The quickest way to find a fee-only financial advisor is to start from a source that checks fee-only status for you, narrow the list by your situation and how you want to pay, then confirm each name on the SEC’s free adviser search. Expect to talk to two or three advisors before you choose.
Step 1: Start where fee-only is checked
Many advisors describe themselves as fee-only or “fiduciary” when they also earn commissions. Starting from a source that checks saves you from sorting that out one by one.
- The Wellspent public graph. Every advisor here is fee-only by SEC data: their firm’s Form ADV reports no commission pay, and neither they nor their firm sells insurance or securities through a related broker-dealer. Lists rank by fit, because advisors don’t pay for leads or placement.
- Fee-only associations. Professional groups for fee-only and advice-only planners keep member directories. Members agree to the group’s fee rules.
- Referrals. A friend’s advisor, your accountant’s or your estate attorney’s. Good referrals still need the same check, because a friend may not know how their advisor is paid.
Be careful with matching services. Some “find an advisor” sites are paid by the advisors they recommend, and the button next to a named firm can send you to a paid matching form instead. That isn’t wrong, but it means the order isn’t only about fit.
Step 2: Narrow by your situation
Decide what you need help with before you look at names. Advisors who specialize in your situation have seen it many times.
- Retiring soon or retired: retirement planning specialists, advisors for pre-retirees
- Stock options or RSUs: equity compensation specialists
- A business: advisors for small business owners
- Divorce: divorce financial planners
- High income, still building: advisors for high earners
Specialists are rarer than you’d think. Of 4,368 fee-only firms whose websites describe their specialties, 71% name retirement planning, but only 6% name divorce planning, 4% physicians, 3.8% student loans, 1.6% cross-border US and Canada, and 0.7% crypto. If your situation is one of the rare ones, widen your search beyond your city.
Step 3: Narrow by how you want to pay
| You want | Look for | Typical cost (US median) |
|---|---|---|
| Ongoing help with everything | Ongoing planning fee, or percentage of assets | $4,500 a year, or 1% of assets |
| A plan you carry out yourself | One-time plan | $2,000 |
| Answers to specific questions | Hourly | $300 an hour |
| No asset minimum | Flat-fee or hourly planners | Half of firms that state a minimum have none |
Prices come from the Wellspent fee report, built from what fee-only firms publish on their own sites.
Step 4: Decide local or virtual
Most fee-only advisors meet by video, and many work with clients in any state. Choose local if you want to meet in person or your situation depends on state law, such as a divorce or a state pension. Otherwise, a wider search gives you better options in a specialty.
Step 5: Check every name yourself
Before a first call, spend five minutes on each advisor:
- Look up the firm on the SEC’s adviser search. Open the firm’s Form CRS, a two-to-four-page summary of fees and conflicts.
- Look up the person. The same search shows their registrations and any disclosures. If they’re also registered as a broker, they can earn commissions.
- Check credentials like the CFP on the CFP Board’s verify page. In the public graph, 41% of fee-only advisors hold the CFP.
Our guide to telling whether an advisor is really fee-only shows exactly what to look for in Form ADV.
Step 6: Talk to two or three
A first call is usually free and takes 20 to 30 minutes. Bring your questions and compare how each advisor answers. Our list of questions to ask a financial advisor includes the answers to listen for, and how to choose a fee-only advisor covers evaluating them once you’ve found them.
Using AI to find an advisor
Asking an AI assistant is a good way to describe your situation in your own words. Treat the names it suggests as a starting list. AI answers often mix fee-only and fee-based firms, and a confident description of a firm isn’t a check. Run every name through Step 5.