Top Financial Advisors in Chicago, IL

Find an Advisor

Fiducient Advisors is our top-rated financial advisory firm in Chicago. Fiducient, which was formerly known as DiMeo Schneider & Associates, works mainly with high-net-worth individuals. The firm also works with individuals below the high-net-worth threshold, as well as institutional clients. 

The minimum initial investment depends on the type of client and the scope of services rendered. Some investment programs require a minimum of $50,000 and $500,000. The firm's wealth management services focus on personalized investment strategies for private clients, including comprehensive financial planning or investment-only options.

Fiducient also manages model portfolios and provides advisory services to financial institutions, assisting with asset allocation and manager research. Additionally, they manage private fund vehicles for qualified clients. However, the firm and its associates may earn additional compensation associated with other professional arrangements or affiliations, which is a conflict of interest. The firm is a fiduciary, though, and must act in the client's best interest.

Fiducient takes an in-depth dive into each client’s financial background to come up with an investment approach it deems appropriate for its clients. From there, it seeks the right independent investment managers by using its own proprietary database of over 4,000 managers. Based on your needs, it can recommend both U.S. and global equities, a variety of fixed-income securities, as well as alternative assets like real estate, natural resources, commodity futures, hedge funds and others.

Find an Advisor

Cresset Asset Management, the No. 2 firm on our list, is a fee-based practice that manages assets for both non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individuals. Institutional clients include pooled investment vehicles and charitable organizations.

Members of the firm's advisory team hold multiple certifications, including designations like the chartered financial analyst (CFA), Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) and certified public accountant (CPA) and certified exit planning advisor (CEPA), among others. 

While Cresset generally does not impose a required minimum to open an account, the firm charges a minimum annual fee of $25,000 for investment advisory services. However, the firm and/or its affiliates stand to benefit financially from certain recommendations that are made to Cresset's advisory clients, creating a conflict of interest. Then again, the firm is a fiduciary and must act in clients' best interests.

Cresset offers a broad range of services, including wealth management, financial planning and investment advisory services. They manage both discretionary and non-discretionary accounts and provide specialized family office services like estate planning, tax strategy and philanthropic consulting. 

The firm blends active and passive strategies with disciplined asset allocation and third-party manager selection. Portfolios typically include cash, equities, fixed-income, real estate, private markets, alternatives and derivatives. Cresset emphasizes risk management, tax consequences and cost considerations, with its investment team conducting in-depth reviews to select managers and strategies aligned with clients' investment objectives.

Find an Advisor

Kovitz Investment Group Partners is a fee-based firm that provides discretionary investment management to individuals and institutions, focusing on customized portfolios of equities and fixed-income securities. Kovitz also offers specialized strategies, including retirement plan advisory and family office services. The firm does offer financial planning services, but only to select clients on a case-by-case basis. 

Kovitz doesn't have a stringent account minimum, but it does generally prefer that clients have at least $1 million to invest. The firm has a large team of advisors who holds multiple certifications, including designations like certified public accountant (CPA), Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®), chartered retirement planning counselor (CRPC) and chartered financial analyst (CFA).

Kovitz Investment Group Partners follows a disciplined, long-term investment strategy focused on capital preservation and minimizing risk. Their equity strategy adopts a "business owner" mindset, investing in well-capitalized, industry-leading companies only when stock prices are significantly below intrinsic value. They prioritize patience, allowing market values to align with their analysis, all with an aim of maximizing long-term net worth over short-term gains. 

Find an Advisor

The Mather Group (TMG) is a fee-only firm requiring a minimum portfolio size of $1 million to open an account. The firm primarily works with both non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individuals, as well as some institutional clients. Advisors at the firm have earned a variety of financial advisor certifications, including Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®), chartered financial analyst (CFA) and certified public accountant (CPA), among others. Services offered at the firm include portfolio management, financial planning, family office services, tax planning/preparation and estate planning.

The Mather Group uses an evidence-based investment strategy, grounded in academic research and historical data. They offer seven risk-based asset allocation portfolios, focusing on balancing risk and returns while optimizing for tax efficiency. Those portfolios range in risk profile from conservative to aggressive growth. TMG customizes portfolios across global stocks, bonds, and alternatives, utilizing low-cost index funds. Their Tax Synchronized Portfolios aim to reduce tax drag and create higher after-tax returns.

TMG’s strategy emphasizes diversification, long-term growth and rebalancing, with a focus on aligning investments with client goals and risk tolerance.

Find an Advisor

Great Lakes Advisors (GLA) is a fee-only firm with a highly diversified client base. GLA manages assets for over 1,000 individual clients above and below the high-net-worth threshold. The firm also works with retirement plans, charities and a variety of other institutional clients. 

As a fee-only firm, GLA professionals do not earn commissions on trades and the selling of insurance and other investment products. GLA imposes minimum account requirements depending on the investment strategy, ranging from $1 million to $2 million.

The firm provides discretionary investment management services via customized portfolio management, equity and fixed-income strategies and responsible investing solutions. Additionally, they offer financial planning, wealth management and ESG-focused investment options, all designed to align with clients' specific financial goals, risk tolerance and long-term objectives.

Great Lakes Advisors employs a range of investment strategies, including fundamental equity, disciplined equity and multi-asset approaches, all aimed at outperforming benchmarks through stock selection and risk management. Their equity strategies focus on attractively valued companies with improving fundamentals, while their fixed-income and multi-asset strategies prioritize wealth preservation and diversification.

Find an Advisor

Gresham Partners manages assets primarily for high-net-worth individuals and institutional clients, including pooled investment vehicles and charitable organizations.

Gresham Partners is not for your average retail investor or pre-retiree: the firm charges a minimum annual fee of $180,000. As a fee-only firm, Gresham and its advisors do not sell financial products or insurance for commissions in addition to client-paid fees. 

The firm offers integrated investment and wealth management services, including tailored strategies for investment, tax, wealth transfer, and philanthropy. They provide asset reporting, family education, and consulting on family offices and trusts, while assisting clients in coordinating professional services from third-party providers.

Gresham often recommends diversified exposure to alternative assets, such as hedge funds and private equity, through its proprietary partnerships. These partnerships offer access to managers who typically employ broad mandates, conduct in-depth fundamental analysis and limit capital intake to preserve flexibility.

The firm tends to favor experienced managers who operate with broad investment mandates and who are willing to take relatively concentrated positions when they see strong opportunities based on careful fundamental analysis. Gresham performs rigorous due diligence and ongoing monitoring of all managers, with a strong emphasis on risk management. The firm also allocates assets to separately managed accounts, mutual funds, and ETFs when appropriate, seeking to complement its alternative investments.

Find an Advisor

Zacks Investment Management (ZIM) is a fee-based firm that generally requires a minimum of $500,000 for its investment advisory services. This minimum applies to both its wealth management program accounts and its individual fixed-income securities accounts. However, the firm may waive this requirement based on its discretion.

The ZIM client base is predominantly composed of non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individuals, as well as a variety of institutional clients, including wrap fee programs.

ZIM offers discretionary investment management services, managing separate accounts, pooled investment vehicles and wrap-fee programs. ZIM also manages alternative investments, such as private funds and offers online advisory through Zacks Advantage, which uses automated investing and ETFs. Additionally, ZIM provides model portfolio recommendations to clients, allowing them to tailor their investments. Their services cater to various client needs, from retail wealth management to institutional clients.

ZIM offers a wide range of investment strategies, including asset allocation and specialized strategies like dividend-focused, ESG and international equity strategies. The firm relies on a hybrid approach to investing that combines both quantitative and qualitative analysis. Their proprietary models analyze patterns of fundamental factors to assess a large universe of stocks.

The firm managesportfolios with a focus on outperforming benchmarks like the S&P 500 and Russell 1000, using tools like quantitative rankings and risk management techniques to maximize returns while managing risk.

Find an Advisor

Curi RMB Capital is a fee-based financial advisor and asset management firm that typically requires a $1 million minimum account size or charges a minimum annual fee of $10,000. As a result, the majority of its clients are high-net-worth individuals. Certain Curi RMB Capital employees may receive economic benefits from the sale of securities and/or insurance, creating a conflict of interest. However, the firm has a fiduciary duty to act in its clients' best interests.

The firm's team features a number of credentialed professionals, including advisors and employees with the chartered financial analyst (CFA), Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®), certified public accountant (CPA) and certified private wealth advisor (CPWA) designations, among others.

Curi RMB offers a range of services including wealth management, asset management, retirement plan solutions, as well as family office services. Wealth management focuses on holistic financial solutions, while asset management provides investment strategies through managed accounts and products. Retirement plan solutions offers advisory services to employer-sponsored retirement plans, and family office services deliver customized financial planning for multi-generational clients with complex needs.

Curi RMB Capital’s investment approach combines fundamental analysis with active management, focusing on long-only, bottom-up equity strategies that seek favorable risk/reward opportunities, while integrating ESG factors when applicable. Asset allocations are customized to each client's goals, utilizing a blend of individual securities, funds and alternative investments.

For fixed income, the firm prioritizes capital preservation and income through investment-grade, U.S. dollar-denominated securities with short to intermediate durations. To diversify portfolios, Curi RMB also employs quantitative analysis, passive strategies and third-party managers.

Find an Advisor

Retirement Plan Advisors (RPA) is a fee-based firm in Chicago that mainly works with individual clients who do not have a high net worth, government entities and investment funds. The firm also serves a relatively small number of high-net-worth individuals.

RPA typically requires a $25,000 initial investment to open a managed account, though this minimum may be waived in certain situations. For the firm's WealthPort Program, the minimum initial investment is usually $5,000, but higher minimums may apply depending on the type of account selected. PortfolioPlus, a discretionary active money management offering for retirement plan participants, has no minimum investment requirement.

As a fee-based firm, some in-house advisors at RPA may receive commissions from the sale of certain securities or insurance products. Despite this conflict of interest, the firm has a fiduciary duty to act in clients' best interests.

Staff members hold multiple certifications, including designations as a Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®), chartered financial analyst (CFA), accredited investment fiduciary (AIF) and certified public accountant (CPA), among others. In addition to its headquarters in Chicago, RPA has regional offices Missouri, Wisconsin, Michigan and Louisiana.

Find an Advisor

Altair Advisers, a fee-only advisory firm, rounds out our list of the top financial advisors in the Windy City. Altair mainly works with individuals and high-net-worth individuals, as well as approximately 100 institutional clients. 

The firm typically requires a minimum initial investment of $7 million and charges a minimum annual management fee of $50,000. However, Altair Advisers notes in its Form ADV firm brochure that its annual fee increases by 3% every four quarters. For financial planning services, Altair offers both fixed-fee and hourly rate options, with specific fees tailored to corporate executives and educational programs.

The firm’s team includes advisors with the Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®), chartered financial analyst (CFA) and charterd alternative investment analyst (CAIA) designations.

This firm offers a comprehensive suite of services tailored to meet various financial needs, including analysis of financial goals, capital sufficiency and cash flow advice, retirement planning, income tax planning, education funding, corporate benefit decisions and estate planning. Additionally, they provide financial counseling services to key officers and executives, as well as financial planning seminars and educational services to groups of employees.

Altair Advisers invests using a strategic asset allocation with a tactical overlay, ensuring thorough asset allocation and diversification. The firm also integrates principles of behavioral finance and investor psychology into its decision-making processes. Their investment vehicles include third-party investment managers, mutual funds, ETFs, private investments and derivatives.