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Top 10 Financial Advisors in Boulder, CO

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This review was produced by SmartAsset based on publicly available information. The named firm and its financial professionals have not reviewed, approved, or endorsed this review and are not responsible for its accuracy. Review content is produced by SmartAsset independently of any business relationships that might exist between SmartAsset and the named firm and its financial professionals, and firms and financial professionals having business relationships with SmartAsset receive no special treatment or consideration in SmartAsset’s reviews. This page contains links to SmartAsset’s financial advisor matching tool, which may or may not match you with the firm mentioned in this review or its financial professionals.

Finding a Top Financial Advisor Firm in Boulder, Colorado

There are many different factors to account for when you’re picking a financial advisor firm. For Boulder, Colorado residents, SmartAsset has put together this list of the top financial advisor firms in the city. SmartAsset’s financial advisor matching tool offers an alternative route, as it will connect you with up to three advisors who serve your area.

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Rank Financial Advisor Assets Managed Minimum Assets Financial Services More Information
1 Wealthgate Family Office, LLC Wealthgate Family Office, LLC logo Find an Advisor

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$527,175,941 $10,000,000
  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
  • Selection of other advisors

Minimum Assets

$10,000,000

Financial Services

  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
  • Selection of other advisors
2 Colorado Financial Management, LLC Colorado Financial Management, LLC logo Find an Advisor

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$2,123,151,467 $500,000
  • Financial planning 
  • Portfolio management

Minimum Assets

$500,000

Financial Services

  • Financial planning 
  • Portfolio management
3 BSW Wealth Partners BSW Wealth Partners logo Find an Advisor

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$1,743,871,704 No set account minimum
  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
  • Selection of other advisors
  • Tax & estate planning coordination
  • Diversification planning
  • Employee stock options

Minimum Assets

No set account minimum

Financial Services

  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
  • Selection of other advisors
  • Tax & estate planning coordination
  • Diversification planning
  • Employee stock options
4 Schoolcraft Capital, LLC Schoolcraft Capital, LLC logo Find an Advisor

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$1,102,743,692 $10,000,000
  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
  • Selection of other advisors (including private fund managers)

Minimum Assets

$10,000,000

Financial Services

  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
  • Selection of other advisors (including private fund managers)
5 The Millstone Evans Group, LLC The Millstone Evans Group, LLC logo Find an Advisor

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$730,621,713 No set account minimum
  • Financial planning services
  • Portfolio management
  • Selection of other advisors
  • Publication of periodicals or newsletters
  • Educational seminars/workshops
  • Blogs and Podcasts

Minimum Assets

No set account minimum

Financial Services

  • Financial planning services
  • Portfolio management
  • Selection of other advisors
  • Publication of periodicals or newsletters
  • Educational seminars/workshops
  • Blogs and Podcasts
6 Meridian Wealth Management, LLC Meridian Wealth Management, LLC logo Find an Advisor

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$514,458,526 Varies based on account type
  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
  • Pension consulting services

Minimum Assets

Varies based on account type

Financial Services

  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
  • Pension consulting services
7 Colorado Capital Management Colorado Capital Management logo Find an Advisor

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$488,188,006 $1,000,000
  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
  • Selection of other advisors (including private fund managers)
  • Publication of periodicals or newsletters

Minimum Assets

$1,000,000

Financial Services

  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
  • Selection of other advisors (including private fund managers)
  • Publication of periodicals or newsletters
8 Harbor Financial Group Harbor Financial Group logo Find an Advisor

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$341,170,000 No set account minimum
  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
  • Selection of other advisors (including private fund managers)
  • Publication of periodicals or newsletters
  • Educational seminars/workshops

Minimum Assets

No set account minimum

Financial Services

  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
  • Selection of other advisors (including private fund managers)
  • Publication of periodicals or newsletters
  • Educational seminars/workshops
9 Consilium, LLC Consilium, LLC logo Find an Advisor

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$167,138,000 $250,000
  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
  • Pension consulting services
  • Selection of other advisors

Minimum Assets

$250,000

Financial Services

  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
  • Pension consulting services
  • Selection of other advisors
10 The Wealth Conservancy The Wealth Conservancy logo Find an Advisor

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$157,365,186 No set account minimum
  • Financial planning services
  • Potfolio management
  • Selection of other advisors
  • Publication of periodicals or newsletters
  • Educational seminars/workshops
  • Wealth coaching

Minimum Assets

No set account minimum

Financial Services

  • Financial planning services
  • Potfolio management
  • Selection of other advisors
  • Publication of periodicals or newsletters
  • Educational seminars/workshops
  • Wealth coaching

What We Use in Our Methodology

To find the top financial advisors in Boulder, we first identified all firms registered with the SEC in the city. Next, we filtered out firms that don't offer financial planning services, those that don't serve primarily individual clients and those that have disclosures on their record. The qualifying firms were then ranked according to the following criteria:

  • AUM
    Firms with more total assets under management are ranked higher.
  • Individual Client Count
    Firms who serve more individual clients (as opposed to institutional clients) are ranked higher.
  • Clients Per Advisor
    Firms with a lower ratio of clients per financial advisor are ranked higher.
  • Age of Firm
    Firms that have been in business longer are ranked higher.
  • Fee Structure
    Firms with a fee-only (as opposed to fee-based) compensation structure are ranked higher.

All information is obtained through public records and is updated annually after the firms’ form ADV filing. This list may include firms that have a business relationship with SmartAsset, in which SmartAsset is compensated for lead referrals. Such relationships have no impact on our rankings, and firms are included and ranked based strictly on the above criteria. SmartAsset is not a client of the aforementioned firms, and did not receive compensation for including any of the firms on the aforementioned list.

Wealthgate Family Office

Wealthgate Family Office is a fee-only firm working with only a handful of clients, most of whom are high-net-worth. The firm also works with a trust company. Fees may be fixed or based on a percentage of assets under management, and will be spelled out in each client agreement.

The minimum account size is $10 million. There is not a list of certifications earned by advisors at the firm.

Wealthgate Family Office Background

Wealthgate was founded in 2020 and is principally owned by founder Alexander Paul, who also serves as the firm's CEO.

Services include wealth management, asset allocation, selection and oversight of third-party managers, portfolio monitoring and consolidated reporting.

Wealthgate Family Office Investment Strategy

Hedge funds and other pooled investment vehicles are most common investment at Wealthgate, which makes sense for a firm with such a high minimum asset level. Stocks, bonds and mutual funds are also used.

Colorado Financial Management

Fee-only Colorado Financial Management, LLC comes next on our list. More than 95% of the firm’s client base consists of individuals, families and high-net-worth individuals, and its minimum initial investment is $500,000. The firm also maintains accounts for charitable organizations.

The staff at the firm boasts several advisory certifications. You’ll find a handful of certified financial planners (CFPs) and chartered financial analysts (CFAs), along with one certified divorce financial analyst (CDFA).

Colorado Financial Management Background

The history of Colorado Financial Management can be traced back to 1988, when the firm was founded by Mike Sargent. In 1996, the firm transitioned to the name Sargent Bickham Lagudis (SBL). It was only in 2016 that SBL transitioned to its current name of Colorado Financial Management. Today, the firm is under the ownership of CIO Bradley Bickham and senior financial advisors Joshua Miller, Meagan D’Angelo, Luke Daniel and Christopher Lagudis.

Most of what Colorado Financial does involves either financial planning or investment management. Here are a few of its services:

  • Risk-adjusted portfolio planning
  • Retirement planning
  • Estate planning
  • Insurance needs review and analysis
  • Tax management

Colorado Financial Management Client Experience

In order to build an investment portfolio that’s in line with your personal needs, Colorado Financial Management will meet with you to determine your risk tolerance, liquidity needs and time horizon. Based on the specifics of your situation, the firm will formulate an asset allocation that it believes will ultimately help you reach your goals.

As your portfolio matures, the returns and losses it garners will eventually shift your asset allocation. To keep this from changing your target asset allocation too much, the firm will monitor and rebalance your investments as needed.

BSW Wealth Partners

BSW Wealth Partners has a large collection of advisory certifications across its team of financial advisors. This includes certified financial planners (CFPs) and chartered financial analysts (CFAs). Other certifications include certified public accountant (CPA) and certified divorce financial analyst (CDFA). This is a fee-only firm.

BSW does not institute any sort of minimum investable asset requirement. Regardless, the firm serves mostly high-net-worth individuals. Its client base also includes families, non-high-net-worth individuals, trusts, estates, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations and businesses.

BSW Wealth Partners Background

As an employee-owned firm, BSW Wealth Partners is owned by ten individuals. CEO David Wolf is the only owner with a more than 25% stake. BSW brands itself as “independent, employee-owned, woman-founded, and built to last.” It has been in business since 1992.

If you’re looking to invest, BSW Wealth Partners offers extensive investment management services that take care of everything from strategy implementation to portfolio reporting. For financial planning clients, services include wealth planning, employee stock option planning, retirement planning and college fund planning.

BSW Wealth Partners Investing Strategy

BSW Wealth Partners utilizes a long-term investment ideology that focuses on diversifying widely across multiple asset classes. To ensure your portfolio is as diversified as possible, the firm will look to invest your assets in non-correlated markets. Some of BSW’s typical investments include equities, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), real estate, hedge funds and private equity placements.

In order to keep your asset allocation intact and take into account other economic conditions, BSW will perform portfolio rebalances no more than twice per year. In the case that the firm has identified opportunistic investments, your allocation may shift a bit.

Schoolcraft Capital

Ultra-high-net-worth individuals comprise almost all of Schoolcraft Capital, LLC’s client base. In turn, the firm calls for a minimum investment of $10 million from new clients. In addition to individual clients, the fee-only firm is also known to maintain advisory relationships with families, foundations, private investment funds and pooled investment vehicles.

The firm employs a small team of financial advisors. Schoolcraft Capital is one of two firms on this list that charges performance-based fees as part of its client fee schedule.

Schoolcraft Capital Background

Although Schoolcraft Capital was organized in 2014, the firm didn’t actually begin advising clients until 2015. The firm is under the principal ownership of portfolio managers Michael Sherman and Theodore Harris.

The services at Schoolcraft consist almost entirely of investment planning and management. That means the firm can create an asset allocation tailored to your needs and then closely monitor how your investments are performing.

Schoolcraft Capital Investing Strategy

Since Schoolcraft Capital caters to high-net-worth clients, all investment portfolios are tailored to its clients.

The firm prefers passive investing for traditional asset classes, as it believes this strategy is best-suited for inefficient, liquid markets. So rather than investing in individual stocks and bonds, it uses mutual funds and ETFs to gain access to the equity and bond markets. The firm does this for a number of reasons, such as low trading fees, income tax efficiency and strong liquidity.

For less traditional asset classes, such as private equity, venture capital, distressed debt, natural resources and real estate, the firm seeks out active managers to diversify and compound capital over time. 

The Millstone Evans Group

Next on the list is The Millstone Evans Group. There is no minimum account size. Most clients are non-high-net-worth individuals, with high-net-worth clients on the rolls as well. Institutional clients include pension and profit sharing plans, charitable organizations and corporations. Most clients pay an asset-based fee for all services.

The firm’s team includes two accredited asset management specialists (AAMses),  one chartered divorce financial analyst (CDFA) and one certified financial planner (CFP). As a fee-based firm, some advisors are also insurance agents and can earn commissions. This is a conflict of interest, but all advisors are still bound by fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of the client. 

The Millstone Evans Group Background

Millstone Evans was founded in 2020. Sacha Millstone and Gregory Evans are the primary owners of the firm.

Services include financial planning, portfolio management and a wrap program

The Millstone Evans Group Investment Strategy

Long- and short-term purchases are used at Millstone Evans, along with trading and options writing. Mutual funds make up around two-thirds of investments, with individual stocks representing a bit less than a quarter. Bonds and cash holdings make up the rest.

Meridian Wealth Management

Meridian Wealth Management, LLC has a small team of advisors, including three certified financial planners (CFPs). This fits in well with the firm’s premier services of asset management, wealth planning and retirement planning.

Meridian Wealth Management works with more than twice as many individuals as it does high-net-worth individuals. The firm also has a history of working with trusts, estates, businesses, charitable organizations and retirement plans. The minimum investment varies based on account type.

Meridian is a fee-based firm, meaning it employs advisors who can earn commissions for the sale of specific insurance products or securities. While such commissions represent a potential conflict of interest, the firm still abides by fiduciary duty, legally binding it to act in clients’ best interests.

Meridian Wealth Management Background

This firm was founded in 2012 by three members of its current staff: CEO David Hansen and managing partners Tanya Matthews, Richard “Chip” Mower and Richard Weintraub. It remains independently owned to this day. Collectively, Meridian Wealth Management has about 100 years of experience in the field of financial services.

The firm has a wide range of advisory services, like:

  • Investment planning
  • College savings planning
  • Retirement planning
  • Cash flow analysis
  • Financial goal planning
  • Estate planning
  • Business exit planning
  • Insurance planning

Meridian Wealth Management Investing Strategy

When you begin your client-advisor relationship with Meridian Wealth Management, the firm will work with you to identify your personal risk tolerance, time horizon and investment goals. Based on this all-important information, you’ll be paired with a specific management program. These include “income with capital preservation,” “income with moderate growth,” “growth with income” and “aggressive growth.”

Depending on where you ultimately fit in, the firm will invest your assets in securities accordingly. Meridian states in its Form ADV that it often uses mutual funds, ETFs, variable annuities, options, alternative investments and individual stocks and bonds.

Colorado Capital Management

Ranking seventh on the list is fee-only firm Colorado Capital Management (CCM). The fee-only firm has an individual-centric client base that’s divided nearly evenly between individuals with and without a high net worth. The firm also has a few clients that are charitable organizations. The minimum account size is $1,000,000.

The group of advisors at Colorado Capital Management hold financial certifications such a certified financial planner (CFP), chartered financial analyst (CFA) and chartered financial consultant (ChFC).

Colorado Capital Management Background

Colorado Capital Management has been in business for two decades, having been founded in 2000 by firm president and co-owner Steven Ellis. Ellis has worked in the financial services industry for around 30 years. Financial advisors Lee Strongwater and Randall L. Kryszak also own shares of CCM.

Like most advisory firms, Colorado Capital offers both financial planning and investment management. Here’s an overview:

  • Asset allocation planning
  • Ongoing portfolio monitoring
  • Estate planning
  • Cash flow management
  • Retirement planning
  • Income tax planning

Colorado Capital Management Investing Strategy

Colorado Capital Management’s Form ADV specifies that nearly three-quarters of the firm’s time is spent researching investment markets and managing current clients’ portfolios. This proprietary analysis involves reviewing financial documents, news and other important data to gain insight into the underlying fundamental characteristics of investments.

At its core, CCM’s investing philosophy is based on a long-term approach that involves holding onto securities for years at a time. When applicable, though, the firm will execute some shorter-term trades. Securities that the firm typically uses include stocks, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds, CDs, annuities, warrants, options, real estate, hedge funds, derivatives and more.

Harbor Financial Group

Harbor Financial Group, a fee-only firm, has no minimum initial investment requirements. It works with both non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individuals. Other clients include businesses and pension and profit-sharing plans.

Despite being a fraction of the size of some of the larger firms on this list, Harbor Wealth boasts several advisory certifications. The firm employs certified financial planners (CFPs), chartered retirement planning counselors (CRPCs) and even a certified divorce financial analyst (CDFA).

Harbor Wealth Management Background

Harbor Wealth Management is one of the oldest firms on this list, with a founding date of 1988. It’s also the only firm that has a largely female staff. Elyse Foster, Harbor’s founder, owns the firm entirely and has more than 30 years’ experience in the advisory business.

Harbor boils down its advisory offerings to about 10 different services, including:

  • Personal financial planning
  • Investment management
  • Retirement planning
  • Portfolio performance reporting
  • Insurance analysis and planning
  • Estate planning
  • Tax and cash flow planning
  • Education fund planning
  • Investment analysis

Harbor Wealth Management Investing Strategy

Similar to many other financial advisor firms, Harbor Wealth Management believes a diversified portfolio that features long-term securities holdings will help to attain simultaneous capital preservation and appreciation. To achieve this, the firm thinks diversification is a necessary part of the portfolio construction process.

In the interest of wide-ranging diversification, Harbor avoids utilizing just a simple mix of equities and fixed-income securities. As a result, alternative investments have become an integral part of the firm’s asset allocations, as have international holdings.

Consilium

Consilium is a fee-only firm with a very small client base -- fewer than a dozen individuals, the majority of whom are high net worth. There are a few institutional clients as well, all either corporations or pension/profit sharing plans.

Fees are based on a percentage of assets under management. The minimum account size is $250,000.

Consilium Background

Consilium was founded in 2019 and is owned by principal David Halseth.

The firm’s services include investment management, retirement plan consulting and portfolio rebalancing.

Consilium Investment Strategy

A number of factors contribute to Consilium’s investment choices for clients, but keeping costs low is chief among them. There are two basic strategic categories employed at the firm: total return strategies and short horizon strategies. Both base investment strategies on diversification and asset allocation that aligns with a client's objectives, risk tolerance and time horizon.

The Wealth Conservancy

The Wealth Conservancy is a fee-only firm that works with almost exclusively individuals, split fairly evenly between high-net-worth and non-high-net-worth clients. The only institutional clients at the firm are corporations and charities.

There is no minimum account size, but the minimum quarterly fee for asset management is $1,350. The team at The Wealth Conservancy includes one certified financial planner (CFP) and one certified professional career coach (CPCC).

The Wealth Conservancy Background

TWC was founded in 1983 and is principally owned by Myra Salzer, who also serves as the firm’s president.

Services include portfolio management, financial planning, tax planning, cash flow management, insurance review and estate planning.

The Wealth Conservancy Investment Strategy

The Wealth Conservancy utilizes a number of investment strategies based on charting, fundamental, technical and cyclical analysis. Possible investments at TWC include stocks, bonds, foreign investments, commercial paper, CDs, variable annuities and mutual funds. Both long- and short-term purchases may be used, depending on a client's risk tolerance and time horizon.

How Long $1mm Lasts in Retirement

SmartAsset's interactive map highlights places where $1 million will last the longest in retirement. Zoom between states and the national map to see the top spots in each region. Also, scroll over any city to learn about the cost of living in retirement for that location.

Least
Most
Rank City Housing Expenses Food Expenses Healthcare Expenses Utilities Expenses Transportation Expenses

Methodology We analyzed data on average expenditures for seniors, cost of living and investment returns to determine how many years of retirement a $1 million nest egg would cover in cities across America.

First, we looked at data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on the average annual expenditures of seniors. We then applied cost of living data from the Council for Community and Economic Research to adjust those national average spending levels based on the costs of each expense category (housing, food, healthcare, utilities, transportation and other) in each city. Using this data, SmartAsset calculated the average cost of living for retirees in the largest U.S. cities.

We assumed the $1 million would grow at a real return (interest minus inflation) of 2%. Then, we divided $1 million by the sum of each of those annual numbers to determine how long $1 million would cover retirement expenses in each of the cities in our study. Cities where $1 million lasted the longest ranked the highest in the study.

Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Council for Community and Economic Research