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Unlike some cities, Houston isn't brimming with financial advisor firms — our initial review pulled up about 55 names that meet our basic criteria for considering them for this list. Even so, shopping around to that many firms isn't something most people have time for.
So we sorted through piles of SEC Form ADVs — the disclosure document that registered investment advisors must file with the Securities and Exchange Commission and state regulatory agencies — to create a short list of the best financial advisors in the Houston area. Our analysis is based on key metrics we think are most important to investors who are looking for a financial advisor, and we’ve weighted those metrics to further draw out the best options.
Our full methodology is at the bottom of the page, but here’s the summary: The advisors that made our list are long-established firms with at least $250 million in assets under management — a lot of clients have trusted them to manage their wealth. They also have low client-to-advisor ratios and offer several different fee structures, including hourly or flat rates and a standard asset under management fee. We immediately eliminated advisors that charge commissions, which can create conflicts of interest because advisors may be incentivized to promote certain investments.
» Not in Houston? See more of the financial advisors we've reviewed
10 best financial advisors in Houston
Financial Advisor | Headquarters | Assets Under Management |
|---|---|---|
Sovereign Wealth Advisors LLC | Houston | $607,035,864 |
Saxon Financial Group | Houston | $616,477,568 |
Willis Johnson & Associates, Inc. | Houston | $1,419,970,309 |
Tanglewood Legacy Advisors, LLC | Houston | $562,079,455 |
The Goff Financial Group | Houston | $572,591,176 |
Ascension Capital Advisors, Inc. | Houston | $634,287,172 |
Waterway Wealth Management, LLC | The Woodlands | $552,789,475 |
MBR Financial | Houston | $868,165,834 |
Symphony Financial, Ltd. Co. | Houston | $1,093,185,695 |
Heritage Wealth Management | Houston | $313,072,495 |
🔍 A word about fees
Financial advisors often have different fee structures for different types of services. Typically, the fee for investment management is a percentage of your assets under management (AUM). That fee will often — but not always — include holistic financial planning advice as well as portfolio management. Some advisors also offer separate rates for financial planning or other work — often a flat or hourly fee. You might prefer that if you don't want investment management. The most important thing: Be sure you understand your all-in fee and what services are included in that fee before you engage with a financial advisor.
What’s in a fee?
Financial advisor fees can be confusing. Keep in mind that generally an advisor won’t charge all the fees listed below; fee models vary among advisors. This is intended to be an overview of fees you might encounter when researching an advisor.
Fee type
Commonly associated with
Typical cost
Assets under management (AUM)
Managing your portfolio of stocks, bonds and other investments.
0.25% to 0.50% annually for a robo-advisor; about 1% for a financial advisor.
Flat annual fee (retainer)
Special projects, such as analyzing whether to buy or sell your business. May also provide more access to the advisor. In some cases, advisors may substitute flat fees for AUM fees.
Typically $2,500 to $9,200.
Hourly fee
Special projects, such as helping create a financial plan for a specific situation, such as a divorce.
$200 to $400.
Per-plan fee
Creating a detailed, written comprehensive financial plan for a client.
Typically $3,000, but varies by service.
Transaction costs and expense ratios
Fees that trading platforms charge the advisor to use, or fees that mutual funds, ETFs and similar instruments charge.
Varies; expense ratios may range 0.05% to 0.75%.
Custodial fees
Fees that the custodian charges you to hold your assets.
May be around 0.10% to 0.15%, but varies by account size, asset type, transaction activity and custodian.
Bundles the firm’s investment management services and related custodial transaction costs together for one price.
Varies by account size and type.
Commission
Money earned from financial institutions for buying or selling certain products to clients.
3% to 6% of investment transaction amount.
To compile this information, we reviewed industry studies on average rates among financial advisors in 2024. Those studies included:
State of Financial Planning and Fees study from Envestnet, a company that develops software for the wealth management industry.
How Financial Planners Actually Do Financial Planning from Kitces.com.
We also reviewed fees charged by providers reviewed by the NerdWallet investing team.
More about these advisors
Sovereign Wealth Advisors tops the list for Houston. It offers portfolio management and financial planning, as well as educational seminars hosted by advisors.
The firm offers six different wrap-fee programs for portfolio management; fees vary by program and range from 1.35% to 3.0% of assets per year. For financial planning, the firm’s hourly fee is $350, and its flat fees range from $1,500 to $10,000. Educational seminars cost up to $500 per client. Account minimums start at $5,000 but range as high as $250,000 depending on the types of services you request.
Registered since: 2015
Main office address: 3120 Southwest Frwy Suite 500, Houston
Fee structures offered: Hourly, fixed, AUM
Saxon Financial Group offers investment advisory services and financial planning to individuals, trusts, estates, businesses and other entities. It also helps clients generate wills, revocable trusts and power of attorney forms but does not provide legal review.
Fees for investment management range from 1.0% (for accounts $1 million and over) to 1.25% (for amounts $500,000 to $1 million) and 1.35% (on the first $500,000) and may be negotiable. Financial planning services run a fixed rate of up to $10,000; hourly financial planning fees typically run $150 to $250, which is on the low side compared to other advisors we considered for this list. There is a $250,000 account minimum, though the advisors can opt to reduce that.
Registered since: 2021
Main office address: 1177 West Loop S. Suite 1825, Houston
Fee structures offered: Hourly, fixed, AUM
Willis Johnson & Associates specializes in financial planning and investment management for corporate professionals and executives. Services may include retirement planning, corporate benefit elections, trust and estate planning, income tax planning and preparation, insurance planning, charitable planning and education planning.
Fees range from 0.40% (for accounts $20 million and up) to 1.20% (for the first $500,000), with several tiers in between, and are negotiable. The firm also offers tax preparation, which is a plus. The account minimum is $750,000, and there is an annual minimum fee of $2,063 per quarter for clients below this threshold.
Registered since: 2006
Main office address: 5847 San Felipe Suite 1500, Houston
Fee structures offered: Fixed, AUM
Tanglewood Legacy Advisors offers investment management services and financial planning; it also provides divorce planning services.
Investment management fees are negotiable and range generally between 0.50% and 1.00% of assets per year. Fixed-fee projects start at $5,000, and the firm offers hourly rates of $395. Divorce planning services cost $300 to $395 per hour. There is no annual minimum fee or account minimum for investment advisory services.
Registered since: 2016
Main office address: One Riverway, Suite 1550, Houston
Fee structures offered: Hourly, fixed, AUM
This firm provides investment management and financial planning services to individuals, small business and retirement plans. Fees may be negotiable but start at 1.2% for the first $2 million of assets, drop to 1.0% for the $3 million and further reduce to 0.90% for balances above that. Hourly fees for financial planning are $250 to $350. The company does not have an account minimum for financial planning services, but its minimum fee is $5,000 per year.
Registered since: 2003
Main office address: 11 Greenway Plaza Suite 1425, Houston
Fee structures offered: Hourly, fixed, AUM
ACA offers portfolio and investment management services, retirement plan consulting and financial planning. The firm says it focuses on bonds, no-load or load-waived mutual funds, interval funds and exchange-traded funds; it only purchases stocks for clients upon request.
Investment management fees run 0.50% (accounts over $5 million) to 1.0% (on the first $1 million) of assets per year. Clients with $2 million or more in assets under management get free financial planning and consulting services; others pay negotiable fixed fees of $2,500 to $10,000. There is no annual minimum fee or account minimum for investment management services.
Registered since: 2000
Main office address: 4900 Woodway Drive Suite 1150, Houston
Fee structures offered: Fixed, AUM
Waterway Wealth Management offers investment advisory services, as well as cashflow, retirement, insurance and estate planning services.
Investment advisory fees are negotiable and run 0.50% (accounts over $10 million) to 1% (for the first $3 million) of assets per year. Fixed financial planning fees are $4,000 to $10,000. Hourly fees range from $100 to $300. The account minimum is $3 million.
Registered since: 2013
Main office address: 21 Waterway Suite 500, The Woodlands
Fee structures offered: Hourly, fixed, AUM
MBR works with individuals, business owners and high-net-worth families on estate planning, investment management, succession planning and wealth management.
Hourly financial planning fees are $150 to $500. Investment management fees run 0.50% (for accounts over $5 million) to 1.0% (on the first $1 million) of assets per year and are negotiable for accounts over $10 million. This is one of the most reasonable fee ranges among the advisors we analyzed for this list. The minimum account size for investment management services is $1 million, though the firm says it is negotiable.
Registered since: 2013
Main office address: 2000 West Loop South Suite 1510, Houston
Fee structures offered: Hourly, fixed, AUM
Symphony Financial’s services include self-directed retirement account management, business planning, trust and estate planning, insurance planning, retirement planning, risk management, charitable giving, tax planning and liquidity-event planning, portfolio management services and multi-family office services.
Fixed fees for financial planning start at $1,000, or $450 an hour. Investment management fees run as high as 2.50% of assets per year, depending on account type and size. We like that the firm overall outscored most other firms in Houston when we consider client mix, size, age and breadth of services, but one drawback is that its fees are relatively high compared to the other advisors on our list.
Registered since: 2014
Main office address: 4295 San Felipe Suite 300, Houston
Fee structures offered: Hourly, fixed, AUM
Heritage Wealth Management provides financial planning and investment advisory services for individuals and businesses.
Fixed fees for financial planning services run $2,500 to $10,000. Hourly fees are $100 to $300. Wrap fees for investment management are negotiable and run 0.75% (accounts over $5 million) to 1.50% (on the first $500,000) of assets per year. The company says there is generally a $1 million account minimum, though it may be flexible.
Registered since: 2016
Main office address: 4400 Post Oak Parkway Suite 2510, Houston
Fee structures offered: Hourly, fixed, AUM
Last updated on February 26, 2026
Methodology
To compile this list of best financial advisors, NerdWallet started with data for thousands of RIAs from the SEC's regulatory records. We eliminated advisors that reported, among other things, any of the following in Part 1 of their Form ADVs:
Very recent initial registration with the SEC.
No website.
Principal offices outside the United States.
Organization under the laws of a non-U.S. country.
Registration as an internet adviser.
No employees who provide investment advisory functions.
No high-net-worth clients.
No non-high-net-worth clients.
Less than $100 million in assets under management.
A low proportion of assets under management attributable to individual clients.
No financial planning services and portfolio management for individuals and/or small businesses.
Primary engagement in another type of business.
Convictions, charges, pleas, revocations, suspensions, or similar enforcement actions from legal or regulatory authorities.
NerdWallet then applied a proprietary weighted scoring system to the remaining advisors in the city's designated marketing area. The 10 highest-scoring advisors appear on this list. Learn more about our methodology here.
Why trust NerdWallet
Our deep, independent analysis sorts through key details to find and evaluate the information investors want when choosing a financial advisor.
Thousands of registered investment advisors 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.
What to know about hiring a financial advisor
We've researched everything so that you can be sure you find the right advisor and don't overpay.