Investment advice
Retirement planning
Financial planning
Tax strategy
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The best financial advisors let you pay for the services you want and skip paying for the ones you don't. They charge reasonable fees, adjust their approach to meet your specific needs, and offer a variety of ways to get in touch, including virtual meetings.
Our deep, independent analysis sorts through key details to find and evaluate the information investors want when choosing a financial advisor. To see our full methodology and learn more about our process, read our criteria for evaluating online financial advisors.
Over 60 investment account providers reviewed and rated by our expert Nerds.
More than 50 years of combined experience writing about finance and investing.
Extensive review of the features that matter most to average investors.
Dozens of objective ratings rubrics, and strict guidelines to maintain editorial integrity.
NerdWallet’s comprehensive review process evaluates and ranks companies that provide financial planning services online or connect users to a financial advisor. Our aim is to provide an independent assessment of providers to help arm you with information to make sound, informed judgements on which ones will best meet your needs. We adhere to strict guidelines for editorial integrity.
We collect data directly from providers through detailed questionnaires, and conduct first-hand testing and observation through provider demonstrations. The questionnaire answers, combined with demonstrations, interviews of personnel at the providers and our specialists’ hands-on research, fuel our proprietary assessment process that scores each provider’s performance across more than 20 factors. The final output produces star ratings from poor (one star) to excellent (five stars).
For more details about the categories considered when rating financial advisors and our process, read our full methodology.
First of all, all of the below firms are fiduciary financial advisors, which means they're required to put your interests above their own.
Some of the companies we've included have in-house financial advisors. Others operate a network of participating advisors all over the country.
In many cases, working with an advisor through these firms is cheaper than finding a traditional local advisor, but you'll still have a 1-to-1 relationship with an advisor who knows your financial situation and understands your needs.
Also on our list of the best advisors are a few companies that manage your portfolio for you and offer you access to a team of financial advisors on an as-needed basis. In most cases, you'll talk to a different advisor each time, but you'll pay an even lower fee if you opt for one of these services.
We've categorized our list into services that match you with a dedicated financial advisor for more comprehensive advice, and lower-cost services that offer a team of advisors.
Below are our picks for the best financial advisors in both categories, as well as how to decide which financial advisor is best for you.
Some of the financial advisors below can match you with a local advisor, while others operate online and meet with clients virtually, via phone or video call.
Broker | NerdWallet rating | Fees | Account minimum | Promotion | Learn more |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Zoe Financial | 5.0 /5Reviewed in: Oct. 2023Period considered: Aug. - Oct. 2023 | Varies by Advisor (free initial consultation) | $150,000 | 3-Month Satisfaction Guarantee | |
Betterment Premium | 4.1 /5Reviewed in: Oct. 2023Period considered: Aug. - Oct. 2023 | 0.40%management fee | $100,000 | Get 1% match of your net Roth and traditional IRA contributions until December 30, 2024. Terms apply. | |
Vanguard Personal Advisor | 4.3 /5Reviewed in: Oct. 2023Period considered: Aug. - Oct. 2023 | 0.35%management fee | $50,000 | None no promotion available at this time | |
Facet | 5.0 /5Reviewed in: Oct. 2023Period considered: Aug. - Oct. 2023 | $2,000 and upper year (free initial consultation) | $0 | Limited time $550 kick-start offer!* Get $300 into your brokerage account if you invest & maintain $5k within your first 90 days, plus the $250 enrollment fee will be waived for new annual members. Expires Dec 31, 2024 | |
J.P. Morgan Personal Advisors | 3.7 /5Reviewed in: Jan. 2024Period considered: Aug. 2023 - May 2024 | 0.5% - 0.6%management fee | $25,000 | None no promotion available at this time |
Here are a few things to keep in mind as you review this list of financial advisors and compare options:
1. Your budget for advice. As noted above, simple, digital-only services will be less expensive; holistic financial planning will be more. It's a good idea to know what you're comfortable spending before you dive in.
2. What services you need. Maybe you just want help picking investments, or maybe you need advice on more advanced topics, like estate planning or insurance needs. These requirements will help you choose what type of financial advisor you need — typically, a robo-advisor is a good fit for investment management, but you'll need a financial advisor for advanced planning. (View our picks for the best robo-advisors.)
3. Whether you want in-person or online advice. If you don’t mind meeting with your advisor virtually, you'll often save money with an online service. These services also typically have lower account minimum requirements than traditional investment advisors. No matter what option you choose, it's always important to check qualifications and make sure they follow a fiduciary standard, which means your needs come first.
» Need more information? Learn how to choose between financial advisors
These services will match you dedicated financial advisor who meets your needs — in most cases, you'll have free introductory meetings with a few advisors before choosing the one for you. You'll work with the same advisor on an ongoing basis, meeting virtually or in person if the advisor is local and offers that service.