The Top Financial Advisors in the U.S.

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CAPTRUST has far and away the highest asset base of any firm on our list. This firm is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, but has branches across the country. It serves both non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individuals, as well as a number of institutional clients. Services available through the firm's individual-centric programs include wealth planning, investment management, retirement planning and advice, risk management, tax review, estate planning, charitable gift planning, cash flow planning and more.

In general, the firm does not require an overarching minimum account size. However, some programs may have their own minimums. Additionally, certain on-staff advisors at fee-based CAPTRUST can earn commissions from insurance sales. Despite the potential conflict of interest this creates, the firm is bound by fiduciary duty to act in clients' best interests.

The advisory team at CAPTRUST holds multiple certifications, including certified public accountants (CPAs), accredited investment fiduciaries (AIFs), chartered financial analysts (CFAs), certified fund specialists (CFSs), certified investment management analysts (CIMAs), Certified Financial Planners™ (CFPs®) and chartered financial consultants (ChFCs), among other designations.

CAPTRUST utilizes an investment philosophy that features the customization of a portfolio for each individual client. While clients are allowed to set some restrictions to how their money is managed, portfolios will generally be based on their personal risk tolerance, financial goals, time horizon, income needs, tax situation, net worth and any other applicable factors. As client portfolios age and returns affect their allocations, the firm may decide to either reallocate assets or redesign the portfolio entirely.

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Fisher Investments is a fee-only financial advisor firm based in Texas, though it has other locations across the U.S. and globally. It has hundreds of thousands of non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individual clients. If you're interested in working with Fisher, you'll generally need at least $1 million in investable assets, though this minimum may be waivable at the firm's discretion.

Fisher offers a vast range of services to its individual clients. These include creating and managing investment portfolios, retirement planning services and financial planning services, like financial goal planning, tax planning and more.

According to its SEC-filed Form ADV, Fisher Investments principal goal is "maximizing returns relative to risk compared to particular benchmarks." Depending on your long- or short-term goals, risk tolerance and time horizon, the firm will recommend a distinct set of investments.

For example, riskier investors may have portfolios centered around common stock and cash equivalents. Risk-averse investors may have their assets invested more in fixed-income securities, such as bonds and cash. For those in between those two extremes, Fisher may recommend a blended portfolio that features some proportionate allocation of stocks, fixed-income and cash.

Ken Fisher, a popular figure in the investment space, founded the firm, as well as had a hand in creating the theory behind the "Price-to-Sales Ratio." Fisher has also been ranked on Forbes' list of the Richest Americans, as well as its list of Global Billionaires.

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Cerity Partners is headquartered in New York City. Its advisors work with both non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individuals, as well as institutional clients. Services available through the firm include financial planning, retirement planning, estate and gift planning, portfolio management, tax planning and wealth management. Kurt Miscinski is the firm’s president and CEO.

According to the firm's Form ADV, it takes into account a number of investor characteristics when building portfolios. In fact, it states the following: "Cerity Partners customizes services to the individual needs of its clients by determining key factors for each client, which may include specific goals, objectives, risk tolerance, time horizon, investment restrictions and other factors that shape the appropriate services."

Cerity uses asset allocation to reduce risk for each client’s investment portfolio. Some asset classes it typically invests in include cash and cash equivalents, global fixed-income, global equity, hedge funds and private equity.

As a fee-based firm, certain advisors at Cerity Partners can receive compensation for the sale of certain insurance and annuity products through an affiliated entity. This creates a potential conflict of interest, though the firm still holds a fiduciary duty.

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Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services (WEAS) has one of the largest client bases of any firm on this list. In fact, tens of thousands of individuals have a client-advisor relationship with the firm, with over three-quarters of these individuals having less than a high net worth. Investment minimums at WEAS vary by service, with requirements beginning at $50,000 and reaching up to $5 million.

The firm's advisory staff holds a wide range of certifications. These include Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®), chartered financial consultant (ChFC), chartered financial analyst (CFA) and more.

Clients of WEAS will find its services are largely customized to their personal needs. For example, its offerings can cover investment management, general financial goal-setting, estate planning, tax minimization, risk management, business owner consulting, retirement income planning and more. Within these, there are four main principles advisors here use when managing client investments, according to its website: active management, diversification, tax efficiency and cost efficiency.

WEAS operates using a fee-based compensation structure, which means some advisors can receive commissions for selling certain financial products to clients. Although this is a potential conflict of interest, the firm abides by fiduciary duty.

Wealth Enhancement also holds a spot on SmartAsset's list of the top financial advisors in Minnesota. Additionally, the firm has branches all over the U.S., including in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

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Corient is a Miami-based financial advisor firm that typically caters to more high-net-worth individual clients than non-high-net-worth. While the firm doesn't have a strict, overarching minimum, some of its investment strategies do have minimums, which can vary from $250,000 to $5 million.

Generally speaking, Corient prefers to invest client assets using a discretionary relationship. This means clients will sign over control of their investments to the firm, ensuring clients won't need to be involved in minute investing decisions. However, advisors will still keep in contact with clients as developments occur. The firm does this typically through its financial planning services, via which "goals and objectives are established based on each client's unique circumstances," according to its SEC-filed Form ADV.

The firm has branch locations across the U.S., including in over 30 cities like New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, Phoenix, Dallas and more. As a fee-only operation, Corient's advisors do not receive compensation for the sale of products like insurance or specific securities. On the flip side, a fee-based firm would employ advisors that can earn these types of compensation.

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Pathstone is a New Jersey-based financial advisor firm that works with a fairly small client base considering its asset size. Although it has some institutional clients, the firm works with a majority of high-net-worth individuals, as well as a group of non-high-net-worth individuals. This should come as no surprise, as the firm tends to work with clients who have at least $10 million in investable assets.

As a fee-only firm, Pathstone earn all of its compensation directly from client-paid fees, avoiding third-party compensation like insurance commissions entirely. The firm also has a wide range services available to clients, such as portoflio management, financial planning, cash flow management, risk management, tax planning, estate planning and more. The team of advisors here holds a number of certifications, including chartered financial analyst (CFA), certificate in investment performance measurement (CIPM), Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) and more.

According to its website, Pathstone manages client assets directly based on their "preferences, constraints and targets." As your portfolio develops over time, the firm will also review changes with you to determine a path forward. It also provides strategic and tactical asset allocations, liquidity planning as needed and more.

Pathstone holds the top spot on SmartAsset's list of the top financial advisors in New Jersey.

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Manhattan-based Summit Rock Advisors is the quintessential exclusive family office, as the firm works with less than 50 high-net-worth individual clients. This becomes even more clear via its Form ADV brochure, which states the average client portfolio is approximately $482 million. In turn, only those with at least $100 million in investable assets have a chance at becoming a client of Summit Rock.

Clients of Summit Rock typically receive close attention on their investment portfolios and long-term financial plans. Advisors work to understand clients' personal needs and objectives prior to investing any of their money. In fact, the firm often looks to incorporate both diversification and multiple investment managers within clients' portfolios. According to its Form ADV, it chooses managers that it "believes are the most talented across a wide universe of choices, encompassing various sectors of the market, geographies, and liquidity spectrums."

This is a fee-only firm, which means none of the advisors at Summit Rock, nor the firm itself, earn compensation from any source other than client-paid fees. Summit Rock Advisors also holds a spot on each SmartAsset's lists of the top financial advisors in New York City and the top financial advisors in New York State.

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NFP Retirement's advisory services are heavily focused around helping clients with retirement planning and the management of their retirement assets. In terms of assets under management, the firm is technically dominated by retirement plan sponsors, though its client base is actually a majority of individuals with and without a high net worth. The firm's investment minimum is $25,000, though this is waivable at the firm's discretion.

NFP Retirement's individual investing and financial planning services are based on the needs each individual client has. In turn, your advisor will discuss with you your risk tolerance, income needs and financial goals before making any decisions on your behalf. Generally speaking, NFP's advisors tend to invest in some combination of mutual funds and ETFs. However, the firm also sometimes utilizes a Schwab-created automated asset allocation service. This uses model portfolios that are chosen based on the client's goals.

Certain on-staff advisors at NFP can sell insurance products and securities on a commission basis. Although this presents a potential conflict of interest, the firm abides by a fiduciary duty.

This isn't the only SmartAsset list NFP Retirement holds a spot on. It's featured on our list of the top financial advisors in California as well. The firm also has offices in New York City, Austin and Palm Beach Gardens, as well as in a few international cities.

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In business for a half-century, GW&K Investment Management is a fee-only firm headquartered in Boston. The firm namely offers advisory services to high-net-worth individuals, as well as a number of institutional clients. It describes its asset management approach as one that places clients’ interests first and strives to meet investment objectives in the midst of market fluctuations.

GW&K's advisors specialize in active equity and fixed-income investment solutions, and it incorporates equity, municipal bond and taxable bond strategies in its investment process. In addition to its municipal bond strategies, the firm employs small cap and small/mid cap and core fixed-income investment approaches. GW&K manages wrap accounts, and it also participates in certain sub-advisory agreements. 

GW&K offers a variety of services, including portfolio management with investment strategies centered around combinations of equities, taxable bonds and municipal bonds. The firm also believes in rigorous research, disciplined management and a client-driven culture. It seeks to find unexpected investment opportunities and provides personalized management services.

The firm also holds the top spot on SmartAsset's lists of the top financial advisors in Boston and top financial advisors in Massachusetts.

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Moneta Group Investment Advisors has a client base mostly comprised of individuals above and below the high-net-worth threshold. Although the firm works with more high-net-worth individuals than not, it does not have a specific account minimum for new clients. It's also a fee-only firm, which means its advisors earns compensation solely through client-paid management fees, as opposed to other forms of compensation, like commissions.

Individual clients of Moneta will have access to services like investment management, estate planning, risk management, retirement planning, business succession consulting, tax planning and more. At the start of each client relationship, the advisors at Moneta typically review what type of investor the client is. This will involve discussing and determine their risk tolerance, income needs, financial goals, time horizon and investment preferences.

This will eventually dictate how your portfolio is built and managed, though generally speaking the firm tends to invest in the interest of long-term returns. In turn, it usually invests client assets in some combination of fixed-income, equities and alternative investments. As your portfolio ages, the firm will review its allocations and make adjustments as they become necessary.

Moneta Group can trace its history all the way back to 1869, making it by far the oldest firm on this list. The advisory team here holds a number of certifications, including Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®), certified public accountant (CPA), chartered financial analyst (CFA), accredited wealth management advisor (AWMA) and more.

SmartAsset also features Moneta Group Investment Advisors on its lists of the top financial advisors in St. Louis and top financial advisors in Missouri.