Best Financial Advisors in Florida — Only These 9 Made the Cut

Florida's advisory business has grown with decades of new arrivals, and now the choice is enormous. Working out which firms are good at what they do, rather than simply good at marketing themselves, is the part that takes work.

So we put in that work. Our team read through thousands of SEC Form ADVs — the disclosures advisors must file with the Securities and Exchange Commission and state regulators. AI let us dig far past the basics of address and asset totals, pulling each firm's fee schedule, its account minimums and lots of other particulars. We fact-checked and screened what came back and scored advisors against the results.

We were not hunting only for the lowest price, although cost counts for a great deal in our rubric and firms charging conspicuously high fees don’t make the cut. We also kept an eye on account minimums and minimum fees. The spread of services a firm provides, its size and many other considerations all fed into the score, too. Our methodology page has the full detail on how each firm was scored.

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

Firestone Capital Management in South Miami captured the top spot on our list. Registered in 1991, this firm with over $800 million under management has a long track record and offers a 1.00% AUM fee for even its smallest clients, which we like. There’s a $1,000 minimum annual fee. We’re no fans of minimum fees, but among advisors that have one, this one is relatively small and mathematically it’s really only an issue for clients with less than $100,000 under management (that’s the point at which a $1,000 minimum fee is equivalent to a 1% or more fee rate, which is relatively expensive). There probably aren’t many accounts under $100,000 at Firestone Capital Management, though, because the firm has a $1 million minimum (the firm says its minimums and the fees are negotiable, so it’s possible to pay less). Clients who can make that hurdle will also get fee discounts after $2 million.

Blue Ocean offers a 1.00% AUM fee on the first $1.5 million of assets under management, plus a 30-basis-point discount on the next $3.5 million. The firm grew out of a CPA practice and still employs a team of CPAs who handle tax and accounting for clients in house, which is a rare value-add. Plus, the firm offers family office services. Although those are only available to clients with at least $10 million under management, clients who are headed in that direction won’t have to search for a separate family office if that need arises. There is a $1 million account minimum, which is high, but there are no minimum fees.

Activest Wealth Management is the largest advisor on the list by AUM. It has no account minimums or minimum fees, which makes it much more accessible to smaller investors. The 1.00% rate for small accounts is good, though that rate applies all the way up to balances of $5 million before the first step-down. We wish that discount came sooner; many advisors offer a break after $1 million, for example. This firm doesn’t do taxes or estate planning documents – you’ll have to hire a CPA or attorney for that work. For big clients, it does offer family office services, though it’s not cheap: $40,000 to $100,000 a quarter.

TrustWell Financial Advisors is relatively small (by AUM) and has a relatively short track record (it’s one of the newest firms on this list). And though we don’t love account minimums, this firm’s $100,000 minimum is fairly small, making it still one of the easier firms on this list for a smaller investor to hire (plus that account minimum is negotiable). The $600 project floor is another entry point for people who want advice without the need for ongoing portfolio management, and the firm has an AI use policy, which provides a level of transparency that’s still rare among advisors right now.

With about $200 million under management, Rutherford Asset Planning is one of the smallest firms on the list. But that smallness can come with big rewards. The firm offers a steep $1 million account minimum, but it’s negotiable and family members of existing clients may get a waiver, so some smaller investors may find a way in. Plus, we really like the big discount the firm gives to clients with more than $1 million – the AUM fee rate drops by half. This is one of the biggest drop-downs we’ve seen. We also like that this firm prepares tax returns, which is a huge help for investors who don’t have the time or energy to hire a separate CPA and then act as a go-between with their financial advisor and their tax preparer.

Registered since 1978, Professional Advisory Services is the oldest firm on the list by more than a decade. There’s no account minimum, which we think is great, though the firm recommends $500,000 in order to set up an appropriate asset allocation (it’s more of a practical floor than a formal one). One of the best things about the firm, in our view, is the fee structure. Six fee tiers with the first break at just $500,000 means more of a discount for smaller investors and continued breaks as their balances grow.

Antonetti Capital Management is a relatively small firm (by AUM size), but it has one big advantage: lower fees for fixed-income investors. Fixed income may not be for every investor, but the lower rates translate to real potential savings for those who want it. Those that go a more standard route start out at a 1.00% AUM fee and get a 10-basis-point break after the first million. The firm has a $100,000 account minimum, which is a barrier for some but is relatively small as account minimums go, and the $400 minimum annual fee doesn’t translate to an outsized fee unless you have $40,000 or less invested.

We often see advisors only offering discounts on AUM fees to clients with at least $1 million under management, so when clients at the $500,000 level get a break, we notice. That’s why we like that the AUM fee schedule at Carpenter, Claydon Advisors drops fast, dipping a quarter point after $500,000 and going down to just 0.50% at $1 million. It also drops to 0.30% for balances above $2 million. We also like that there’s no minimum fee, though there is a $500,000 account minimum. The firm doesn’t prepare tax returns or estate planning documents.

At 0.95%, the AUM fee for wealth management at Mutual Trust Advisory Group undercuts most of the other advisors on this list, dropping all the way down to 0.50% for balances above $1 million (and even more for balances above $5 million). There is one catch, though. Wealth management clients get both investment management and financial planning services, but they have to pay for a written plan at the start, which the firm says can run as much as $12,500 and is on top of the AUM fee. For a $1 million account, that effectively translates to as much as 2.2% in year 1. This firm also offers family office services that start at $25,000 a year, though that’s typically for substantial households.