A clearer way to compare financial advice
Compare fees in dollars, confirm when fiduciary duty applies, define the work in writing and know who will actually do it.
- FeesAnnual dollars, not just percentages
- DutyWhen fiduciary responsibility applies
- ScopeDeliverables, people and exclusions
Compare your next step
Just comparing fees? Keep reading the fee guide.Optional next step
Explore an adviser match
Compare the services and the full fee before deciding whether to hire anyone.
- No fee to request a match
- No obligation to hire
Expect questions about your situation, your name, email and phone, and phone verification by text. A match is not guaranteed.
The form is run by Kapitalwise, our advisor-matching partner. Kapitalwise sends your details to advisers who pay for the introduction, so expect calls and texts. Clear Money Guide may earn a referral payment for a qualifying submitted form, whether or not you ever hire anyone. This is free to you and there is no obligation to hire anyone.
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How our partner relationships workCompare an adviser match before you decide
For U.S. readers with $250,000 or more invested. Ask about the full fee, what it covers and how the adviser is paid. A match is an introduction, not a recommendation from Clear Money Guide.
- Free matching service
- No obligation to hire
The matching service is run by WiserAdvisor, an independent advisor-matching company. It opens on their site, asks for your ZIP code and a few questions, and matches you with 2 to 3 vetted advisors. It is free to you. WiserAdvisor states the service is built for portfolios of $250,000 and above. By submitting, you consent to emails, phone calls and text messages from WiserAdvisor and up to three advisors, so expect to be contacted. Advisers pay for the introduction. Clear Money Guide may earn a referral payment for a qualifying completed form, whether or not you ever hire anyone. There is no obligation to hire anyone.
Continue to WiserAdvisorOpens on WiserAdvisor’s site in a new tab.
Source: WiserAdvisor’s service descriptionChoose your route
Start with the right kind of advice
Decide what you are buying before comparing firms. A precise search produces more useful first calls and fewer mismatched proposals.
Compare compensation and duty
Start with how the advisor is paid, then ask when fiduciary duty applies.
Buy a defined planning scope
Compare a flat, project or hourly engagement before committing assets.
Plan the transition into retirement
Look for a documented income process, not a generic investment pitch.
Solve a specific planning problem
A move or an estate can change which expertise matters most.
Make the price comparable
Compare every fee in annual dollars
A percentage is not a price until it is applied to your balance. At $1,000,000, a 1.00% AUM fee is $10,000 each year before fund expenses, platform fees and work billed separately.
| Fee model | Convert or confirm |
|---|---|
| AUM | Percentage times the managed balance, plus underlying and platform costs. |
| Flat annual | Total annual price, included meetings and work that becomes extra. |
| Hourly or project | Rate, estimated hours, not-to-exceed cap, deliverables and follow-up. |
| Retainer | Monthly charge times 12, renewal terms and implementation scope. |
| Fee-based | Client fees plus any product, brokerage, insurance or referral compensation. |
A four-part screen
Vet the advisor, not the marketing
A polished pitch is not a planning process. Ask for evidence you can compare after the call.
- 1
Confirm the duty
Ask when fiduciary duty applies, which recommendations fall outside it and whether that answer will be provided in writing.
- 2
Price the whole relationship
Include planning, management, funds, platforms, referrals, insurance, annuities and any work billed outside the quoted fee.
- 3
Name the work and the people
Define the deliverables, meeting cadence, implementation help and the person who will do the day-to-day planning.
- 4
Read before transferring
Review the fee schedule, scope, conflicts, cancellation terms and regulatory record before moving assets.
Copy, paste, compare
Ask these questions before a second call
- What is my all-in first-year cost in dollars, including planning, investment management, funds, platform fees and implementation?
- When are you acting as a fiduciary, and does that cover rollovers, insurance, annuities and investment recommendations?
- How are you paid, including any product, platform, brokerage, insurance, referral or third-party compensation?
- What written deliverables do I receive, who does the work and what is outside the quoted scope?
- How would your recommendation change under a flat, hourly, retainer or AUM arrangement?
- Can you send the fee schedule, planning scope, service calendar, cancellation terms and conflict disclosures before another call?
Location is one filter, not the answer
Decide whether local expertise matters
Prioritize local knowledge when the work turns on state taxes, property, a public pension, employer equity or coordination with nearby professionals. A virtual or regional advisor can still work well when the assignment is portfolio review, retirement timing, Roth conversions or a second opinion on fees.
Local can matter more
- State and municipal tax issues
- Real estate or business-owner planning
- Public pensions or local benefits
- In-person family meetings
Virtual can work well
- Portfolio and fee review
- Retirement-income sequencing
- Roth conversion planning
- A bounded second opinion
Use a local guide when context changes the plan
Browse advisor guides by location
Start with the national location hub, then open the closest state, metro or county guide. These pages compare fee models and planning questions; they do not rank individual advisors.
California20 guides
Texas9 guides
Washington7 guides
Colorado and Georgia3 guides
Transparent by design
How we built this guide
Materially reviewed August 14, 2026. We organize the advisor search around annual-dollar cost, fiduciary scope, written services, compensation conflicts and practical fit. This is a screening framework, not a directory, ranking or endorsement.
Fee examples are educational, not personalized financial, tax, legal or investment advice. Read our editorial policy, corrections policy and disclaimer.