The Top Financial Advisors in Vermont

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Manchester Capital Management is the top financial advisor firm in Vermont. The majority of the firm's clients are individuals, both with and without a high net worth. The firm's institutional clients currently include a limited number of charities and a single pension plan.

Manchester Capital Management provides wealth management services, particularly financial planning and investment management. It also works with family offices, serves as investment managemer of a number of private limited partnerships called the Equinox Funds and provides real estate management services, according to its website.

Manchester Capital Management tailors its investment strategies to the individual needs of its clients. This involves getting to know the client personally and figuring out their tolerance for risk, time horizon, liquidity needs and any other relevant information. Advisors take this information and use it to decide how to best invest a client's assets. They may take advantage of model portfolios, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), separate account managers, hedge funds and other private managers.

Advisors at Manchester place significant emphasis on effective asset allocation. The firm believes that striking the correct balance between equities, fixed-income securities, alternative assets, real assets and cash is the best way to ensure growth and downside protection.

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Maple Capital Management has over a billion dollars in assets under management (AUM) and works with both individual and institutional clients. Individuals who fall above and below the high-net-worth threshold make up the vast majority of the client base. Institutional clients include charities, state governments, insurance companies and businesses.

Maple Capital Management's main services are portfolio management and financial planning. It offers services on both discretionary and non-discretionary bases.

Maple Capital Management doesn't have a single, central investment management strategy. Instead, it seeks to tailor its investment strategies to the wants and needs of each client. Advisors meet with clients to determine the proper information, such as each client's tolerance for risk, liquidity needs and time horizon. From there, the firm can properly construct a strategy that works for the client on an individual level.

That said, advisors at Maple Capital Management typically invest client assets in stocks and bonds, with the belief that individual equities give clients better control over taxes, risk and returns. Advisors may also use mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) for smaller accounts and sectors of the market for which the firm does not have an internal research capacity to follow. 

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Next up on our list of the top financial advisors in the state of Vermont is One Day In July, a relatively young firm based in Burlington. One Day In July mainly works with non-high-net-worth individuals. Individuals with a high net worth make up the second biggest client group, but the firm also works with a handful of institutional clients. These institutions include retirement plans, charities and businesses.

The firm provides its clients with investment advisory services that include financial planning, investment management and even newsletters and webinars. ODIJ also provides its clients with an environmental investing service. This process includes the use of carbon intensity and fossil fuel reserve metrics in selecting investments for clients who request environmental investment advisory services.

ODIJ and its advisors try to tailor investment strategies to the financial situation and investment objectives of its clients. Clients are required to complete an investment suitability questionnaire that helps advisors decipher important financial information about each client. Such information includes risk tolerance, liquidity needs and time horizon. Because the firm prioritizes long-term gains, it primarily invests client assets on a long-term basis. The most common investments used in portfolios are index funds spread across various asset classes. However, advisors may use other securities to help diversify a portfolio when applicable.

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Hanson & Doremus Investment Management is next up on our list of the top financial advisory firms in all of Vermont. Hanson & Doremus is on the smaller side but still works with both individual and institutional clients. Most of the firm's clients are individuals, and most of those individuals do not have a high net worth. The firm also works with retirement plans, charities and corporations.

Portfolio management and investment planning are the primary services that Hanson & Doremus offers. This involves the construction of an investment portfolio, as well as ongoing monitoring and review of those investments. The firm may also provide financial planning or consulting services touching on subjects like estate planning, tax planning and insurance.

Hanson & Doremus, like so many other financial advisor firms out there, looks to tailor its investment strategies and investment management process to the individual investment and financial needs of clients. By meeting with clients and gathering relevant information, the firm can create investment plans that suit the individual needs of every client.

Advisors at Hanson & Doremus use a combination of fundamental, technical and cyclical methods of analysis to help analyze potential and current investments. Investments are made on either a long or short-term basis. The firm may also utilize margin transactions to drive growth in client portfolios.

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Up next on our list of the top financial advisory firms in the state of Vermont is Pathway Financial Advisors, a smaller firm located in South Burlington. Pathway provides services primarily to individual clients. The majority of these clients are individuals with a high net worth, though the firm works with non-high-net-worth individuals and retirement plans as well. 

Pathway is a fee-only firm, so advisors won't earn commissions from selling financial products to clients. As a result, you'll avoid a potential conflict of interest. There is no minimum account size requirement at this firm. Pathway provides both investment management and financial planning services to clients and does so on a discretionary basis. It also provides consulting services on matters unrelated to securities.

Pathway Financial Advisors provides clients with tailored investment strategies and looks to integrate its investment management services with in-depth financial planning. This process is aimed at providing comprehensive and individualized wealth management services to clients that directly reflect their investment objectives and financial situations. Advisors provide clients with ongoing support throughout the advisory engagement.

While clients can limit the types of securities used in their portfolios, advisors tend to use any combination of exchange-listed securities, mutual funds, bonds, bond funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). That said, advisors may use other investments if they better suit the client's investment goals. The firm usually uses fundamental methods of analysis combined with long-term purchases and short-term purchases.

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Next on our list of the top financial advisory firms in the state of Vermont is SilverLake Wealth Management. This firm, which is based in in Williston, Vermont, works with an array of both individual and institutional clients. The firm's individual clients make up most of its clientele, and most of those individuals do not have a high net worth. Other clients include high-net-worth individuals, retirement plans, charities and corporations.

SilverLake provides clients with investment advisory services such as investment portfolio management and financial planning services. The firm also offers retirement plan advisory services and may recommend the use of independent investment managers.

SilverLake Wealth Management is similar to many other investment advisory firms in that it looks to craft investment strategies according to the specific financial needs and objectives of each of its clients. This involves getting to know each client and their financial situation on a personal level, which advisors do at the start of each new client relationship.

From there, advisors can figure out asset allocation strategies, portfolio construction strategies and more. Portfolios typically comprise a mix of individual equity securities, individual fixed-income securities, diversified mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and/or stocks. Methods of analysis used by SilverLake's advisors to create investment strategies usually include both fundamental and technical analysis. They may use research from a variety of sources, including both internal and external sources.

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Rock Point Advisors takes the next spot on our list of the top financial advisory firms in the state of Vermont. The majority of Rock Point's clients are high-net-worth individuals, with the rest being non-high-net-worth individuals, charitable organizations and businesses. The firm requires new clients to invest at least $500,000.

As a fee-only firm, Rock Point's advisors do not sell financial products or insurance for commissions. Fees are charged as a percentage of a client's assets under management. Rock Point currently only manages client assets on a discretionary basis, meaning it has full autonomy to make trades and transactions within client accounts. It provides clients with a range of financial advisory services, such as financial planning and investment portfolio management.

Rock Point Advisors emphasizes the importance of value when considering potential investments for client portfolios. The firm believes the most surefire way to secure long-term returns is to invest in good companies at favorable prices. To find these companies and prices, the firm relies on fundamental analysis, which involves identifying undervalued companies by examining their primary financial documents.

When building portfolios for clients, advisors typically allocate assets to some combination of equities, fixed-income securities, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), open-end mutual funds, closed-end mutual funds and cash. The firm will diversify a client's funds across a selection of these asset classes.

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The 10th and final firm on our list is Marble Trail Advisors, a fee-only practice located in Middlebury. Marble Trail works primarily with individuals and high-net-worth individuals but also advises pensions, profit-sharing plans and charitable organizations. The firm does not impose a minimum account size on its clients. 

Marble Trail provides investment management and financial planning services to individuals and institutional clients. Financial planning may include retirement planning, education planning, estate planning and tax strategies. 

The firm mainly invests client assets in equity securities, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), no-load mutual funds, corporate securities, municipal securities and U.S. government securities. To assess and evaluate investments, Marble Trail uses a fundamental, value-based approach to determine whether the potential returns of an investment are commensurate with its risks. 

In addition to managing client portfolios, Marble Trail may also refer clients to third-party money managers who offer asset management and other investment advisory services.

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Broadlake Financial Management checks in next our list of Vermont's top financial advisory firms. This South Burlington-based firm, which is the oldest practice on our list, currently has a client base that is primarily composed of non-high-net-worth individuals. Other clients at the firm include high-net-worth individuals, retirement plans and charitable organizations. Broadlake focuses on providing discretionary asset management to its clients, though it also works to provide comprehensive financial planning services and advisory services to employer-sponsored retirement plans. 

Broadlake Financial Management works with clients at the start of every relationship to determine such factors as their risk tolerance, liquidity needs and other important financial factors. Advisors use this information to craft individualized investment strategies that are aimed at tackling the needs of specific clients. 

Broadlake Financial Management usually invests client assets in a mix of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and real estate investment trusts (REITs). The firm is capable of employing a variety of different styles in order to meet the needs of each client. Broadlake uses fundamental analysis, macro-economic analysis, and technical analysis to select investments for client portfolios. 

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InTrack Investment Management is an SEC-registered, fee-only adviser that works primarily with retail investors, individuals and families, including both mass-affluent and high-net-worth clients. Services center on ongoing investment management and comprehensive financial planning. For investment management, the firm monitors accounts at least quarterly and typically operates with discretionary trading authority. Financial planning can be engaged as a standalone service.

Fees align with this service mix. Portfolio management is billed as an asset-based percentage deducted directly from client accounts. For ongoing planning, clients pay an upfront plan fee followed by a flat monthly subscription for continued implementation and advice. Clients also bear underlying fund expenses and normal trading/custody costs not covered by the advisory fee.

In portfolio construction, the firm combines a goals-based planning process with model-driven implementation. The firm highlights a “CAP-3” investment process and, in some cases, a smart-rebalancing program delivered through 55ip that utilizes BlackRock model portfolios; the rebalancing feature is described as no-additional-cost to the client or adviser. The website also emphasizes values-aligned/ESG investing for clients who want to reflect personal priorities in their allocations.