Best Financial Advisors in New York City

Next Capital Management scored highest on our rubric, largely thanks to its competitive AUM fee, no account minimum and no minimum fee. This means you can get started with an advisor even if you have a relatively small amount of money invested, and once you’re there, you get the same rate that bigger investors get (up to $7.5 million). We like this a lot, plus the firm offers hourly rates for people who would prefer one-off, project-type interactions rather than an ongoing relationship.

Note that Next explicitly states it does not recommend or advocate for investing in cryptocurrency. The firm also offers direct indexing with tax-loss harvesting for eligible clients, as well as a family-office add-on called "NEXT Vantage" for wealth transfer and estate coordination (these cost extra).

If you want to work with an established firm in Manhattan, Stacey Braun Associates has the longest track record of the list; its 1975 founding date gives it status. The AUM rate here is a competitive 1%, which the company says is negotiable, and there’s no minimum fee. But there are a few catches: the firm has a $1 million account minimum, and it receives commissions from selling life insurance. The firm does not engage in short sales, margin transactions, option writing or spreading strategies, which risk-averse investors may like.

Founded in 2020, AtwoB is relatively new. But there’s a lot we like about what this firm offers, including in-house tax preparation, which is a real differentiator and a huge plus for anyone who’s endured the headache of having to run interference between a financial advisor and a separate CPA with a lot of questions. Having the two under one roof can help ensure your tax life is aligned with your financial life and that data, paperwork and questions don’t fall through the cracks. Also, AtwoB gives clients a discount on its investment management fees if they subsequently sign up for financial planning services. Those financial planning services run $200 per hour, a flat $500 to $5,000, or an annual fee of $900 to $5,000, all of which are negotiable. If you happen to sign up for financial planning services first and then decide you want investment management, this advisor may waive your financial planning fees (note, though, that for a lot of advisors, the AUM fee includes financial planning). Although AtwoB has an account minimum, at $100,000 it’s one of the lowest on this list.

We like that Matrix Asset Advisors has a long track record (35 years), though it has a $500,000 account minimum. Matrix has several different fee schedules depending on what kind of investing strategy you want to pursue (the choices are large cap value stocks, dividend income, fixed income only, or a collection of mutual funds and ETFs), so you’ll have some extra work to do here to understand what you’re paying. The 1% AUM fee rate on the large cap value stock offering is competitive compared to the other advisors on the list. Like most of the firms on this list, Matrix doesn’t prepare tax returns or draft estate planning documents such as wills or trusts.

This firm has a $1 million account minimum for managed accounts, but we like that it doesn’t hold people to that minimum if they want one-off consultations (at hourly rates) or a one-time financial plan (for a flat fee) – it’s a way to hold the door open for smaller investors. There is a $7,000 flat fee for a full-blown financial plan, but Bourgeon Capital Management says it applies that toward any future AUM fees if you decide to sign up for investment management, which is a commonplace 1%. Risk-tolerant investors may like that this advisor will help clients invest in private real estate, private equity and private credit (where appropriate), and it doesn’t charge advisory fees on "unsupervised assets" (such as stock you inherited and just want to hold instead of actively manage).

Estabrook Capital Management’s standout differentiator is its socially responsible investing (SRI) or environment, social and governance (ESG) investment strategy. This is a genuine point of difference from the other advisors on this list, and the fee is a simple 1% (no tiered fee schedules like with other advisors, though that also means no discount as your balance grows). There’s a $500,000 account minimum, which is something to consider as well.

New York-area clients will have to head up to Connecticut to see this advisor, but we think the trip could be worthwhile, given that the firm has no account minimum, prepares tax returns in house and has no minimum fee. Round Rock has a sort of multi-division structure, though, and our blended fee figures reflect the Armstrong Shaw Division (ASD) fee schedule specifically, which we think is most applicable and which charges 1.00% on the first $10 million. Side note: The firm offers an interesting algorithmic "signal service" that trades a basket of stocks or ETFs; the goal is to mitigate losses, though it comes at an extra cost.

It takes some real cash to get in at MJB Asset Management (the account minimum is $1 million), but the 1.0% AUM fee for the first $3 million is competitive and there’s no minimum fee. The firm also has a relatively novel option available: Clients who don’t want discretionary accounts (where the advisor has access and permission to buy and sell investments in your accounts on your behalf) but do want to pick an advisor’s brain as much as they want can put the firm on retainer for $10,000 a year. Also worth noting is MJB lets clients exclude alcohol, tobacco or other “sin” stocks upon request.

Tilson Financial Group has a $500,000 minimum, with a 1% AUM fee on the first $1 million of assets. New Providence, New Jersey, might be a long trip if you’re hoping for an in-person meeting in the company offices, but the fee schedule makes it worth considering. We really like the relatively steep rate discount that clients get on everything over the $1 million mark – that can create real savings for investors as their accounts grow over time. Of note is that Tilson Financial Group explicitly discloses that it does not utilize AI to make investment decisions or to analyze securities.

There’s no account minimum at Kensington Financial Advisors, and the fees, though on the higher side of the list, are negotiable. If you have more than $500,000 to invest, you might save money overall with this advisor. Most advisors don’t discount AUM fees until the client’s assets exceed a million; this one gives you a break sooner (on anything over half a million). One caveat: if you have less than $500,000 to invest, be double sure to ask about the fee. According to Kensington’s ADV forms, “in limited circumstances” it may charge 1.50% on sub-$500,000 accounts.

Charter Research & Investment Group’s $750,000 account minimum is fairly high from where we stand, but if you can jump that hurdle you’ll get a solid 1.0% AUM rate, no minimum fee and advice from a firm with a long operating track record (35 years). You’ll have to get to Southport, Connecticut, if you want to meet in person, though, and the firm doesn’t prepare tax returns or estate documents.

Last but not least is Locker Financial Services in Verona, New Jersey. This is another firm with no account minimum, which makes it more accessible to smaller investors, and investors with over a million get a good break on the AUM fee, which starts at 1.0%.