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There are thousands of financial advisors in the Los Angeles area, which can actually make finding the right fit for you challenging and research intensive. Sorting through the options is an overwhelming task.
We know because we did it. To help narrow the search down, we pored over data from SEC Form ADVs — the disclosure form that registered investment advisors must file with the Securities and Exchange Commission and state regulatory agencies — to find the best financial advisors in L.A. and nearby suburbs, based on key measures we think are most important to consumers.
You can see our full methodology below, but in a nutshell, the advisors that made our list are well-established firms with low client-to-advisor ratios, variety in their fee structures, and at least $250 million in assets under management (a sign of experience and stability). We think offering flat or hourly planning fees as an alternative option to charging based on how much a client has in assets under management gives clients the flexibility to choose the fee model that works best for them. None of the advisors on our list charge commissions, which can create conflicts of interest.
10 best Los Angeles financial advisors
Financial Advisor | Headquarters | Assets Under Management |
|---|---|---|
EP Wealth Advisors | Torrance | $35,570,000,000 |
Cooper McManus | Irvine | $2,560,714,584 |
SB Capital Management, Inc. | Encino | $1,225,167,337 |
NWF Advisory Services Inc. | Los Angeles | $3,824,876,751 |
Spectrum Asset Management Inc. | Newport Beach | $640,063,728 |
Monograph Wealth Advisors, LLC | Manhattan Beach | $2,578,025,744 |
Vance Wealth | Santa Clarita | $736,109,579 |
Clifford Swan Investment Counselors | Pasadena | $4,143,559,319 |
Stonemark Wealth Management | Pasadena | $516,309,155 |
Index Fund Advisors, Inc. | Irvine | $5,329,171,931 |
🔍 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
EP Wealth Advisors tops the list for Los Angeles. It provides wealth management, investment and portfolio management, financial planning and other services.
The firm charges wrap fees ranging from 0.55% of assets per year (for accounts above $10 million) to 1% (accounts $1 million and under). Financial planning and consulting services cost up to $250 per hour or a $2,500 fixed fee. Fees are negotiable. This firm also offers tax preparation and tax-filing services for clients with at least $1 million of assets under management.
Registered since: 1987
Main office address: 21535 Hawthorne Blvd Suite 400, Torrance
Fee structures offered: Hourly, fixed, AUM
Cooper McManus provides investment planning, retirement planning, charitable
planning, tax planning, education planning, mortgage/debt analysis, real estate analysis, insurance analysis and business and personal financial planning.
Investment management fees run up to 2.0% of assets per year; the firm also has a bundled (“wrap”) program that costs up to 2.10% per year (a wrap fee program allows clients to pay a bundled fee for investment advisory services and certain related transaction costs). Overall, this firm outscored most other firms in Los Angeles in terms of client mix, size, age and breadth of services, but one downside for this firm is that its fees are relatively high compared to other advisors on this list. The firm charges up to $1,000 per hour for financial planning and consulting. There is no account minimum, and fees are negotiable.
Registered since: 2003
Main office address: 9870 Research Drive, Irvine
Fee structures offered: Hourly, fixed, AUM
This firm offers investment management and financial planning, including helping clients set financial goals, reviewing portfolios and analyzing asset allocation, tax strategies and estate planning assistance.
The hourly fee is $100 to $500 for financial planning; flat fees are also available and negotiable. Investment management fees run up to 1.10% per year. There is a $100,000 account minimum.
Registered since: 2003
Main office address: 6345 Balboa Blvd., Building 4 Suite 375, Encino
Fee structures offered: Hourly, fixed, AUM
This firm primarily provides investment management and financial planning services, which may include help with estate plans, insurance and taxes.
Wealth management fees are negotiable, but asset balances under $25 million are charged a maximum of 1.5%. Clients with assets over $25 million pay a maximum of 1.0%. Fixed or flat fees for financial plans range from $500 to $3,000. Hourly fees are $150 to $1,000 per hour. There is no account minimum for financial planning services, but minimums for its various wealth management programs start at $5,500.
Registered since: 1998
Main office address: 11835 W Olympic Blvd. Suite 1155 E., Los Angeles
Fee structures offered: Hourly, fixed, AUM
Spectrum provides investment advisory services and financial planning. Investment advisory services cost 0.15% to 1.65% of assets per year depending on account size and type (the firm has separate tiered fee schedules for clients who primarily invest in equities versus bonds or cash). The firm has a $1 million account minimum.
Registered since: 1987
Main office address: 1301 Dove Street Suite 720, Newport Beach
Fee structures offered: Hourly, fixed, AUM
Monograph Wealth Advisors provides investment management and wealth planning services to individuals, pension plans and charities. The company is primarily focused on affluent families who seek guidance in managing multi-generational wealth, with higher fees that reflect the level of complexity and amount of assets involved in that work.
The company says it generally charges an annual fee of less than 1% for investment advisory work, but the fee minimum is $85,000. The firm says that occasionally it will charge a fixed fee instead of a percentage fee for investment management; in those rare cases the fixed fees may run $100,000 to $1 million depending on account size and complexity, and may be negotiable. Monograph’s hourly rate typically starts at $500.
Registered since: 2015
Main office address: 1230 Rosecrans Avenue Suite 425, Manhattan Beach
Fee structures offered: Hourly, fixed, AUM
Vance Wealth provides wealth management, financial planning and investment advisory services to individuals, trusts, estates, businesses, charitable organizations and other entities. It also provides business consulting services.
Wealth management fees range from 0.35% (for accounts over $15 million) to 1.50% of assets per year (on the first $500,000) and may be negotiable. Hourly financial planning fees are up to $700. Fixed fees go up to $60,000 per year; one-time engagements can cost up to $25,000.
Registered since: 2020
Main office address: 26491 Summit Circle, Santa Clarita
Fee structures offered: Hourly, fixed, AUM
Clifford Swan Investment Counselors provides investment supervisory services and manages investment advisory accounts.
Fees for investment counseling range from 0.30% (for accounts over $25 million) to 1% of assets per year (on the first $2 million) and may be negotiable. Clients that only have fixed-income investments pay 0.40% on the first $2.5 million (fees are negotiable above $2.5 million). Different fees apply for charitable trusts and fixed-income-only portfolios. The minimum fee for investment counseling is $10,000 per year. Fixed-rate fees start at $2,500. There is a $1 million account minimum.
Registered since: 1999
Main office address: 177 E. Colorado Blvd. Suite 550, Pasadena
Fee structures offered: Hourly, fixed, AUM
Stonemark Wealth Management provides investment management, consulting and financial planning services. Investment management fees may be negotiable and range from 0.85% (for discretionary accounts at least $5 million) to 1.25% of assets (on the first $1 million). Fees for nondiscretionary accounts are 1.5%. The firm does not have a minimum account requirement.
Registered since: 2012
Main office address: 225 S. Lake Avenue Suite 1170, Pasadena
Fee structures offered: Hourly, fixed, AUM
Index Fund Advisors offers investment advisory services that focus specifically on passively managed or index mutual and exchange-traded funds. It also offers tax services, financial planning, retirement planning, college planning and charitable giving planning. Fees for investment advisory and wealth services are negotiable and range from 0.20% (accounts over $10 million) to 0.90% of assets per year (on the first $500,000). Fees for tax work range from $200 to $20,000.
Registered since: 2000
Main office address: 19200 Von Karman Ave. Suite 150, Irvine
Fee structures offered: 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.