Best Financial Advisors in Austin — The 7 That Made It Through Our Rubric

Austin's financial advisory scene has grown right alongside the city itself, from a handful of long-running local practices to a wave of newer firms that arrived with the tech boom. That growth means there are more options than ever, and sorting the advisors who actually deliver from the ones who just have good marketing takes some work.

To cut through the noise, we went through thousands of SEC Form ADVs — the disclosures advisors must file with the Securities and Exchange Commission and state regulators. With the help of AI, we were able to capture much more than just office addresses and asset totals. We were able to gather fee schedules, minimums and the services the firms actually provide. We filtered and scored the advisors against what we found.

The cheapest firm didn’t automatically win. Cost is a significant part of our rubric, and firms with especially high fees are excluded. But we also weighed the breadth of a firm's services, its size and several other measures as well. Our methodology page breaks down exactly how each firm was scored.

» Not in Austin? See our picks for the best financial advisors nationwide

With competitive AUM fees, no account minimum and no minimum fee, Pioneer Wealth Management Group tops the list. It’s a relatively young firm, registered 2021, so it has a relatively short track record. However, we like that the fee schedule steps down four separate times, reaching 0.30% for balances above $10 million, which is more granularity than most peers on this list offer. Financial planning is included with investment management, but clients who want a la carte financial planning can get it for an hourly or flat fee. The firm doesn’t prepare tax returns or estate planning documents, however.

Oakwell Private Wealth Management is a mid-size firm that charges a competitive 1.00% on the first $2 million, and has no account minimum and no minimum fee, which are all clear positives for smaller investors. The firm doesn’t prepare taxes or estate planning documents, though, and it says some of its advisors are licensed insurance agents, which means they may get commissions on the sale of insurance products, which makes this a fee-based rather than fee-only firm. Be sure to ask how and when the advisor is compensated.

Masterpiece Capital is one of the smallest firms on this list by AUM size. We like its fee schedule: six tiers with fee discounts starting after just $100,000 (many advisors don’t start discounting their fees until the client has at least $1 million invested). The result is blended AUM fees below 1.00% for everyone, which is a rare find. However, the firm doesn’t do taxes or prepare estate planning documents.

Like many advisors on this list, Ironbridge Private Wealth has no account minimum and no minimum fee. But it’s relatively expensive: The AUM fee is 1.25% for the first $2 million. There’s a performance-fee option, though: If you have at least $1.1 million under management or $2.2 million in net worth, you can arrange it so the firm gets a discounted AUM fee plus 10% of monthly profits above a negotiated hurdle.

Registered back in 1999, Stuart Investment Advisors has been operating longer than other firms on this list and has about $630 million under management. At 1.50% on the first $250,000, though, the firm's opening AUM fee tier is one of the highest at that balance among the firms on this list. The good news is there’s no minimum fee. Also, the firm’s account minimum is $250,000. Although we generally don’t love account minimums, this one is fairly small compared to other account minimums we see and the firm says it might waive it at its discretion.

Austin Wealth Management is a big firm, with over $1 billion under management. We like that Austin Wealth Management has no account minimum, and the AUM fee schedule breaks every $250,000 to $500,000 up to $5 million, giving smaller and mid-sized accounts more frequent fee relief than most peers on this list. The result is a standard 1.00% on small accounts and a relative sub-1.00% bargain on larger accounts. This firm can earn commissions on sales of insurance or other securities, though, which makes this a fee-based rather than fee-only firm. Be sure to ask whether, when and how much the advisor receives from these and what the conflicts of interest might be. Also, the firm doesn’t prepare taxes or estate planning documents.

For people who don’t like the popular tiered method of AUM pricing, Lucien Stirling & Gray turns the model on its head and opts for a much simpler approach. The firm’s discount structure applies the lower fee rate to the entire account once a balance crosses a particular threshold, rather than only to the amount above it. Although that approach can sometimes work out cheaper than a standard blended schedule, small investors (the ones who can make the company’s $500,000 account minimum) may not see much savings compared to some other firms if they have less than $2 million under management.