Best Financial Advisors

Mariner

Sometimes, templated methods and model portfolios aren’t as good as flexible, attentive services that change with your financial life, especially when that life requires a more personal touch. We think Mariner seems best at delivering that.

What we like about Mariner

Highly customized portfolios. Mariner advisors create investment portfolios around client goals instead of following a one-size-fits-all strategy. We think this is important because people often have unique goals and needs. Plus, clients with complex financial lives need flexible plans and advisors who are good at coordinating a lot of moving pieces.

More under one roof. We like that Mariner’s in-house specialists can handle many needs, which helps clients avoid having to see (and pay) other specialists on the side. The firm’s AUM fee covers financial planning and consulting, and an advisor coordinates with specialists on investment and noninvestment matters. Mariner also offers family office services (including banking, bill-paying, record keeping, authorizing users and other administrative work) and tax services.

• 👉 See how we rate Mariner's fees, services and more.

  Reviewed in: Dec. 2025 | Period considered: Oct. - Dec. 2025

Where Mariner falls short

Minimum fee. You’ll pay at least $1,875 per quarter ($7,500 a year), which can translate to a high percentage if you don’t have at least $600,000 of assets under management.

Clients with simple finances may feel overloaded. Mariner can do a lot, but this firm may be too extra for people who don’t have complex financial needs. Mariner may be the advisor you switch to after you realize you’ve outgrown your current financial advisor.

Edelman Financial Engines

Edelman Financial Engines specializes in helping clients who are approaching retirement. For many people, this is a time in life when financial math changes quickly because they’re moving from accumulating savings to spending that savings. We think Edelman Financial Engines stands out for its focus on helping people through this transition.

What we like about Edelman

Custodial options. Edelman uses Fidelity and Charles Schwab for custody services, which is fairly limited compared to other firms NerdWallet reviews. But if your accounts (particularly your retirement accounts) are already sitting with Fidelity or Schwab, it’ll be easier to onboard with Edelman.

Fee structure. EFE charges 1.75% on the first $400,000 of assets under management (AUM). That’s higher than many other advisors, which makes Edelman a less-competitive option for people still building assets. However, Edelman’s tiered fee structure means that you pay a lower fee on the proportion of your assets above certain thresholds (you pay 1.75% on the first $400,000 but only 1.25% on the next $350,000, for example). Someone with $1 million in AUM would pay an effective rate of 1.39%.

Retirement Paycheck service. Edelman has an offering that creates a predictable income stream in retirement, which basically means the firm moves some of your assets (about three years’ worth of income) into lower risk, fixed-income investments.

• 👉 See how we rate Edelman's fees, services and more.

  Reviewed in: Dec. 2025 | Period considered: Oct. - Dec. 2025

What Edelman Financial Engines doesn’t do as well

Standardized portfolios. EFE may not be the right choice for people who want highly customized portfolios. Edelman is a big, efficient firm, and its advisors may recommend a standardized investment portfolio rather than offer to create a custom one just for you. For example, in its Retirement Paycheck service, the firm chooses short-term and long-term investments for all the clients in the service at the same time.

Modern Wealth Management

We think Modern Wealth Management can be a good fit for people who already have a significant amount to invest, want financial planning as well as investment management, and like the option to meet in person with an advisor.

The firm’s tiered fee structure is common in the business, and people with relatively small account balances pay the highest percentage fees (AUM fees are 1.5% on the first $499,999; the percentage is lower for assets beyond that threshold). That makes Modern Wealth relatively expensive for someone with less than $1 million.

Where Modern Wealth Management shines

Team approach: The client’s advisor coordinates with other advisors who specialize in taxes, estate planning, investment management or other topics. This can help create a more holistic approach to financial planning.

Onboarding: Like at Edelman, you can use either Schwab or Fidelity as a custodian or broker, which is fairly limited compared to other firms NerdWallet reviews. If you’re already using Fidelity or Schwab to house your accounts, especially your 401(k) or other retirement accounts, it may take less time to get things started with Modern Wealth Management.

• 👉 See how we rate Modern Wealth Management’s fees, services and more.

  Reviewed in: Dec. 2025 | Period considered: Oct. - Dec. 2025

Where Modern Wealth Management falls short

High-cost investments: In addition to paying an AUM fee to the advisory firm, investors also usually pay fees on the mutual funds and ETFs in their portfolio. The portfolios that Modern Wealth manages have an average expense ratio of 0.26%, which we think is high. NerdWallet’s analysis shows that many other firms we review use funds with lower expense ratios.

Vanguard Personal Advisor

Vanguard Personal Advisor offers a good combination of personalized financial planning, virtual tools and a well-known set of funds. People with at least $500,000 get even more personalized advice. You do have to move your assets onto the Vanguard platform, though.

What we like about Vanguard Personal Advisor

Low fees: Vanguard is a behemoth in the investment world, and it’s able to use its heft to keep fees low, even in its advisory arm. The advisor charges just 0.30% to 0.31% of assets under management, which is very low compared to other firms we’ve reviewed, and the $50,000 account minimum is similarly low in the industry.

Human and virtual assistance: Most of Vanguard’s advisors are certified financial planners, and the firm also offers virtual planning tools. The advisors create personalized financial plans and monitor investor portfolios, which is a huge value at this price point and can be really helpful for people who want a comprehensive financial plan and the security of being able to reach a human when necessary.

• 👉 See how we rate Vanguard’s fees, services and more.

  Reviewed in: Oct. 2025 | Period considered: Aug. - Oct. 2025

Where Vanguard Personal Advisor falls short

Inflexibility: You have to move your money into a Vanguard account and exclusively use Vanguard’s suite of products/funds.

High account minimum for dedicated advisor access: Accounts under $500,000 get access to a team of advisors rather than a single dedicated advisor.

Ellevest

Ellevest can be a good choice for high- and ultra-high-net worth individuals who want an all-women advisory team or are particularly interested in investing in climate change solutions, affordable housing and healthcare technology for women. There’s a $500,000 account minimum.

Where Ellevest shines

Impact investing: Ellevest wants to help people create change in the world without compromising returns. It pursues this primarily through a diversification strategy using private investments that have low correlation with public markets and that support values-based goals.

Special focus: Women-focused investing gives special attention to women's generally lower incomes, different lifetime earnings curve and longer lifespans in its portfolio construction work.

• 👉 See how we rate Ellevest’s fees, services and more.

  Reviewed in: Oct. 2025 | Period considered: Aug. - Oct. 2025

Where Ellevest falls short

You need a relatively big account: Ellevest's account minimum is $500,000, which is one of the highest minimums we’ve come across in the firms we review. This will likely be too high a hurdle if you’re just starting to invest, and some of the private investments Ellevest offers access to are only open to accredited investors. (That means you need to have at least $200,000 of income for the past two years — or $300,000 of household income — or at least $1 million of net worth.)

Facet Wealth

If you just want some simple investing strategies as well as help now and then on more complicated financial decisions, Facet could be a good choice. The firm’s flat fee doesn’t increase as you add more assets under management, which we think makes it a good place for high earners who are building wealth and making more complicated financial decisions for the first time (what to do with company stock or an inheritance, for example).

What we like about Facet

Flat fees. Facet charges an annual flat fee for comprehensive planning services, which is unusual in the industry. Its top-tier offering is most like having a traditional financial advisor. It costs $8,700 per year, but the good news is that the fee doesn’t change based on the size of your portfolio. This fee structure thus gets more and more economical percentage-wise as your money grows. A client with $1 million would effectively pay just 0.87% in annual fees, which is fairly low compared to other firms that charge 1% or more of assets under management.

Clear investment strategies. People opting for the highest-tier offering get private market investing and direct indexing. But Facet’s main focus is low-cost ETFs. This can be useful because it keeps fees low and portfolios diversified.

• 👉 See how we rate Facet's fees, services and more.

  Reviewed in: Oct. 2025 | Period considered: Aug. - Oct. 2025

Where Facet falls short

Heavy focus on the basics. If your finances are super complicated, Facet’s investment management approach may not be for you. If your wealth is tied up in private equity, a business or real estate, for instance, or if your estate plans require a custom strategy, you might find it frustrating that Facet’s certified financial planners (CFPs) mostly address basic planning needs in those areas. Facet refers clients to third-party attorneys, CPAs or other parties for complex planning and execution of some things, which can cost clients more time and money.

Flat fee may feel high for smaller investors. Flat fees can be a great way to add predictability, but one downside is that if you have a small amount to invest (say, $150,000), then $8,700 a year could amount to a relatively high 5.8% fee. Other advisors whose fees are a percentage of assets typically run about 1.0%.

Financial advisor matching services connect you with a qualified, vetted financial advisor who can help you the way you want to be helped. These services don’t charge you a fee to get matched with an advisor. But each service has its own requirements for what kinds of advisors can be in their networks, which affects what kind of matches you get. Also, the advisors in these networks set their own fees, which means you’ll still have to make sure the advisors you match with are ones you can afford. (NerdWallet also operates a financial advisor matching service, NerdWallet Advisors Match.)

Harness Wealth

Harness Wealth is an interesting option for people who have been DIYing their financial planning but no longer have time or interest, or their lives have become financially complex enough to require help from a pro. Harness vets financial advisory firms and then recommends advisors based on a client’s specific needs.

Where Harness Wealth shines

Ease and convenience: The company’s proprietary search algorithm and a dedicated concierge help you find a suitable financial advisor. Harness Wealth vets all its advisors with a fastidious process, and you get a free consult with advisors before committing.

• 👉 See how we rate Harness’s fees, services and more.

  Reviewed in: Oct. 2025 | Period considered: Aug. - Oct. 2025

Where Harness Wealth falls short

Advisor fees are just average: Harness says its advisors’ fees are 1% or lower for the first $1 million of assets. Although a 1% AUM fee is common for financial advisors, many competitors charge less for similar services.

Minimum: Harness says its advisors have a $250,000 account minimum if you want investment management services. However, there’s no account minimum if you just want a one-time financial plan or some tax help. Those services come with a flat fee instead (For example, $2,000 to $10,000 for financial plans and $250 an hour for tax planning.)

Zoe Financial

Zoe matches prospective clients with financial advisors who meet their needs, but it’s also a technology company, providing the platform advisors use to work with their clients, including digital tools to track accounts. The advisors in Zoe’s network offer full-service financial planning; some advisors also do tax planning.

Where Zoe Financial shines

Service range: Zoe advisors offer a wide range of services, which increase the chances that you’ll find a good advisor if you need help with retirement planning, investing, tax strategy, buying a home or other large asset, or understanding stock options and other forms of employee equity compensation.

• 👉 See how we rate Zoe’s fees, services and more.

  Reviewed in: Oct. 2025 | Period considered: Aug. - Oct. 2025

Where Zoe Financial falls short

Fees: The company tells us that typical fees for its advisors are 0.75% to 1.25% of assets under management, but it’s hard to tell how much money you need to have in order to get the rates at the lower end of that range.

Significant account minimums: Zoe has a $150,000 account minimum for investment management, and some advisors the network may have even higher minimums.

Wealthramp

Wealthramp gets you an advisor you can meet with as much as you want, and often virtually if you’re not in the same city. Wealthramp says most of its advisors are either CFPs, CPAs or CFAs, or have at least 10 years of experience.

What we like about Wealthramp

Hand-selected advisors: Wealthramp advisors are personally vetted by Wealthramp CEO Pam Krueger.

Tax services: Many financial advisors can help clients with basic, generic tax strategies such as tax-loss harvesting, but we love that Wealthramp advisors often go further. Some do tax preparation, tax-efficient retirement planning and tax-efficient wealth transfer planning, which helps clients avoid redundant conversations with a third-party tax specialist.

Help with complex financial needs: Wealthramp's advisors may be better at helping clients navigate unusual financial situations, such as a divorce. Some of the other financial advisors and services we review tend to be more one-size-fits-all.

• 👉 See how we rate Wealthramp’s fees, services and more.

  Reviewed in: Oct. 2025 | Period considered: Aug. - Oct. 2025

Where Wealthramp falls short

Fees: Wealthramp gave us a range that suggests some advisors on the high end can be relatively expensive (0.8% to 1.2% for accounts under $1 million; 0.5% to 1% for accounts over $2 million).

Compare all of our picks

3 things to remember when hiring a financial advisor

As you review this list of financial advisors and compare options, keep these things in mind.

1. Your budget for advice — and average costs

Simple, digital-only services will be less expensive; holistic financial planning will cost more. Know what you're comfortable spending before you dive in, and compare to this table to make sure you're not spending more than you should.

» Learn how to choose a financial advisor

2. What services you need

Maybe you just want help picking investments, or maybe you need advice on more advanced topics, like estate planning or insurance needs. These requirements will help you choose what type of financial advisor you need. For example, if you only want a service to pick investments for you and then manage the resulting portfolio, a robo-advisor may be a good fit. (View our picks for the best robo-advisors.) But you'll need a financial advisor for advanced planning, personalized guidance or more detailed strategies like estate planning or prioritizing various goals. No matter what option you choose, check the advisor's qualifications and make sure they are fiduciaries, which means they must act in your best interests.

3. Whether you want in-person advice

If you don’t mind meeting with your advisor virtually versus in an office, you might save money — especially if you work with a larger online-only firm like Facet, one of our picks above. It is cheaper to operate a firm without office locations, and some virtual advisors will pass those savings on to you. If you want to develop an in-person relationship with your advisor, you'll want to opt for a local firm or a larger firm with office locations in your area. The financial advisor search networks on our list can help match you to local options.