon and income needs. The firm primarily invests client assets in some combination of U.S. equities, international equities, American depository receipts, government debt securities, municipal bonds, corporate bonds, floating-rate and variable-rate obligations, inflation-protected debt securities, structured notes, exchange-traded funds and notes (ETFs/ETNs), derivatives, hedge strategies, option strategies and oil & gas limited partnerships.

The firm conducts investment research using both "top-down" and "bottom-up" approaches. The former starts at the top of the market with broad, macroeconomic trend analysis before it begins drilling down. Conversely, the latter starts with individual securities, then zooms out to examine how each fits in on a market-wide basis.

Find an Advisor

Jonathan D. Pond has the smallest advisory staff of any firm on this list. The firm works with non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individuals, with the latter comprising the slight majority of the client base.

This firm operates on a fee-only basis, so it does not sell financial products or services. You’ll need to have at least $500,000 in investable assets in order to become a client, though this minimum is waivable. There's also a $5,000 minimum annual fee.

Jonathan D. Pond Background

Jonathan D. Pond has been an investment advisory frim since 1987 but registered with the Securities Exchange Commission in 2008. The firm’s principal owner is Jonathan D. Pond.

The firm has a few primary service offerings: portfolio management, financial planning, consulting and the publication of periodicals. The firm releases a weekly newsletter titled "Ponderings" written by Jonathan Pond.

Jonathan D. Pond Investment Philosophy

The firm conducts fundamental analysis when determining potential securities to invest in. This popular method of analysis involves examining a company’s financial statements, as well as its management, financial health, market sensitivity, competition and the economy at large. This is done in pursuit of gauging the intrinsic value of a company, which can then be used to determine if the market is undervaluing any potential investments.

With an asset allocation tailored to you, the firm will execute that allocation by investing in domestic and foreign equity securities, corporate debt securities, commercial paper, certificates of deposit (CDs), municipal and United States government securities, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and variable annuities.

Find an Advisor

Rounding out our Newton list is Financial Planning Solutions. This fee-only firm works mainly with individual clients, with the majority of them falling below the high-net-worth threshold. It also works with pensions and profit sharing plans. The firm typically imposes a minimum account size of $500,000, though it may lower this requirement at its discretion.

Financial Planning Solutions Background

Financial Planning Solutions first opened for business in 2013. Ownership of the firm is split down the middle between founders and managing partners Lyman H. Jackson and Richard H. Fingerman. The duo has around 50 years of combined experience in the financial services industry.

The firm provides its clients with ongoing investment management services, as well as financial planning and consultation services. Additionally, the firm offers advisory services to retirement plan sponsors.

Financial Planning Solutions Investment Strategy

Financial Planning Solutions primarily employs fundamental analysis when it comes to evaluating securities, although it may use technical and cyclical analysis when it deems such methods appropriate. Fundamental analysis is the attempt to discern a company’s intrinsic economic value by analyzing factors like its balance sheet, management team and other financial documents rather than focusing only on the movement of its stock price. Technical analysis is the practice of examining past price and volume data relating to a specific security and using that data to forecast future price movement. Cyclical analysis is a similar method, but involves considering price movement in the context of larger business cycles.

Based on this research, the firm will find securities to invest your money in. The most important factor, though, is your personal investor profile. This involves factors like your risk tolerance, time horizon, liquidity and income needs, investment preferences and more.