Top Financial Advisors in Cincinnati, OH

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The top firm in Cincinnati is Fort Washington Investment Advisors, a fee-based firm with the most in assets under management (AUM) of any firm on this list. When it comes to individuals, there are only high-net-worth clients on the firm’s roster. The firm also manages institutional money for investment companies, investment funds, retirement plans, charitable organizations, state or municipal government entities, insurance companies and corporations. Minimums range form $500,000 to $50 million, depending on the type of client you are.

The firm has a large staff of advisors, and the private client team includes advisory certifications such as certified financial planner (CFP), chartered financial analyst (CFA), chartered alternative investment analyst (CAIA) and certified wealth strategist (CWS).

Some advisors here work for an insurance company or a broker-dealer and may get commissions for selling financial products to clients. Though this represents a potential conflict of interest, fiduciary duty binds advisors to always act in the client’s best interest.

Fort Washington Investment Advisors, Inc. Background

Fort Washington Investment Advisors was founded in 1990. There are four companies that are principal shareholders of the company: Western & Southern Mutual Holding Company, Western & Southern Financial Group, The Western and Southern Life Insurance Company and Western & Southern Investment Holdings, LLC.

The firm’s services include:

• Investment advisory services
• Institutional advisory services
• Wealth management

Fort Washington Investment Advisors, Inc. Investing Strategy

The following strategies are employed by advisors at Fort Washington: 

• Long-term purchases
• Short-term purchases
• Short sales
• Options
• Domestic and international equities
• Derivatives
• Private equity investments

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Johnson Investment Counsel is a fee-only firm. The firm has an impressive array of experience on its sizable staff of advisors. The team includes financial certifications such as chartered financial analyst (CFA), certified financial planner (CFP), certified trust and financial advisor (CTFA), certified public accountant (CPA), chartered alternative investment analyst (CAIA), accredited investment fiduciary (AIF) and chartered life underwriter (CLU), among others.

There is no required investment minimum to become a client of Johnson Investment Counsel. However, the firm requires a $5,000 minimum for its Johnson Intelligent Portfolios Program (IPP).

A majority of the firm's clients are individuals, both with and without a high net worth. Typically, the firm’s clients are corporate executives, small business owners, physicians and retirees.

Johnson Investment Counsel Background

Johnson Investment Counsel was founded in 1965 by Timothy E. Johnson, who wanted to bring together his interest in helping people with proven theories about security analysis and portfolio management. In its decades in business, Johnson Investment Counsel says that it has steadily grown to become Ohio's largest independent wealth management firm. The firm is completely employee-owned.

Johnson Investment Counsel's services for individuals include investment management, goal-based planning, retirement planning, estate planning, insurance analysis and income tax planning. The firm also offers family office services, which include financial and income tax planning, insurance and asset protection, charitable planning, specialized lifestyle services, investment management, debt management and banking, business succession planning and estate and wealth transfer.

Johnson Investment Counsel Investing

Johnson Investment Counsel tailors its investment advisory services to fit client's unique financial situations, objectives, time horizons, risk tolerance and liquidity needs.

The firm works as a team to formulate investment strategies and manage portfolios, which allows for a blend of expertise to go into each portfolio. Johnson Investment Counsel relies on strategic and tactical asset allocation to minimize risk, and it typically uses individual stocks and bonds in its client portfolios.

Johnson Investment Counsel says in its SEC-filed brochure that its "strategies and investments may have unique and significant tax implications." It then follows this by saying "tax efficiency is not our primary consideration in the management of your assets," unless it's specifically agreed otherwise.

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Fee-only firm Bahl & Gaynor manages billions in AUM, and all of its individual clients are high-net-worth. Institutional clients include investment companies, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, state or municipal government entities, insurance companies and corporations. The minimum account size required is $750,000 and the minimum annual fee is $7,000.

The firm's staff includes several chartered financial analysts (CFAs), chartered investment counselors (CICs) and chartered life underwriter (CLU).

Bahl & Gaynor Background

Bahl & Gaynor was founded in 1990. Senior officers are the owners of the firm, including William F. Bahl and Vere W. Gaynor, the co-director emerituses of the firm.

The firm’s services include:

• Financial planning services
• Portfolio management
• Cash flow planning
• Tax strategies
• Estate planning
• Education funding
• Retirement planning

Bahl & Gaynor Investment Strategy

A number of investment portfolio options are available from Bahl & Gaynor, including:

• Quality Growth
• Income Growth
• Mid Cap Growth
• Small Growth
• Smig (Small/Mid Cap Income Growth) 
• Total Return Bond Strategy

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Bartlett & Co. Wealth Management has been in business for more than a century. Founded in 1898, this fee-only firm has by far the most years of experience out of any firm on this list. On top of its years of experience, the firm’s staff boasts an array of certifications, including chartered financial analyst (CFA), certified financial planner (CFP), certified public accountant (CPA), chartered alternative investment analyst (CAIA, accredited domestic partnership advisor (ADPA) and more.

To be a client, you’ll need to meet the minimums for the particular account or service you'll be using. These minimums range from $2 million to $10 million. Bartlett & Co. Wealth Management primarily serves high-net-worth individuals.

Bartlett & Co. Wealth Management Background

Founded in 1898, Bartlett & Co. Wealth Management is owned by Focus Financial Partners, LLC, which is a nationwide network of advisory firms. The firm takes a team approach to serving its clients. Each client has a full team, which includes advisors and a client relationship associate, dedicated to their account. 

That team is backed by the firm's in-house research analysts, who are responsible for identifying, analyzing and monitoring investment opportunities. Bartlett says that it "encourages an environment of critical debate" among researchers and advisors to make sure investment decisions are thoroughly assessed. 

Bartlett's services include active investment management and financial planning. Its financial planning services encompass assistance with:

• Retirement planning
• Financial impact of divorce 
• Managing an inheritance
• Stock option exercise
• Planning for the birth of a child or a grandchild
• Managing a large stock position
• Coping financially with an elderly parent
• Coping financially with the death of a spouse or life partner
• Planning and funding charitable contributions
• Taking advantage of an early retirement package

Bartlett & Co. Wealth Management Investing Philosophy

Bartlett & Co. Wealth Management says that it believes that wealth preservation is "more valuable than promises of big return.” Thus, it prioritizes stability when selecting investment opportunities. The firm believes that the best way to manage risk is through portfolio diversification across uncorrelated asset classes. Its investment recommendations are based off of clients' objectives and risk tolerance. 

Bartlett’s investment approaches include fixed-income, equity management, alternative investments, environmental, social, governance (ESG) investing and the Bartlett Fund Advantage, the firm's roster of mutual funds and ETFs.

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Wealth Dimensions Family Office is the next firm on our list of the top financial advisors in Cincinnati. This firm works with a very small number of clients, but has a very significant amount of assets under management (AUM). As its name suggests, most of the firm's clients are family offices that fall into the high-net-worth individual category. It works with a few trusts as well, but those are the only two types of clients the firm currently works with.

Wealth Dimensions is a fee-based firm, as some advisors can earn commissions from the sale of financial products to clients. The firm's fiduciary duty, however, requires it to act in clients' best interests at all times. There is also no minimum account size requirement at Wealth Dimensions.

Wealth Dimensions Family Office Background

Wealth Dimensions Family Office was founded relatively recently, in 2015. It became an SEC-registered investment advisor in the same year. Thomas A. Curti, Douglas P. Loftus and Michael E. McCaw are the firm's owners. Loftus and Curti are the firm's co-founders and managing members. They are also both certified financial planners (CFP). There are several other CFPs, certified public accountants (CPAs) and other advisory certifications among the firm's team.

As the name suggests, Wealth Dimensions provides comprehensive family office services to its clients. This may include financial planning and portfolio management services.

Wealth Dimensions Family Office Investment Strategy

Being such a small firm, Wealth Dimensions Family Office works with all of its clients on an individual basis in an effort to provide advisory services that are as tailored as possible to the needs of its clients. Advisors develop a financial outline for each client. They also look to compile certain information from each client, such as their tolerance for risk and financial circumstances. This allows advisors to make personalized recommendations.

While each investment plan is specifically tailored to the needs of each client, the firm does tend to use particular investment methods across different accounts. Such methods include long- and short-term purchases, margin transactions and option trading and writing.

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Truepoint’s team has an impressive number of certifications. The fee-only firm has many certified financial planners (CFPs) on staff, which is the most of any firm on this list. In addition, it has certified public accountants (CPAs), chartered financial analysts (CFAs), certified trust and financial advisors (CTFAs), chartered alternative investment analyst (CAIA) and certified estate planner (CEP).

Unlike many firms on this list, Truepoint does not have a mandatory account minimum. However, it gives suggested account minimums for each of its services to help investors decide whether the services are suited to their needs. Truepoint suggests a minimum portfolio of $3 million for its wealth management services and a minimum of $20 million for its family office services.

Truepoint Background

Truepoint was founded in 1990 by Michael Chasnoff, the firm's current CEO. It’s 100% employee-owned.

The firm calls its comprehensive wealth management services True Wealth Management. True Wealth Management includes:

• Investment portfolio design and tax efficient management
• Financial planning
• Budgeting and cash flow planning
• Income tax planning and preparation
• Estate planning
• Insurance analysis
• Personal action plan

In addition, Truepoint offers family office services, such as generational planning and family governance, trust administration, bill paying, expense management and reporting and external account aggregation.

Truepoint Investing Philosophy

Truepoint describes its approach to investing as a "buy-hold-rebalance strategy." Rather than trying to time the market and suffer the high costs of active investing, Truepoint says that it instead focuses on finding a long-term strategy built around a client's objectives, long-term financial planning, low-cost funds and disciplined rebalancing. 

To do this, Truepoint first works with a client to determine his or her objectives, time horizon, cash flow needs and risk tolerance. From there, Truepoint designs what it calls an “intelligent portfolio,” which is diversified by asset class to minimize volatility. Index funds are chosen based on design and total cost. The firm primarily invests its clients in mutual funds and ETFs, though it may also advise clients on private equity investments, hedge funds and institutional grade investments. After the portfolio is created, Truepoint rebalances as appropriate to maintain portfolio risk levels and "systematize 'sell high, buy low.'"

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Constellation Wealth Advisors, which also does business under the names Quadrant Capital Group and Quadrant Family Wealth Advisors, is the next firm on our list of the top financial advisors in Cincinnati. Quadrant and Constellation are the same entity, though each group provides slightly different services. The firm, as a whole, works mainly with individual clients. It works with slightly more high-net-worth individuals than non-high-net-worth individuals. Institutional clients include investment funds, charities, businesses and retirement plans.

Constellation has a required account minimum of $1 million. Clients working with the Quadrant side of the business typically need to meet a minimum of $10 million. These minimums may be waived at the firm's discretion.

Constellation is also a fee-based firm, since some advisors may receive commissions from the sale of insurance products. However, the firm is still a fiduciary that is legally obligated to act in the best interests of clients, despite this potential conflict of interest.

Constellation Wealth Advisors Background

Constellation Wealth Advisors was founded in 2009. The firm is owned by Patrick A. Lafley and John M. Williams. Williams and Lafley are also the firm's co-founders. Veith and Williams are chartered financial analysts (CFAs). The firm employs advisors with a number of other advisory certifications as well, such a certified financial planners (CFP).

Constellation Wealth Advisors and Quadrant provide clients investment management solutions that may entail financial planning as well as investment portfolio management. The firm may manage assets on a discretionary or non-discretionary basis. 

Constellation Wealth Advisors Investment Strategy

Constellation Wealth Advisors and its team look to tailor its wealth management services to the specific needs of its clients, much like many of the firms on this list. This process involves meeting with clients to determine such information as their tolerance for risk, time horizon and overall financial goals. This helps advisors craft portfolios and strategies that help clients on an individual basis.

Adivsors at Constellation do a significant amount of due dilligence when it comes to evaluating potential investments for client portfolios. The firm may take advantage of the services of qualified third-party money managers as well.

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PCA is an advisory firm that offers advisory services to individuals, high net-worth individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, corporations or other business entities and more. It operates as a fee-based firm, meaning that its advisors may earn commissions for the sale of certain securities. While this may indicate a conflict of interest, the firm's advisors are actually bound by a fiduciary duty to put the needs of the client first. 

PCA Investment Advisory Service Background

PCA was founded in 2001 but the Pension Corporation of America was founded back in 1977 to assist employers with the implementation of defined contribution, defined benefit and other employee benefit plans. Today, the firm services 800 clients with its 10 in-house advisors managing more than $2 billion in assets under management (AUM). The team of advisors has earned some designations including the certified financial planner (CFP).

PCA Investment Advisory Services Investing Strategy

PCA will meet with each individual client in person or over the phone to determine an appropriate investment strategy that reflects the client's stated investment objectives for the management of the account. They assist in constructing an appropriate asset allocation for every single individual client account. Portfolios typically include mutual funds and ETFs that meet the needs of that client when determining the proper utilization and asset allocation. 

Once a plan is constructed, the advisors monitor client investments continually based on the procedures and timing intervals mutually agreed upon. Clients then receive quarterly reports detailing the performance and activity within the account. 

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Foster & Motley is a fee-only firm with a mix of high-net-worth and non-high-net-worth clients. It also advises pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations and corporations. The firm’s staff includes certifications such as certified financial planner (CFP), chartered financial analyst (CFA), certified public accountant (CPA), chartered mutual fund counselor (CMFC), chartered retirement plan counselor (CRPC) and more.

The firm does not have a minimum account size, but does charge an initial fee of $2,000 (paid over four quarters) for accounts worth less than $1 million and an additional yearly $800 financial retainer fee after the first year for accounts with less than $500,000.

Foster & Motley Background

Foster & Motley was originally established in 1996. It is owned by several individual shareholders, none of whom own a majority of the firm.

Services provided by the firm include wealth management, institutional investment management, financial planning, tax analysis, budgeting, retirement planning and estate planning.

Foster & Motley Investment Strategy

Advisors use a number of investment products to get return for clients, including:

• Stocks
• Bonds
• Mutual funds
• Alternative investments
• Real estate

The firm also uses Charles Schwab Institutional Intelligent Portfolios Program. 

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Wealthquest Corporation has a client base that includes families, individuals with and without a high net worth, retirement plans, charitable organizations, trusts and estates. It also doesn't have a set minimum for new clients. The fee-only firm’s team includes several advisory certifications, such as certified financial planner (CFP), chartered financial analyst (CFA), certified public accountant (CPA), enrolled agent (EA) and more.

Wealthquest Corporation Background

Wealthquest Corporation was formed in 2006. The firm is completely employee-owned. The principal owners are CEO Wade Daniel, director of mission James Lenhoff, vice president Stephen King, chief operating officer (COO) Mark Bates, president David Kern and vice president Dan Larson.

Wealthquest's services include investment management, retirement planning, estate planning, college planning, insurance evaluation, tax prep and planning, legacy planning and advanced charitable strategies. Rather than one advisor serving a client, everyone at the firm works as a team to assess and manage investment plans. 

Wealthquest Corporation Financial Paths

Wealthquest Corporation’s investment management services are broken down into three different financial paths, each of which have different account minimums:

• Ascend: For clients with less than $350,000, Ascend is described as the "base camp for your financial journey." Financial planning is offered as a separate service for these investors.
• Expeditions: For clients with at least $350,000, Expeditions is aimed at investors who are facing a life transition or who need guidance through key decisions. This service includes a financial plan, tax planning, estate planning and investment planning.
• Summit: For clients with more than $2.5 million, Summit caters to people who have achieved financial independence and who want to figure out how to manage their wealth. In addition to the offerings of Expeditions, Summit includes family legacy planning and advanced charitable strategies. 

For each of these investment advisory services, Wealthquest allocates clients' assets according to their determined investment objectives. The firm primarily uses mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), structured notes, stocks, bonds, option contracts and certificates of deposit.