Menu burger Close thin Facebook Twitter Google plus Linked in Reddit Email arrow-right-sm arrow-right
Loading
Tap on the profile icon to edit
your financial details.

Hamilton Capital Review

Your Details Done
by Updated

This review was produced by SmartAsset based on publicly available information. The named firm and its financial professionals have not reviewed, approved, or endorsed this review and are not responsible for its accuracy. Review content is produced by SmartAsset independently of any business relationships that might exist between SmartAsset and the named firm and its financial professionals, and firms and financial professionals having business relationships with SmartAsset receive no special treatment or consideration in SmartAsset’s reviews. This page contains links to SmartAsset’s financial advisor matching tool, which may or may not match you with the firm mentioned in this review or its financial professionals.

Hamilton Capital is a fee-only financial advisor firm based in Columbus, Ohio. The firm describes itself as structurally and philosophically independent, and it works to avoid all conflicts of interest, based on information in its ADV brochure. With a large pool of assets under management (AUM) and a sizable staff of advisors, the independent firm extends its services to various individual and institutional clients.

Hamilton Capital also holds a spot on SmartAsset's lists of the top financial advisors in Columbus and the top financial advisors in Ohio.

Hamilton Capital Background 

Established in 1997, Hamilton Capital is a wealth and investment management firm owned by R. Matthew Hamilton. Hamilton has around 40 years of experience in the financial services industry. With offices in Columbus and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, the independent registered investment advisor (RIA) offers a range of advisory services.

Hamilton’s team offers various specialties. These include designations like Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®), accredited investment fiduciary (AIF), professional plan consultant (PPC), chartered financial consultant (ChFC), chartered financial analyst (CFA), certified public accountant (CPA) and chartered retirement planning counselor (CRPC) and more.

Hamilton Capital's Client Types and Minimum Account Sizes 

Hamilton Capital’s clients include both non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individuals, trusts, estates, foundations, endowments, qualified and non-qualified retirement plans, businesses, investment companies and pooled investment vehicles.

In serving its extensive client base, the firm recommends a minimum account size of $500,000, and it's minimum quarterly fee is $1,250. The firm retains discretion to waive this minimums.

Services Offered by Hamilton Capital

Hamilton Capital specializes in the following advisory services:

  • Individualized portfolio management
  • Retirement planning
  • General financial planning
  • Selection of other advisors
  • Non-investment consulting/implementation services
  • Institutional investment management
    • Custodian selection
    • Manager searches
    • Performance measurement and evaluation systems
    • Economic and financial market outlooks
    • Board member education
    • Constituent communication programs

Hamilton Capital Investment Philosophy

Hamilton Capital’s website mentions that the firm’s values are to "serve first," "be insightful," "guide forward," "collaborate" and "make it happen." The firm’s vision is to help its clients achieve lasting financial impact, and it provides insightful and careful financial planning and strategies to help each client do just that.

Hamilton chiefly employs a top-down, macro-economic approach in its investment process. The firm’s investment strategies may utilize mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), separate accounts of variable annuity contracts, U.S. small cap stocks, non-U.S. emerging market debt and more.

Fees Under Hamilton Capital

Hamilton Capital’s compensation consists of asset-based fees and hourly charges. The firm charges hourly fees ranging from $60 to $500 for planning and advisory services. The firm bills advisory fees quarterly and in advance. Below, we’ve included Hamilton’s fee schedule for its investment advisory services:

Wealth and Investment Management Fee Schedule
Assets Annual Fees
First $2,000,000 1.00%
Next $2,000,000 0.75%
Above $4,000,000 0.55%

Here's a breakdown of about what you can expect to pay for Hamilton Capital's management services:

*Estimated investment management fees do not include brokerage, custodial, third-party manager or other fees, which can vary in amount.
Estimated Investment Management Fees at Hamilton Capital*
Your Assets Hamilton Capital Fee Amount
$500K $5,000
$1MM $10,000
$5MM $40,500
$10MM $68,000

Hamilton Capital Awards and Recognition

Hamilton has been named eight times to Columbus Business First’s Fast 50, which is a list that recognizes 50 of Columbus’ fastest-growing private companies.

Hamilton was also named in the Financial Times’ list of the Top 300 Financial Advisors six times, and the Financial Planning magazine named the firm to its RIA Leaders list twice in 2020 and 2017.

What to Watch Out For 

This firm doesn’t have any disclosures or disciplinary actions listed on its SEC-filed Form ADV.

Opening an Account With Hamilton Capital 

If you'd like to set up an account, you can schedule an appointment with an advisor by visiting one of the firm's offices or calling (614) 273-1000. The firm also offers a contact form on its website for prospective clients.

All information was accurate as of the writing of this article.

Tips for Investing 

  • Even if you aren’t investing, financial advisors can be instrumental in helping you plan for your short- and long-term financial goals. Finding a financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three vetted financial advisors who serve your area, and you can have a free introductory call with your advisor matches to decide which one you feel is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
  • Interested in determining exactly how much your investments can earn you over time? SmartAsset's investment calculator can help you do just that. You’ll just need your initial investment amount, the amount and frequency at which you expect to contribute, your expected rate of return and time horizon.

How Long $1mm Lasts in Retirement

SmartAsset's interactive map highlights places where $1 million will last the longest in retirement. Zoom between states and the national map to see the top spots in each region. Also, scroll over any city to learn about the cost of living in retirement for that location.

Least
Most
Rank City Housing Expenses Food Expenses Healthcare Expenses Utilities Expenses Transportation Expenses

Methodology We analyzed data on average expenditures for seniors, cost of living and investment returns to determine how many years of retirement a $1 million nest egg would cover in cities across America.

First, we looked at data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on the average annual expenditures of seniors. We then applied cost of living data from the Council for Community and Economic Research to adjust those national average spending levels based on the costs of each expense category (housing, food, healthcare, utilities, transportation and other) in each city. Using this data, SmartAsset calculated the average cost of living for retirees in the largest U.S. cities.

We assumed the $1 million would grow at a real return (interest minus inflation) of 2%. Then, we divided $1 million by the sum of each of those annual numbers to determine how long $1 million would cover retirement expenses in each of the cities in our study. Cities where $1 million lasted the longest ranked the highest in the study.

Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Council for Community and Economic Research