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Top Financial Advisors in Westport, CT

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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 Westport, Connecticut

There are thousands of financial advisor firms with a wide range of specialties, so it can be difficult to know which one is the best option for you. For Westport, Connecticut residents, SmartAsset has put together the following list of the top financial advisory firms that serve the city. SmartAsset also has a financial advisor matching tool that can match you with up to three local advisors.

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Rank Financial Advisor Assets Managed Minimum Assets Financial Services More Information
1 Northeast Financial Consultants, LLC Northeast Financial Consultants, LLC logo Find an Advisor

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$3,702,741,772 No set account minimum
  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
  • Selection of other advisors (including private fund managers)

Minimum Assets

No set account minimum

Financial Services

  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
  • Selection of other advisors (including private fund managers)
2 Coastal Bridge Advisors Coastal Bridge Advisors logo Find an Advisor

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$2,620,176,487 $5,000,000
  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
  • Selection of other advisors (including private fund managers)
  • Credit and cash management solutions

Minimum Assets

$5,000,000

Financial Services

  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
  • Selection of other advisors (including private fund managers)
  • Credit and cash management solutions
3 Paradigm Financial Partners, LLC Paradigm Financial Partners, LLC logo Find an Advisor

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$796,789,882 No set account minimum
  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
  • Pension consulting services
  • Selection of other advisors (including private fund managers)

Minimum Assets

No set account minimum

Financial Services

  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
  • Pension consulting services
  • Selection of other advisors (including private fund managers)
4 CastleKeep Investment Advisors, LLC CastleKeep Investment Advisors, LLC logo Find an Advisor

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$691,833,804 $250,000
  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
  • Selection of other advisors (including private fund managers)
  • Publication of periodicals or newsletters

Minimum Assets

$250,000

Financial Services

  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
  • Selection of other advisors (including private fund managers)
  • Publication of periodicals or newsletters
5 Cruice Financial Organization or CFO Capital Management Cruice Financial Organization or CFO Capital Management logo Find an Advisor

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$189,294,074 No set account minimum
  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
  • Selection of other advisors (including private fund managers)

Minimum Assets

No set account minimum

Financial Services

  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
  • Selection of other advisors (including private fund managers)
6 Nauset Wealth Management, LLC Nauset Wealth Management, LLC logo Find an Advisor

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$328,289,141 $500,000
  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management

Minimum Assets

$500,000

Financial Services

  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
7 Benemark, Inc. Benemark, Inc. logo Find an Advisor

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$228,875,940 No set account minimum
  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management

Minimum Assets

No set account minimum

Financial Services

  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
8 Greenhouse Wealth Management, LLC Greenhouse Wealth Management, LLC logo Find an Advisor

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$214,678,674 No set account minimum
  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management

Minimum Assets

No set account minimum

Financial Services

  • Financial planning
  • Portfolio management
9 LCR Wealth Management LLC LCR Wealth Management LLC logo Find an Advisor

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$120,000,000 No minimum requirement
  • Portfolio management
  • Investment advisory

Minimum Assets

No minimum requirement

Financial Services

  • Portfolio management
  • Investment advisory

What We Use in Our Methodology

To find the top financial advisors in Westport, 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.

Northeast Financial Consultants, LLC

Northeast Financial Consultants (NFC), the top-rated financial advisor firm in Westport, primarily works with high-net-worth individuals. However, it does maintain relationships with individuals beneath the high-net-worth threshold as well.

NFC, which is also on SmartAsset's list of the top financial advisor firms in Connecticut, does not impose a minimum account size requirement. Its team of advisors includes the designations of chartered financial analysts (CFAs) and certified public accountants (CPAs). 

As a fee-only firm, Northeast's revenue comes from the fees that clients pay them for their services, not commissions or hidden compensation for selling third-party products and services. 

Northeast Financial Consultants Background

NFC is an independently-owned firm that has been around since 1983. Elwood Davis, the firm’s current president, created it after spending nine years working in the financial services industry.

Depending on what you’re looking for, NFC can provide the following:

  • Investment management
  • Retirement planning
  • Estate planning
  • Tax planning and management
  • Family office services
  • Legacy planning
  • Special needs planning
  • Employee benefits planning
  • Risk management
  • Alternative investments

Northeast Financial Consultants Investment Strategy

At the dawn of your relationship with NFC, your advisor will work with you to determine your risk tolerance and time horizon. The firm will then compare these factors with the general state of the market and figure out where to best allocate your assets. NFC does note in its Form ADV that although your personal considerations are taken into account, the firm does prefer long-term investing.

Clients with substantial income needs will have fixed-income securities in their portfolios. Besides these securities, NFC also invests in stocks, real estate and more. But rather than invest directly in stocks and bonds, the firm will gain exposure via mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

Coastal Bridge Advisors

Coastal Bridge Advisors, No. 2 on our list, is another large financial advisor firm located Westport. Like Northeast Financial Consultants, Coastal Bridge Advisors also appears on SmartAsset’s list of the top financial advisor firms in Connecticut.

The firm's staff has a vast array of financial certifications, including certified financial planner (CFP), certified investment management analyst (CIMA), chartered retirement planning counselor (CRPC) and chartered financial analyst (CFA) designations, among others.

The minimum initial investment requirement at Coastal Bridge Advisors is $5 million, which comes in as the highest mark on this list. The firm has a client base dominated by high-net-worth individuals, but it also serves non-high-net-worth individuals and insurance companies.

Coastal Bridge is a fee-based firm, so some of its advisors can sell insurance products for a commission. While this creates a potential conflict of interest, the firm abides by fiduciary duty, legally binding it to act in your best interest.

Coastal Bridge Advisors Background

Coastal Bridge Advisors has three founding partners: Kevin Burns, Jim Pratt-Heaney and Bill Loftus. The trio opened the firm in 2009 and have a combined 90 years worth of experience managing clients’ money and investments.

The firm has developed a proprietary selection of services entitled “Virtual Family Office.” This is meant to be an all-inclusive service that takes into account retirement planning, tax planning, philanthropic gift planning, investment management, insurance planning, deposit account planning, family and corporate governance and estate planning.

Coastal Bridge Advisors Investment Strategy

When formulating the composition of clients’ portfolios, Coastal Bridge Advisors will first talk with you to figure out where your tolerance for risk, liquidity needs and time horizon currently stand. By doing this, the firm will create a template by which it can determine whether a specific investment falls in line with your personal needs or not. Should your investment goals change, let your advisor know and your asset allocation will be adjusted accordingly.

The firm states in its Form ADV brochure that it believes the most effective asset management strategy is selecting independent managers. When selecting a third-party manager, Coastal Bridge Advisors takes into account its investment strategies, past performance and risk results. 

Paradigm Financial Partners

Paradigm Financial Partners, a fee-based firm, does not require clients to maintain a minimum account size. As a result, the firm’s client base consists of non-high-net-worth individuals, high-net-worth individuals, pensions and profit-sharing plans.

As a fee-based firm, Paradigm Financial Partners employs advisors that sell insurance products for a commission. Although this presents a potential conflict of interest, the firm is a fiduciary and therefore is legally bound to act in your best interest.

Paradigm Financial Partners Background

Although Paradigm Financial Partners was established in 2003, it only gained its status as a registered investment advisor (RIA) in 2018. The firm is principally owned by Paradigm Financial Holdings, LLC, a financial services holding company. Paradigm Financial Holdings is owned by the firm’s managing principals, Lee Rawiszer and David Halper.

Financial planning and investment management are the two main services at Paradigm Financial Partners. Clients can take advantage of the following:

  • Retirement planning
  • Estate planning
  • Educational savings planning
  • Cash flow analysis
  • Investment planning

Paradigm Financial Partners Investment Strategy

Paradigm Financial Partners has laid out five distinct principles in its Form ADV that its investment philosophy seeks to achieve:

  • Manage risk efficiently
  • Maximize diversification
  • Use alternative investments
  • Capitalize on traditional asset classes
  • Maintain a consistent portfolio construction process

When it comes to the actual management of your portfolio at Paradigm, the firm can offer either discretionary or non-discretionary services. That means some clients give their advisors full discretion to manage their accounts, while others with non-discretionary accounts are consulted on transactions and other aspects of portfolio management. The firm typically relies on mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, equities and bonds.

CastleKeep Investment Advisors, LLC

CastleKeep Investment Advisors, a fee-only firm, has the best client-per-advisor ratio of any company on our list. The firm primarily works with individuals, high-net-worth individuals and businesses. CastleKeep requires a minimum account value of $250,000.

CastleKeep's revenue comes solely from client fees. In the event a third-party pays CastleKeep a commission for selling a financial product, the firm passes the commission on to the client who purchased the product. 

CastleKeep Investment Advisors Background

Charles W.K. Haberstroh founded CastleKeep in 2000 and remains its president and CEO. Haberstroh owns 74% of CKA Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company that in turn owns CastleKeep. Prior to establishing the firm, Haberstroh spent time at ABN AMRO, Barclays, UBS and Chase. 

Today, the firm offers discretionary asset management, advisory services, family offices services, as well as money manager searches and monitoring. 

CastleKeep Investment Advisors Investment Strategy

The firm's investment strategies are tailored to the individual needs of its clients, including their financial objectives, income needs, risk tolerance, tax situation and other factors. Advisors will give investment advice on a range of asset classes, including money market instruments, equities, fixed income, mutual funds, hedge funds and derivatives. 

The firm also has two distinct equity strategies, one or both of which may be employed within a client's portfolio. The firm's Low PE Strategy seeks to identify equities with price-to-earnings ratios that are at or below the median ratio of selected sectors in domestic markets and have above-average prospects for revenue and earnings growth. Meanwhile, the firm's Defensive Dividend Strategy looks to invest client assets in large capitalization equities of multinational companies that have shown annual dividend growth that outpaces inflation. 

CFO Capital Management

CFO Capital Management, which also goes by Cruice Investment Advisors, employs a team that has earned the certifications of certified financial planners (CFPs),  chartered life underwriters (CLUs), chartered financial consultants (ChFCs),  chartered financial analysts (CFAs) and certified fund specialists (CFSs). 

While there is no minimum asset requirement, the firm's client base is made up entirely of individuals, both with and without a high net worth. CFO Capital Management does has some advisory employees that can sell financial products for a commission, making the firm fee-based. While this represents a possible conflict of interest, the firm is fiduciary, legally binding it to act in your best interest.

CFO Capital Management Background

Prior to September 2018, CFO Capital Management went by Cruice Investment Advisors. The firm can trace its history back to 1987, providing investment planning and management advice since. The firm is principally owned by CEO and co-chief investment officer (CIO) James S. H. Cruice Jr.

Investment management is an important part of CFO Capital Management’s services, but it specializes in financial planning. Its sizable set of services includes risk management, retirement planning, tax planning, estate planning, education fund planning, cash flow planning and more.

CFO Capital Management Investment Strategy

CFO Capital Management has a different way of approaching the creation of clients’ investment portfolios than most firms. When the firm starts a new advisory relationship, it determines what the client’s goals are for the next three to five years. So the firm’s initial asset allocation will be built with the mindset that it will help the client reach that point.

Then, when those three to five years are up, CFO Capital Management will focus on the next three- to five-year window, and so on. This differs from the traditional advisory setup where a firm looks decades down the line.

The firm uses charting, and fundamental and technical methods of analysis to evaluate investments. It may also engage in long-term purchasing, short-term purchasing, trading, options writing and margin transactions

Nauset Wealth Management

Fee-only Nauset Wealth Management maintains a client base dominated by non-high-net-worth individuals, though it also works with some high-net-worth individuals. There is a $500,000 minimum investable asset requirement at Nauset.

Nauset features a small team of financial advisors, including certified financial planners (CFPs). As a fee-only firm, Nauset advisors are compensated by client fees, not commissions or other transaction-based payments. 

Nauset Wealth Management Background

Founded in 2000 by firm president Michael Lombardo, Nauset now splits its own ownership shares between Lombardo, vice president of marketing and technology Karen Swanson and Nauset Strategic Partners, Inc., a holding company.

Nauset has a wide range of advisory services spanning the investment management and financial planning verticals. As far as investing goes, the firm can help clients build their portfolios and monitor them over the long term. Its financial planning offerings include retirement planning, estate planning, cash flow management, insurance planning and review and tax planning.

Nauset Wealth Management Investment Strategy

Every client’s investor profile will call for a different asset allocation. Nauset is mindful of this, so the firm offers clients an array of investment options. For example, Nauset might invest in mutual funds, ETFs, corporate bonds, government bonds, variable annuities, CDs, exchange-listed securities and more.

Benemark, Inc

Benemark, the next firm on our list, employs a relatively small team of financial advisors. Some Benemark advisors have the certified financial planner (CFP) designation.

Benemark works with individuals, high-net-worth individuals and trust but does not have an investment minimum to open or maintain an account. As a fee-only firm, Benemark's advisors do not earn commissions for selling insurance or financial products.  

Benemark Background

Benemark’s CEO Robert A. Medvey and CFO Gregg G. Padilla co-founded this firm in 1995. They remain equal owners of the firm to this day and have spent a combined five decades working in the financial services industry.

Aside from the standard investment advisory services, the firm offers comprehensive financial planning, which can include:

  • Tax planning
  • Risk management and insurance planning
  • Estate planning
  • Budget/Cash flow planning
  • Investment planning
  • Retirement planning

Benemark Investment Strategy

Benemark is unique in that its investment ideology isn’t entirely wrapped up in either active or passive investment management. The firm can pivot between the two to develop a portfolio plan that lines up with your current needs and future plans. How much either strategy is integrated into your portfolio will vary depending on your risk tolerance and income needs.

There are many ways to achieve diversification, but Benemark has its own method to make sure that your assets are adequately diversified. This involves investing heavily in ETFs and mutual funds, as these investments represent baskets of securities, they already have some built-in diversification.

Greenhouse Wealth Management, LLC

Though smaller than the aforementioned firms, Greehouse Wealth Management cracks our list of the eight highest-rated firms in Westpoint. This fee-only firm has no minimum account size but primarily serves high-net-worth individuals. The firm's client base also includes individuals without a high net worth. Greehouse is also open to working with trusts and estates. 

Greenhouse Wealth Management Background

Greenhouse Wealth Management was created in 2016 by its current president and chief compliance officer (CCO) Ryan W. Callas. Callas still owns 100% of the firm’s shares. He has been employed in the financial services sphere since 2008.

Investment management and financial planning are the two premier services of Greenhouse. However, if you’d prefer to have a combination of these offerings, you can also subscribe to the firm’s wealth management program.

Greenhouse Wealth Management Investment Strategy

Like most financial advisor firms today, Greenhouse Wealth Management favors investing with a long-term mindset. In a technical sense, this means that if you buy a security, you’ll hold onto it for a year or longer. This style of investing helps to keep trading fees low.

Under certain circumstances, Greenhouse may find that short-term investing could be beneficial for you. This is typically reserved for less risk-averse investors because buying and selling to try and take advantage of market movements can introduce serious volatility to your portfolio.

LCR Wealth Management

LCR Wealth Management offers portfolio and investment advisory services to individuals, families, trusts, institutions and retirement plans. The firm is a fee-only firm so none of its advisors earn additional commissions on the sale of securities. There is no minimum account requirement to get started with its services. 

LCR Wealth Management Background

LCR Wealth Management was founded in 2021 by Tom Garvey, who previously spent tie at Goldman Sachs, GE Capital and PWC. The firm is relatively young, having only been around for a little more than a year, but currently is advising on $120 million in assets under management across its two advisors. 

LCR Wealth Management Investment Strategy

LCR employs a diversification strategy across multiple asset classes for the majority of its clients. The types of securities used include mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and separately managed accounts. Most major investment decisions are first communicated to clients before making the final decision. The firm aims to tailor each portfolio to the individual client and their needs. 

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