Finding the right financial advisor to help with your financial needs and goals can be complicated.
There are so many things to consider. Every financial advisor has his or her own area of expertise. The services provided by financial advisors will vary based on the type of advisor, but overall, a financial advisor will assess your current financial situation — including your assets, debts and expenses — and identify areas for improvement.
A good financial advisor will ask you about your goals and create a plan to help you reach them. That may mean discussing your budget, retirement planning, estate planning, insurance needs or tax strategies.
An advisor can play a major role in helping clients grow and protect their wealth. The key is to find an advisor you trust, and it’s important to make sure he or she is someone who is a good match for you.
For the third year in a row, CNBC unveils its ranking of top financial advisors. The CNBC FA 100 recognizes those advisory firms that best help clients navigate their financial lives.
More from FA 100:
Meet the financial advisor ranked No. 1 by CNBC
Here’s how we determine the FA 100 rankings for 2021
How the pandemic has changed the financial advice business
Here’s how top financial advisors are hiring young talent
| 2021 RANK | FIRM | TOTAL AUM | YEARS IN THE BUSINESS | ACCOUNTS UNDER MANAGEMENT | 2020 RANK | 2019 RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dana Investment Advisors | $7.3B | 41 | 1,163 | 2 | 3 |
| 2 | Salem Investment Counselors | $2.6B | 42 | 2,239 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | NewSouth Capital Management | $3.7B | 36 | 190 | 3 | 6 |
| 4 | Check Capital Management | $1.6B | 35 | 1,684 | 12 | 52 |
| 5 | Richard C. Young & Co. | $1.3B+ | 32 | 1,860 | 10 | 10 |
| 6 | Gofen & Glossberg | $6.3B+ | 89 | 3,500 | 13 | 15 |
| 7 | California Financial Advisors | $1.6B+ | 23 | 2,901 | 9 | 7 |
| 8 | North Star Asset Management | $2.1B+ | 25 | 2,374 | 14 | 5 |
| 9 | Heritage Investors Management | $3.4B | 47 | 1,300 | – | – |
| 10 | Tom Johnson Investment Management | $1.6B | 38 | 4,998 | 8 | 9 |
| 11 | Beacon Capital Management | $4.2B+ | 21 | 15,427 | 24 | – |
| 12 | Bowen, Hanes & Co. | $3.5B+ | 40 | 212 | 28 | 98 |
| 13 | Mason Investment Advisory Services | $10.6B+ | 39 | 800 | 100 | – |
| 14 | D.F. Dent & Co. | $10.7B | 46 | 1,155 | 18 | 20 |
| 15 | Gillespie, Robinson & Grimm | $1.5B | 51 | 710 | 26 | 32 |
| 16 | Pzena Investment Management | $41.1B+ | 25 | 222 | 27 | 34 |
| 17 | Woodley Farra Manion | $1.2B | 26 | 998 | 19 | – |
| 18 | RNC Genter Capital Management | $5.8B | 54 | 10,700 | 30 | – |
| 19 | Parsons Capital Management | $1.6B+ | 27 | 1,608 | 16 | 37 |
| 20 | ZWJ Investment Counsel | $3B | 39 | 900 | 34 | 39 |
| 21 | David Vaughan Investments | $3.2B+ | 27 | 2,823 | 33 | 46 |
| 22 | Luther King Capital Management | $25B | 42 | 3,100 | 25 | 24 |
| 23 | Gamble Jones Investment Counsel | $1.6B+ | 64 | 1,200 | 15 | 12 |
| 24 | Heritage Investment Group | $1.3B+ | 28 | 1,836 | 32 | 42 |
| 25 | Carret Asset Management | $3.3B+ | 58 | 2,350 | 23 | 14 |
| 26 | Edgemoor Investment Advisors | $1.2B+ | 22 | 730 | 40 | – |
| 27 | Clifford Swan Investment Counselors | $4B | 106 | 903 | 55 | 58 |
| 28 | Eubel Brady & Suttman Asset Management | $1.2B+ | 27 | 1,591 | 31 | 36 |
| 29 | Zemenick & Walker | $2.2B+ | 34 | 223 | 36 | 30 |
| 30 | Everett Harris & Co. | $8.9B+ | 51 | 1,590 | 21 | 44 |
| 31 | Southeast Asset Advisors | $2.9B+ | 26 | 973 | 41 | 26 |
| 32 | Guyasuta Investment Advisors | $1.9B+ | 38 | 1,200 | 43 | 18 |
| 33 | Leavell Investment Management | $2.2B | 42 | 700+ | 48 | 38 |
| 34 | H.M. Payson & Co. | $6B | 167 | 3,400 | 53 | 43 |
| 35 | Anchor Capital Advisors | $9.7B | 38 | 1,114 | 83 | 65 |
| 36 | Zevenbergen Capital Investments | $5.7B | 34 | 161 | 37 | – |
| 37 | Hahn Capital Management | $1.2B+ | 33 | 105 | 38 | 86 |
| 38 | The Burney Company | $2.4B+ | 47 | 4,233 | 47 | 53 |
| 39 | Azzad Asset Management | $1.3B | 24 | 2,990 | – | – |
| 40 | Roffman Miller Wealth Management | $2B | 30 | 1,150 | 56 | 29 |
| 41 | Wilbanks, Smith & Thomas Asset Management | $4.6B+ | 30 | 4,708 | 69 | – |
| 42 | Loring, Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors | $10.5B+ | 21 | 3,054 | 42 | 27 |
| 43 | Equius Partners | $1.1B | 37 | 1,097 | 39 | – |
| 44 | Bradley, Foster & Sargent | $4.1B+ | 26 | 1,514 | 45 | 31 |
| 45 | Pinnacle Associates | $7.3B | 37 | 4,000 | 79 | – |
| 46 | RZH Advisors | $1.4B+ | 21 | 354 | – | – |
| 47 | Veritable | $18B | 17 | 218 | 46 | 25 |
| 48 | Lee Financial | $1.2B | 46 | 400 | 65 | 40 |
| 49 | Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors | $2.7B+ | 32 | 3,900 | 61 | 66 |
| 50 | Albion Financial Group | $1.5B+ | 39 | 2,192 | – | – |
| 51 | R.M. Davis | $6.1B | 43 | 5,812 | – | – |
| 52 | Badgley Phelps Wealth Managers | $4.3B | 55 | 1,895 | 54 | 21 |
| 53 | Pittenger & Anderson | $2.4B+ | 26 | 1,644 | 67 | 71 |
| 54 | Schaper, Benz & Wise Investment Counsel | $1.3B+ | 30 | 772 | 49 | – |
| 55 | Beese Fulmer Private Wealth Management | $1.2B | 41 | 965 | – | – |
| 56 | BKD Wealth Advisors | $4.9B+ | 23 | 5,547 | 60 | – |
| 57 | Farr, Miller & Washington | $2.1B | 25 | 1,307 | 64 | – |
| 58 | Segall Bryant & Hamill | $25B | 26 | 4,812 | 68 | 70 |
| 59 | Foster & Motley Wealth Management | $1.9B+ | 24 | 2,943 | 58 | 51 |
| 60 | Meritage Portfolio Management | $2.2B | 30 | 560 | 59 | 49 |
| 61 | Diversified Management | $1.3B+ | 28 | 1,516 | 11 | 19 |
| 62 | C.W. Henderson & Associates | $3.9B+ | 31 | 1,431 | 73 | 85 |
| 63 | Charles D. Hyman & Co. | $1.9B | 28 | 931 | 72 | 94 |
| 64 | Henssler Financial | $2.6B+ | 34 | 4,372 | 80 | – |
| 65 | Brown Capital Management | $18.4B+ | 30 | 126 | 74 | – |
| 66 | Lee, Danner & Bass | $1.4B | 33 | 900 | 85 | 79 |
| 67 | Steele Capital Management | $2.7B+ | 25 | 3,926 | 81 | 67 |
| 68 | RTD Financial Advisors | $1.8B+ | 38 | 694 | 57 | 68 |
| 69 | TFC Financial Management | $1.3B | 41 | 1,300 | – | – |
| 70 | Beaird Harris | $1.2B+ | 25 | 2,499 | 66 | – |
| 71 | Phillips Financial | $1.2B+ | 17 | 1,996 | – | – |
| 72 | Index Fund Advisors | $4.7B | 21 | 2,348 | 93 | 76 |
| 73 | HBKS Wealth Advisors | $5.1B+ | 20 | 5,705 | – | – |
| 74 | E. S. Barr & Co. | $1.7B | 29 | 833 | 99 | 100 |
| 75 | Sage Financial Group | $2.7B+ | 32 | 675 | 62 | 50 |
| 76 | The Financial Advisory Group | $1.1B | 24 | 2,033 | – | – |
| 77 | Willow Creek Wealth Management | $1.6B | 37 | 2,600 | – | – |
| 78 | SJS Investment Services | $2.5B+ | 26 | 2,350 | – | – |
| 79 | Jackson Thornton Asset Management | $1.3B+ | 22 | 915 | – | – |
| 80 | Legacy Wealth Management | $1.9B+ | 39 | 3,370 | 94 | – |
| 81 | Bedel Financial Consulting | $1.8B+ | 32 | 4,129 | 97 | – |
| 82 | Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors | $1.3B | 20 | 2,064 | 95 | – |
| 83 | Plancorp | $5.6B+ | 38 | 1,415 | – | – |
| 84 | Prio Wealth Management | $3.5B | 33 | 1,500+ | – | – |
| 85 | Meyer Capital Group | $1.5B+ | 58 | 2,157 | 71 | – |
| 86 | Eagle Global Advisors | $1.9B+ | 25 | 400 | – | 84 |
| 87 | Sadoff Investment Management | $1.7B | 43 | 1,222 | – | – |
| 88 | Palisade Capital Management | $5.3B | 26 | 2,165 | 90 | – |
| 89 | Chevy Chase Trust Company | $37.3B+ | 22 | 4,408 | – | – |
| 90 | Cadinha & Co. | $2.1B+ | 42 | 1,357 | 50 | 56 |
| 91 | Summit Financial Strategies | $1.5B+ | 26 | 850 | 89 | 75 |
| 92 | StraightLine Group | $1B+ | 19 | 5,600 | – | – |
| 93 | First Foundation Advisors | $5.3B | 31 | 3,600 | – | – |
| 94 | Intersect Capital | $1.6B | 7 | 440 | – | – |
| 95 | Southern Wealth Management | $3.4B+ | 16 | 232 | – | – |
| 96 | Foster Group | $2.6B | 30 | 4,764 | – | – |
| 97 | Bailard | $5.2B | 52 | 2,080 | 86 | 54 |
| 98 | View Capital Advisors | $1.3B+ | 17 | 135 | – | – |
| 99 | Shufro, Rose & Co. | $2B | 83 | 2,878 | – | – |
| 100 | ML&R Wealth Management | $1.7B+ | 24 | 2,193 | – | – |