The Top Financial Advisors in the U.S.

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Edelman Financial Engines takes the top spot on our list, as one of the biggest financial advisory firms in the nation. The firm was actually formed in 2018 via the merger of two large operations called Financial Engines Advisors and Edelman Financial Services. Today, the firm is led by CEO and president Ralph Haberli.

Edelman is based in Santa Clara, California, but has branch locations across the U.S. in 36 states. The firm works primarily with individuals with and without a high net worth, but also has many other clients, including other advisors, retirement plans, charitable organizations and businesses. The firm doesn't use a specific minimum investment requirement, but rather has one that can vary based on the type of client you are or the service you're utilizing.

There are number of services available for clients of Edelman. These include financial planning, investment management, retirement planning, tax planning, estate planning and more. Within each of these offerings are a number of more specific services as well.

As a fee-only firm, Edelman does not allow its advisors to earn commissions from the sale of insurance products or securities. This differs from a fee-based firm, which are ones that employ advisors who can earn commissions or other forms of compensation for things like that.

On its website, Edelman calls out a number of principles that spearhead its investment management services. These include building a strategy that aligns with clients' goals and needs, broadly diversifying across classes and sectors, utilization of quantitative analysis and maximizing returns, while balancing for tax efficiency and risk mitigation.

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Fisher Investments is a fee-only financial advisor firm based in Texas, though it has other locations across the U.S. and globally. It has hundreds of thousands of non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individual clients. If you're interested in working with Fisher, you'll generally need at least $1 million in investable assets, though this minimum may be waivable at the firm's discretion.

Fisher offers a vast range of services to its individual clients. These include creating and managing investment portfolios, retirement planning services and financial planning services, like financial goal planning, tax planning and more.

According to its SEC-filed Form ADV, Fisher Investments principal goal is "maximizing returns relative to risk compared to particular benchmarks." Depending on your long- or short-term goals, risk tolerance and time horizon, the firm will recommend a distinct set of investments.

For example, riskier investors may have portfolios centered around common stock and cash equivalents. Risk-averse investors may have their assets invested more in fixed-income securities, such as bonds and cash. For those in between those two extremes, Fisher may recommend a blended portfolio that features some proportionate allocation of stocks, fixed-income and cash.

Ken Fisher, a popular figure in the investment space, founded the firm, as well as had a hand in creating the theory behind the "Price-to-Sales Ratio." Fisher has also been ranked on Forbes' list of the Richest Americans, as well as its list of Global Billionaires.

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CAPTRUST has far and away the highest asset base of any firm on our list. This firm is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, but has branches across the country. It serves both non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individuals, as well as a number of institutional clients. Services available through the firm's individual-centric programs include wealth planning, investment management, retirement planning and advice, risk management, tax review, estate planning, charitable gift planning, cash flow planning and more.

In general, the firm does not require an overarching minimum account size. However, some programs may have their own minimums. Additionally, certain on-staff advisors at fee-based CAPTRUST can earn commissions from insurance sales. Despite the potential conflict of interest this creates, the firm is bound by fiduciary duty to act in clients' best interests.

The advisory team at CAPTRUST holds multiple certifications, including certified public accountants (CPAs), accredited investment fiduciaries (AIFs), chartered financial analysts (CFAs), certified fund specialists (CFSs), certified investment management analysts (CIMAs), Certified Financial Planners™ (CFPs®) and chartered financial consultants (ChFCs), among other designations.

CAPTRUST utilizes an investment philosophy that features the customization of a portfolio for each individual client. While clients are allowed to set some restrictions to how their money is managed, portfolios will generally be based on their personal risk tolerance, financial goals, time horizon, income needs, tax situation, net worth and any other applicable factors. As client portfolios age and returns affect their allocations, the firm may decide to either reallocate assets or redesign the portfolio entirely.

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Creative Planning is another massive firm that serves investors across the entire country. In fact, the firm has branch locations in 44 states and Washington, D.C. Creative also has a number of clients who reside abroad, commonly referred to as U.S. expats. The firm primarily provides services to individuals with and without a high net worth, including ultra-affluent investors with over $10 million in investable assets.

The services available to individual clients of Creative are generally split between two main categories: family office and wealth management. Family office services are typically reserved for the ultra-wealthy, and involves things like legacy and wealth transfer planning, tax services, asset protection, exit planning and more. On the flip side, wealth management includes more the common services of financial planning, retirement planning, tax planning, investment management, insurance and risk management, international wealth management and more.

In order to take advantage of Creative's plethora of financial planning services, it generally requires clients to have $500,000 in investable assets. The firm, however, does reserve the right waive that requirement on a case-by-case basis. While financial planning is generally included for clients with at least $500,000, fees may be charged on occasion, with rates usually ranging from $1,500 to $15,000.

As a fee-based firm, some of the advisors at Creative Planning can receive commissions from the sale of certain insurance products. While this can present a potential conflict of interest, the firm generally has a fiduciary duty to act in its clients' best interests.

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Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services (WEAS) has one of the largest client bases of any firm on this list. In fact, tens of thousands of individuals have a client-advisor relationship with the firm, with over three-quarters of these individuals having less than a high net worth. Investment minimums at WEAS vary by service, with requirements beginning at $50,000 and reaching up to $5 million.

The firm's advisory staff holds a wide range of certifications. These include Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®), chartered financial consultant (ChFC), chartered financial analyst (CFA) and more.

Clients of WEAS will find its services are largely customized to their personal needs. For example, its offerings can cover investment management, general financial goal-setting, estate planning, tax minimization, risk management, business owner consulting, retirement income planning and more. Within these, there are four main principles advisors here use when managing client investments, according to its website: active management, diversification, tax efficiency and cost efficiency.

WEAS operates using a fee-based compensation structure, which means some advisors can receive commissions for selling certain financial products to clients. Although this is a potential conflict of interest, the firm abides by fiduciary duty.

Wealth Enhancement also holds a spot on SmartAsset's list of the top financial advisors in Minnesota. Additionally, the firm has branches all over the U.S., including in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

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Mariner Wealth has thousands of individual clients, including those with and without a high net worth, though the latter outnumbers the former. Minimum account size requirements are a bit complex with the firm, as many of its individual programs or services come with specific guidelines for new clients. The firm, however, does reserve the right to adjust these on an individual basis.

Based in Overland Park, Kansas, Mariner offers a wide range of services for individuals, as well as specifically for business owners. These include wealth planning, investment mangement, estate and trust planning, tax planning, insurance planning, executive financial planning and more.

As a client of Mariner, you'll come across a wide range of advisory certifications. Among these are chartered financial analyst (CFA), Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®), accredited investment fiduciary (AIF), enrolled agent (EA), certified divorce financial analyst (CDFA), certified private wealth advisor (CPWA) and more.

The investment strategies implemented by Mariner originate with the firm's investment committee, which is led by its chief investment officer (CIO). All strateiges are implemented on a personalized basis, as wealth advisors at Mariner work with clients to identify their goals and objectives, time horizon, risk tolerance and any other constraints prior to managing their portfolio. Specific investment types include, but are not limited to, fixed-income, private equity, stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, pooled investment vehicles, options, derivatives and more.

As a fee-based firm, some of the advisors at Mariner can earn compensation for the sale of insurance products. While this presents a potential conflict of interest, the firm abides by fiduciary duty.

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In business for a half-century, GW&K Investment Management is a fee-only firm headquartered in Boston. The firm namely offers advisory services to high-net-worth individuals, as well as a number of institutional clients. It describes its asset management approach as one that places clients’ interests first and strives to meet investment objectives in the midst of market fluctuations.

GW&K's advisors specialize in active equity and fixed-income investment solutions, and it incorporates equity, municipal bond and taxable bond strategies in its investment process. In addition to its municipal bond strategies, the firm employs small cap and small/mid cap and core fixed-income investment approaches. GW&K manages wrap accounts, and it also participates in certain sub-advisory agreements. 

GW&K offers a variety of services, including portfolio management with investment strategies centered around combinations of equities, taxable bonds and municipal bonds. The firm also believes in rigorous research, disciplined management and a client-driven culture. It seeks to find unexpected investment opportunities and provides personalized management services.

The firm also holds the top spot on SmartAsset's lists of the top financial advisors in Boston and top financial advisors in Massachusetts.

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Focus Partners Wealth has one of the largest advisor staffs on this list, and has the client base to match. The firm typically works with individuals, though it has more clients with a high net worth than without. Accordingly, it doesn't have an overarching minimum investment requirement, but rather minimums specific to certain of its investment offerings and programs. Focus' headquarters is in St. Louis, Missouri, but it has locations in many states across the country.

There are a wide range of services available to clients of Focus, namely split between financial and wealth planning, as well as investment planning and management. The former includes offerings like tax planning, legacy and estate planning, retirement planning, philanthropic planning, net worth development and more.

The investment side of Focus' services is centered around portfolio monitoring, rebalancing, risk assessment and tolerance, diversification, time horizon, you and your family's goals, annuity analyses and more. The firm typically invests client assets in some combination of stocks, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds, alternative investments, separately managed accounts and more.

Focus is a fee-based financial advisor firm. This means that it can receive commissions or other forms of compensation for the sale of insurance products to clients. Although this presents a potential conflict of interest, but the firm abides by fiduciary duty.

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Carson Wealth, also known as CWM, is a large financial advisor firm that primarily serves individuals with less than a high net worth. It also serves thousands of high-net-worth individuals, as well as a few miscellaneous institutional clients, such as businesses and retirement plans. In order to become a client of Carson, minimum investment requirements will vary. For some services or programs, there's no minimum at all, whereas others do have one.

There are around 50 Carson Wealth locations spread around the country, with most of them concentrated in the Midwest and on the East Coast. The firm works with clients remotely as well, so you don't need to be close to a branch to become a client.

Carson offers a multitude of services to its individual client base. These include financial planning, investment management, estate planning, retirement planning, tax planning, education savings planning, insurance management, net unrealized appreciation services and services for business owners.

This is a fee-based firm. That means that some of the advisors who work at or with Carson can receive commissions or other forms of compensation for the sale of certain insurance products or investment securities to clients. While this can present a potential conflict of interest, the firm abides by fiduciary duty like all RIAs.

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Mercer Global Advisors is a fee-based firm headquartered in Denver, but its advisors serve clients nationwide. It works with both non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individuals, as well as retirement plans, charities and corporations. The firm's minimum annual fee requirements can range from $1,200 to $150,000, depending on the type of service and account.

Financial planning, investment management and family office services are all available at Mercer. Investment portfolios are managed on a custom basis, and financial planning can cover a wide range of topics.

Mercer Global Advisors typically focuses on investing for the long term. In concert with this approach, the firm generally believes ample planning is necessary to achieve success over time. Advisors therefore stress this planning specifically around clients' personal financial situations and goals. Unsurprisingly, Mercer works to diversify clients' assets throughout various securities and market sectors. This is done to protect portfolios from heavily earning returns from very specific areas of the market, which can create higher-than-intended volatility. As your portfolio ages, the firm may decide to rebalance your investments back to their intended allocations.

Some of Mercer's on-staff advisors can sell insurance products to clients on a commission basis. Although this represents a potential conflict of interest, the firm abides by fiduciary duty like any other RIA.

You can also find Mercer Global Advisors on two other SmartAsset lists: the top financial advisors in Denver and the top financial advisors in Colorado.