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
Find the right next step for your situation
Answer three quick questions to see the option that fits you best.
Since you have $250,000 or more, a network of vetted advisers may fit.
If your portfolio is $250,000 or more, this connects you — free, with no obligation to hire anyone — with 2 to 3 vetted advisors.
Before you start, what actually happens. 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. Clear Money Guide is paid when you complete the form, whether or not you ever hire anyone.
Opens on WiserAdvisor’s site in a new tab.
Optional partner matching
See advisors who may fit your situation
This is free to use and there is no obligation to hire anyone.
- Free to use
- No obligation to hire
- Form opens on this page
Partner disclosure. The form is run by Kapitalwise. Clear Money Guide is paid when you submit it. Advisers pay for the introduction and may call or text you.
What happens after you start
The form asks about nine questions — including age, investable assets and location — then requests your name, email and phone number and verifies the phone by text.
Kapitalwise sends your details to advisers who pay for the introduction, so expect calls and texts. Clear Money Guide is paid when you submit the form, whether or not you hire anyone.
Nothing loads and nothing reaches Kapitalwise until you press the button. Compare fees, scope, conflicts, credentials and fiduciary duty before hiring.
The Kapitalwise form opens here. You stay on this page.
Compare flat-fee and hourly ranges before you call anyone.
Flat-fee and hourly advisers price the work directly instead of as a percentage of your assets. The comparison guide below has current per-year, per-project and per-hour ranges so you can price a quote before you book a call.
Choose 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.