CNBC’s Financial Advisor 100: Best financial advisors, top firms for 2025 ranked : US Pioneer Global VC DIFCHQ SFO NYC Singapore – Riyadh Swiss Our Mind

KEY POINTS
  • Now in its seventh year, CNBC’s Financial Advisor 100 list recognizes the best financial advisors and top firms.
  • For 2025, CNBC’s top-ranked firm is Parsons Capital Management, based in Providence, Rhode Island.
  • CNBC’s Financial Advisor 100 is based on data analysis and editorial review, and assesses criteria such as assets under management, firm size and longevity, number of certified financial planners and regulatory records.

Amid economic uncertainty, the best financial advisors can provide a steady hand to investors in any stage of life or with any level of wealth.

Whether you’re early in your career or nearing your golden years, financial advisors can help you meet key milestones and address planning needs such as saving for retirement, investing a windfall, funding college education, managing portfolio income or shaping your legacy.

But finding a good financial advisor isn’t easy.

To identify financial advisors who may best meet your needs, you can ask people you know for referrals and use resources such as CNBC’s Financial Advisor 100. Verify advisors’ credentials and check for complaints via the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s BrokerCheck or the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission‘s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, then interview those on your short list.

We created CNBC’s Financial Advisor 100 in 2019 to recognize the country’s best financial advisors and top financial advisory firms. CNBC accepts no payment for placement.

Our team uses data analysis, with data partner AccuPoint Solutions, and editorial review to compile CNBC’s Financial Advisor 100 list. For 2025, the process began with 40,563 registered investment advisor firms, or RIAs, and that list was reduced to 1,015 that met CNBC’s requirements. CNBC surveyed the finalists for more details about their practice and verified responses against publicly available resources. Then AccuPoint used CNBC’s weighted criteria to rank the firms. (Read more about the methodology below.)

For 2025, CNBC’s top advisors collectively manage $223 billion. The firms have an average of 32 years in business.

2025 Financial Advisor 100 List

2025 Rank Firm HQ Total AUM Years in the business Accounts under management
1 Parsons Capital Management Providence, Rhode Island $2B 31 1,864
2 Heritage Investment Group Pompano Beach, Florida $1.9B 32 2,358
3 Beaird Harris Wealth Management Dallas, Texas $1.9B 29 3,188
4 The Burney Company Reston, Virginia $3.4B 51 4,494
5 Pittenger & Anderson Lincoln, Nebraska $3.1B 30 2,201
6 Dana Investment Advisors Waukesha, Wisconsin $9.5B 45 1,611
7 Howland Capital Management Boston, Massachusetts $3.3B 58 477
8 Verus Financial Partners Richmond, Virginia $1B 32 1,907
9 RTD Financial Advisors Philadelphia, Pennsylvania $2.3B 42 741
10 TFC Financial Management Boston, Massachusetts $1.7B 45 1,900
11 SJS Investment Services Sylvania, Ohio $2.5B 30 2,873
12 Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Portland, Oregon $10B 50 1,067
13 Obermeyer Wealth Partners Aspen, Colorado $2.9B 27 660
14 Henry H. Armstrong Associates Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania $1.1B 41 525
15 Cadinha & Co. Honolulu, Hawaii $1B 46 1,420
16 FMP Wealth Advisers Austin, Texas $1.1B 37 2,749
17 Edgemoor Investment Advisors Bethesda, Maryland $1.4B 26 783
18 Destination Wealth Management Walnut Creek, California $4.1B 28 5,732
19 Austin Asset Austin, Texas $1.7B 37 2,138
20 Trumbower Financial Advisors Bethesda, Maryland $1.8B 29 951
21 California Financial Advisors San Ramon, California $2.2B 27 3,538
22 Eubel Brady & Suttman Investment & Wealth Management Miamisburg, Ohio $1.8B 32 1,822
23 Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Indianapolis, Indiana $2.2B 30 1,380
24 Steele Capital Management Dubuque, Iowa $3B 29 4,184
25 Sage Financial Group Conshohocken, Pennsylvania $3.6B 36 660
26 Salem Investment Counselors Winston-Salem, North Carolina $4.2B 46 3,000
27 Roffman Miller Wealth Management Philadelphia, Pennsylvania $3.2B 35 1,610
28 Albion Financial Group Salt Lake City, Utah $2B 43 2,260
29 Wingate Wealth Advisors Lexington, Massachusetts $1.4B 39 2,891
30 North Star Asset Management Neenah, Wisconsin $3B 28 3,290
31 Foster & Motley Wealth Management Cincinnati, Ohio $2.7B 28 857
32 Conrad Siegel Investment Advisors Harrisburg, Pennsylvania $10.1B 23 1,011
33 Lee Financial Company Dallas, Texas $1.4B 50 1,677
34 Chilton Capital Management Houston, Texas $3.2B 29 2,100
35 Sheets Smith Wealth Management Winston-Salem, North Carolina $1.2B 43 1,052
36 Cornerstone Capital Palo Alto, California $1.3B 47 275
37 JMG Financial Group Downers Grove, Illinois $6.3B 40 5,763
38 Petersen Hastings Wealth Advisors Kennewick, Washington $1.5B 63 3,331
39 Bristlecone Advisors Bellevue, Washington $2.1B 26 1,263
40 Signet Financial Management Parsippany, New Jersey $1B 37 1,907
41 KEB Wealth Advisers Springfield, Illinois $1B 21 2,168
42 Birch Hill Investment Advisors Boston, Massachusetts $2.6B 18 190
43 Van Hulzen Asset Management El Dorado Hills, California $2B 26 2,842
44 Smith Salley Wealth Management Greensboro, North Carolina $2.3B 22 2,791
45 Telos Capital Management San Diego, California $1.4B 16 2,322
46 Henssler Financial Kennesaw, Georgia $3.5B 38 1,695
47 Rather & Kittrell Knoxville, Tennessee $1.8B 25 3,129
48 Nicholas Hoffman & Company Atlanta, Georgia $7.1B 17 2,215
49 Pinnacle Advisors Mansfield, Ohio $1.9B 28 3,513
50 Meritage Portfolio Management Overland Park, Kansas $2.4B 34 2,806
51 BLBB Advisors Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania $3B 61 1,587
52 Index Fund Advisors Irvine, California $5.2B 26 2,159
53 Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors Indianapolis, Indiana $1.8B 24 1,114
54 Certified Financial Group Altamonte Springs, Florida $2.9B 36 2,437
55 Howard Financial Services Dallas, Texas $1.4B 30 1,485
56 Acropolis Investment Management St. Louis, Missouri $2.7B 23 1,100
57 Guyasuta Investment Advisors Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania $2.3B 42 1,370
58 Tanglewood Total Wealth Management Houston, Texas $1.5B 46 1,287
59 WealthCrossing Richmond, Virginia $1.2B 20 1,289
60 Sather Financial Group Victoria, Texas $2.1B 26 448
61 Northeast Investment Management Boston, Massachusetts $2.9B 40 1,597
62 Phillips Financial Fort Wayne, Indiana $2.2B 21 3,084
63 WBH Advisory Baltimore, Maryland $1.6B 39 2,149
64 Brownson, Rehmus & Foxworth Chicago, Illinois $4.2B 10 3,359
65 SFMG Wealth Advisors Plano, Texas $2.4B 23 900
66 Patriot Investment Management Group Knoxville, Tennessee $1.7B 32 4,136
67 Heritage Financial Services Westwood, Massachusetts $3.1B 30 1,287
68 Bedel Financial Consulting Indianapolis, Indiana $2.7B 37 5,000
69 Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo Orlando, Florida $1.3B 27 4,800
70 Wealthquest Corporation Cincinnati, Ohio $2.1B 19 1,582
71 Allegheny Financial Group Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania $4.9B 48 12,950
72 Advance Capital Management Southfield, Michigan $4.5B 39 15,661
73 Waters, Parkerson & Co. New Orleans, Louisiana $2.6B 52 1,898
74 Windward Capital Management Los Angeles, California $1.3B 29 207
75 Avity Investment Management Greenwich, Connecticut $2B 55 828
76 Investment Consulting Group Davenport, Iowa $2.7B 35 492
77 Conservest Capital Advisors Wynnewood, Pennsylvania $1.8B 32 300
78 Prudent Management Associates Philadelphia, Pennsylvania $1.1B 41 616
79 Zemenick & Walker St. Louis, Missouri $2.4B 26 256
80 Cabot Wealth Management Beverly, Massachusetts $1B 41 1,748
81 Garde Capital Seattle, Washington $2.2B 15 490
82 Silvercrest Asset Management Group New York, New York $36.4B 23 1,234
83 Anderson Hoagland & Co. St. Louis, Missouri $1.2B 45 383
84 Octagon Financial Services McLean, Virginia $1.3B 41 461
85 Charter Oak Capital Management Portsmouth, New Hampshire $1.4B 19 1,359
86 Retirement Income Solutions Ann Arbor, Michigan $2.6B 16 1,268
87 Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors Long Beach, California $3.5B 36 4,671
88 CRA Financial Services Northfield, New Jersey $1.4B 21 1,366
89 Evergreen Capital Management Bellevue, Washington $5.2B 41 3,147
90 Wescott Financial Advisory Philadelphia, Pennsylvania $4B 38 500
91 Chevy Chase Trust Company Bethesda, Maryland $12.7B 26 5,218
92 Captrust Wealth Advisors Holland, Michigan $1.8B 10 2,912
93 YHB Investment Advisors West Hartford, Connecticut $2.1B 35 1,165
94 Plancorp St. Louis, Missouri $8B 42 1,600
95 Mainstay Capital Management Grand Blanc, Michigan $4.5B 25 3,463
96 Constellation Wealth Advisors Cincinnati, Ohio $4.6B 16 2,454
97 Trek Financial Scottsdale, Arizona $2.4B 27 11,057
98 Palisade Capital Management Fort Lee, New Jersey $4.2B 35 2,412
99 RubinBrown Advisors St. Louis, Missouri $3.2B 22 3,918
100 Apriem Advisors Irvine, California $1.4B 27 2,914
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What is a fiduciary financial advisor?

A fiduciary financial advisor acts in the best interest of the client, regardless of how that affects their business or bottom line.

Some financial advisors, such as RIAs, are bound by the fiduciary standard. However, investment brokers must follow a suitability standard, which means that recommendations may be appropriate but not necessarily the best option.

What steps should someone take when choosing a financial advisor?

Finding the right financial advisor may require some homework, but you can start with referrals from trusted colleagues, friends or family members.

Depending on your needs, you can check for advisors’ active credentials, such as certified financial planner, or CFP; certified public accountant, or CPA; or chartered financial analyst, or CFA.

You can also check for regulatory violations and customer complaints, also called disclosures, via BrokerCheck from FINRA, and the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website from the SEC. State regulators may provide more information for smaller firms.

Before choosing a financial advisor, you should meet and interview prospective candidates. These 10 questions from the CFP Board could help narrow down your list:

1. What are your qualifications and credentials?
2. What services do you offer?
3. Will you have a fiduciary duty to me?
4. What is your approach to financial planning?
5. What types of clients do you typically work with?
6. Will you be the only advisor working with me?
7. How will I pay for your services?
8. How much do you typically charge?
9. Do others stand to gain from the financial advice you give me?
10. Have you ever been publicly disciplined for unethical or unlawful actions in your career?

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What’s the difference between a fee-only financial advisor and a commission-based advisor?

Before hiring a financial advisor, it’s important to understand their compensation structure and how it could influence their recommendations.

Typically, financial advisors are paid via commission, fees or a hybrid of the two. Fee-only means the advisor does not receive a commission from products. Some fee-only examples may include flat amounts for one-time projects, hourly fees, monthly retainers or assets under management, or AUM.

Commission-based advice may be the lowest-cost option for advice about a specific financial product. However, commission-based advice can present a conflict of interest in some cases.

By comparison, AUM is generally a set percentage each year, but the amount paid varies based on the size of your portfolio. Some advisors paid via AUM have minimum asset requirements, which can be less inclusive to investors with a smaller portfolio.

What are the pros and cons of using a robo-advisor vs. a human financial advisor?

Robo-advisors are algorithms developed by companies to automatically invest your money based on your risk tolerance. Some robo-advisors offer additional features, such as access to a human advisor and tax-loss harvesting, which uses losses to offset other portfolio gains.

By contrast, a human financial advisor can offer tailored, comprehensive financial planning to meet specific goals. This may include guidance on investing, taxes, insurance, retirement planning, estate planning and other areas.

https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2025/10/01/best-financial-advisors.html