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There are hundreds of financial advisors in New York City and the surrounding suburbs. Sorting through them to find the right one for you can take time, patience and a lot of research.
To help you cut down on all three, we sifted through thousands of SEC Form ADVs — the disclosure document investment advisors must file with the Securities and Exchange Commission and state regulatory agencies — as well as financial advisor websites to find the best financial advisors in New York City based on key metrics.
You can view our full methodology below, but it boils down to well-established firms that have a low client-to-advisor ratio, offer a variety of fee structures, and have at least $250 million in assets under management, which signals experience and stability.
The advisors on this list offer a range of different services, from simple and straightforward to high-touch, white-glove wealth management that costs more but caters to high-net-worth consumers. None of the advisors on our list charge commissions, which can create conflicts of interest. (While we're on the subject of conflicts of interest, NerdWallet's subsidiary, NerdWallet Wealth Partners, is an SEC-registered investment advisor based in New York. Our editorial team did not review or consider that company for this list, as we generally do not review our own products.)
» Not in New York City? View our list of the best online and nationwide financial advisors
Best financial advisors in New York City
Financial Advisor | Headquarters | Assets Under Management |
|---|---|---|
Sax Wealth Advisors, LLC | Parsippany | $2,440,851,802 |
Journey Strategic Wealth LLC | Summit | $3,764,311,936 |
Kelleher Financial Advisors, LLC | New York | $1,025,582,365 |
Summit Trail Advisors, LLC | New York | $26,156,178,587 |
Sovereign Financial Group, Inc. | Stamford | $882,702,145 |
Personal CFO Solutions LLC | Chester | $1,375,126,396 |
Signet Financial Management, LLC | Parsippany | $1,058,245,741 |
Premier Wealth Advisors, LLC | New York | $1,058,245,741 |
Modera Wealth Management, LLC | Westwood | $15,510,482,152 |
Next Capital Management LLC | New York | $2,135,481,487 |
🔍 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.
Wrap fees
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
Sax Wealth Advisors tops the list for New York City. The advisor’s fees range from 0.45% of assets under management (for accounts over $7 million) to 1% (on the first $1.5 million). There’s a minimum fee of $15,000 per year, though the firm says that may be negotiable in some cases. The account minimum is $1.5 million.
Sax works with individuals, trusts and small businesses, and it offers investment portfolio management, retirement planning, income and estate tax planning, help with selling businesses, charitable gift planning, college planning and help with insurance.
Registered since: 2008
Main office address: 389 Interpace Parkway, Suite 3, Parsippany
Fee structures offered: Hourly, fixed, AUM
Journey Strategic Wealth LLC offers wealth management services to individuals, families, trusts and estates. The company’s wealth management fees are negotiable, tiered and range from 0.30% to 1.75%, generally with no minimum asset balance. The fee is based on the complexity of the client’s financial situation, the amount of assets managed and the level of relationship needed with the advisor.
Journey also offers financial planning services for a flat fee of up to $10,000, depending on factors like how much complexity is required. Ongoing financial planning costs up to $4,000 per year. Hourly rates go up to $500 per hour.
Registered since: 2020
Main office address: 47 Maple Street Suite 104, Summit
Fee structures offered: Hourly, fixed, AUM
Kelleher Financial Advisors, which also operates under the names Starboard Advisors and Battery Park Capital, offers investment advice, asset management and family office services.
Fees are negotiable; at Kelleher Financial Advisors and Battery Park Capital, they range from 0.50% to 1.50% of assets under management, depending on the amount of assets managed and the level of complexity required from the advisor. Starboard charges 0.50% (for amounts over $2 million) and 0.75% (on the first $2 million), or hourly fees of up to $600. The account minimum for Kelleher is $25,000; Battery Park Capital requires $500,000 and Starboard has a minimum of $1,000,000. Family office services require a minimum net worth of $10 million.
Registered since: 2003
Main office address: 100 Wall Street Suite 804, New York
Fee structures offered: Hourly, fixed, AUM
Summit Trail Advisors provides investment management services, financial planning and consulting on estate planning, taxes and insurance. It also offers family office services.
Investment advisory fees are negotiable and range up to 1.50% annually. Fixed-rate financial plans start at $5,000; hourly consulting runs $500 to $1,000 per hour. Family office services may carry a separate fixed fee. There’s no account minimum.
Registered since: 2015
Main office address: 2 Grand Central Tower 140 E. 45th Street, 28th Floor, New York
Fee structures offered: Hourly, fixed, AUM
Sovereign does business under the names Massey Financial Services, Chedester Financial, Stone Arch Wealth Advisors, LLC, and Venture Stone Wealth Management. It offers investment management services and financial planning.
Investment advisory fees are negotiable and range up to 3% per year, which is a high ceiling compared to the other advisors on this list. But the company also offers financial planning services — hourly fees for planning range from $200 to $450 per hour, with flat fees between$1,500 to $10,000. There’s no account minimum, but the firm’s minimum AUM fee is $4,500 a year.
Registered since: 2019
Main office address: 35 West Broad Street Suite 100, Stamford
Fee structures offered: Hourly, fixed, AUM
Personal CFO Solutions offers investment planning, retirement planning, income tax planning and preparation, estate planning, help with employee benefit elections, insurance reviews and recommendations and help deciding how to finance purchases.
Financial planning costs run $1,000 to $20,000 on a fixed-fee basis; portfolio management costs a negotiable 0.5% to 1% of assets per year. There is no account minimum or minimum annual fee.
Registered since: 2012
Main office address: 384 Main Street, Chester
Fee structures offered: Fixed, AUM
Signet offers investment management and related services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, businesses and retirement plans.
Wealth management fees are negotiable and range from 1.0% for accounts over $500,000 to 1.10% for amounts up to $500,000. Clients that want to incorporate options strategies are charged 1.50% with a $1 million minimum. Financial planning and consulting services cost $1,500 to $7,000 on a fixed-fee basis or $200 to $250 per hour. The firm’s minimum annual fee is $5,500.
Registered since: 1988
Main office address: 400 Interpace Parkway, Building C 2nd Floor, Parsippany
Fee structures offered: Hourly, fixed, AUM
Premier Wealth Advisors offers investment consulting, asset allocation, retirement planning, estate planning, financial reporting, investment consulting, insurance needs analysis, charitable giving and other services.
Investment management fees are negotiable and range from 0.10% (for portfolio values over $20 million) to 2% (portfolio values of $250,000 or less). Financial planning fees range from $200 to $500 on an hourly basis and $500 to $15,000 on a fixed-fee basis. There is no minimum fee or account minimum.
Registered since: 2013
Main office address: 1411 Broadway 16th Floor, New York
Fee structures offered: Hourly, fixed, AUM
Modera Wealth Management provides wealth management, portfolio management, investment monitoring, financial planning and consulting services.
Wealth management service fees may be negotiable and range from 0.15% to 1% of assets under management per year; portfolio management services cost 0.10% to 0.80% of assets per year. The firm doesn’t have a minimum account size, but minimum fees are $10,000 to $20,000 per year for wealth management and $8,000 to $16,000 per year for portfolio management.
Registered since: 2010
Main office address: 56 Jefferson Avenue , Westwood
Fee structures offered: Hourly, fixed, AUM
Next offers investment advisory and financial planning services to individuals, trusts and businesses. It also provides family office services.
Fees range from 0.40% (accounts over $25 million) to 1% (on the first $7.5 million) for investment advisory services and $500 per hour for financial planning services. Some clients may be able to negotiate a fixed fee instead of hourly. There is no minimum fee or account minimum.
Registered since: 1999
Main office address: Eleven Times Square 15th Floor, New York
Fee structures offered: Hourly, fixed, AUM
Last updated on February 20, 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.