Find a fee-only financial advisor
24,501 fee-only advisors in the US and Canada, organized by specialty, location, and the clients they serve. Fee-only means they're paid by you, not by commissions. No sponsored listings.
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All advisors
Every fee-only advisor in the public graph, by state and province.
All firms
Fee-only firms, by location.
Specialties
17 specialties, from equity compensation to divorce planning.
Locations
Every US state and Canadian province.
Lists
Curated lists, like advisors for physicians or for founders.
Guides
How to choose a fee-only advisor, and what to ask.
Featured specialties
Equity compensation
RSUs, ISOs, NSOs, ESPP, 83(b), and concentrated stock strategy.
Crypto & digital assets
Tax, custody, and planning for advisors who actually understand the space.
Cross-border (US / Canada)
Dual-citizen, moving, or working across the US–Canada border.
Physicians & residents
The long training runway, malpractice, PSLF, and late-career catchup.
Founders (pre-exit)
Pre-IPO and M&A planning for founders and early employees.
Flat-fee planning
Comprehensive planning at a fixed, annual price.
Retirement planning
Income, withdrawal strategy, Social Security, and sequence risk.
Retirement with concentrated positions
Drawing down income when most of your net worth is one stock.
Featured lists
- 7,251 advisors
Retirement planning specialists
Fee-only advisors whose record centers on comprehensive retirement planning: accumulation, drawdown, Social Security, and Medicare.
- 3,308 advisors
Fee-only advisors for retirees
Fee-only advisors specializing in the drawdown phase: withdrawal sequencing, Social Security, Medicare coordination, tax-efficient distribution.
- 2,926 advisors
Fee-only advisors for pre-retirees
Fee-only advisors specializing in the five-to-ten-year runway before retirement: drawdown modeling, Roth conversion windows, pre-Medicare bridging.
- 2,834 advisors
Fee-only advisors for small business owners
Advisors who serve owner-operators on entity structure, owner-comp strategy, retirement-plan sponsorship, and succession planning.
- 2,754 advisors
Family wealth transfer specialists
Advisors whose record includes family wealth transfer as a core specialty: gifting strategy, dynasty trusts, and inter-generational coordination.
- 2,688 advisors
Fee-only advisors for founders
Founder-specialty, fee-only advisors across the US and Canada: pre-exit planning, equity structure, and post-liquidity integration.
- 2,589 advisors
Fee-only advisors for multi-generational families
Advisors who work with two- and three-generation family systems: governance, financial education, dynasty trusts, family meetings.
- 2,050 advisors
Fee-only advisors for executives
Fee-only advisors who specialize in executive compensation: base, bonus, RSUs, deferred comp, 10b5-1 plans, and severance.
Locations
United States
Guides
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Cross-border financial advisors: how it works between Canada and the US
A cross-border plan has to work under two tax systems at once. Here's what changes on each side of the border, and what to look for in an advisor who can handle both.
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Do I need a financial advisor?
You probably don't need one for a simple situation you're happy managing. You likely do when money decisions get complex, large or hard to undo.
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Fee-only vs fee-based vs commission financial advisors
Fee-only advisors are paid only by you. Fee-based advisors charge fees and can also earn commissions. Commission advisors are paid when you buy products.
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What a financial advisor costs on $1 million
On $1 million, a 1% fee is $10,000 a year, more than twice the $4,500 median flat planning fee. Over 20 years 1% adds up to about $298,000.
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What a financial advisor costs on $2 million
On $2 million, a flat 1% is $20,000 a year; with a lower rate above $1M it's closer to $17,500. The median flat planning fee is $4,500.
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What a financial advisor costs on $3 million
On $3 million, a flat 1% is $30,000 a year; with breakpoints it's closer to $25,000. A flat planning fee runs $4,500 to $7,200 for most firms.
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What a financial advisor costs on $5 million
On $5 million, a flat 1% is $50,000 a year; with breakpoints it's closer to $35,000. At this size, how a firm charges matters more than almost anything.
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What a financial advisor costs on $500,000
On $500K, a 1% fee is $5,000 a year, about the same as the $4,500 median flat planning fee. Over 20 years the 1% fee adds up to about $149,000.
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What flat-fee financial advisors charge
Flat-fee planners charge a median $4,500 a year for ongoing planning (middle half $2,400 to $7,200) or $2,000 for a one-time plan, whatever your balance.
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How much does a financial advisor cost?
Fee-only advisors who publish prices charge a median $4,500 a year for ongoing planning, $2,000 for a one-time plan, $300 an hour, or 1% of assets.
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How to choose a fee-only financial advisor
Once you have a shortlist, choose on four things: the record checks out, the fee model fits how you'll use them, the specialty is real, and the first meeting is about you.
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How to find a fee-only financial advisor
Start with sources that check fee-only status, narrow by your situation and what you want to pay, then confirm on the SEC's free adviser search.
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How to tell if a financial advisor is really fee-only
Check the firm's Form ADV for commission pay, then check whether the advisor or firm sells securities or insurance. Here's exactly where to look.
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Is a 1% financial advisor fee too much?
1% is the median rate, but in dollars it's $5,000 a year on $500K and $20,000 on $2M. Whether it's too much depends on what you get for it.
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Questions to ask a financial advisor, and the answers to listen for
Twelve questions for a first meeting, grouped by pay, fit and process, with what a good answer sounds like and what should make you pause.
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What 'crypto expertise' should actually mean in a financial advisor
Real crypto expertise shows up in cost basis, taxes and inheritance, not in a line on a website. Here's what to ask, and what a good answer sounds like.
About the data
Wellspent publishes a record for every fee-only financial advisor we can verify in the US and Canada, built from SEC records, professional directories, and each firm's own website. Every fact shows where it came from, and nobody can pay to rank higher. Read the methodology or the data model.
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