The new year is rapidly approaching so it’s time to start making resolutions for 2024. There are a lot of ideas to choose from depending on your personal circumstances, from learning a new skill or hobby, improving your health and fitness, traveling more, etc.
Greater than all these, though, would be making a long-term investment in your financial stability. In 2024, make your New Year’s resolution to become more financially sound than ever before.
The best way to achieve this is by securing the services of a financial adviser, someone who will provide you with the financial advice you need to make 2024 your year. To help you launch this process, we’ve researched the 10 best online financial advisers, all respected experts who can help transform your life. You can receive financial advice at every budget; let’s look at how.
Ten Lost Cost or (Nearly) Free Financial Advisors
1. Zoe Financial
This company is a good start if you’re not sure what you’re looking for as Zoe Financial offers a free initial consultation. All you need to do to get started with the process is answer a few simple questions about your finances, and Zoe Financial will set up a consultation for you. The company’s financial advisors cover everything from retirement and equity management to debt consolidation and college planning.
Zoe Financial consistently scores highly on review sites, with most reporting scores of 4.9 to 5 out of 5. However, while the initial consultation process is free, you will need to pay a percentage fee set by your advisor, so it’s difficult to provide an exact figure of how much this will cost long-term. The minimum investment is also fairly high, at $150,000.
2. Fidelity Investments
Fidelity Investments has a long history of providing financial advice to the American public. If you’re looking for a safe option that will provide stability for your long-term financial plans, then this could be the option for you. The company’s online financial advisors also have a particularly good reputation for strategic planning and goal tracking.
The potential downside is that Fidelity Investments options are relatively limited and are focused on core financial planning options like retirement savings plans and tax investing. To get started, you’ll also need $250,000 in assets, which could be too steep for entry-level financial planning. There’s a free consultation, but at 1.5% in annual advisory fees, this option could prove prohibitively expensive for some readers.
3. Ellevest
If you’re looking for online financial advisors who understand the specific investment needs of women then you should consider Ellevest. This financial advice company is designed for women only, and it offers a number of supplementary services in addition to financial consulting that make it stand out. These include investment portfolios that focus on social responsibility, advisor-led workshops, and a financial content library.
All of this means that Ellevest is likely to appeal to a specific niche audience but that shouldn’t put you off considering working with this group of female financial advisers. Plans start at as little as $12, and costs remain fairly low until your investments with the company reach $1 million. Financial advice always comes free with Ellevest, so you don’t have to worry about any hidden costs.
4. Merill Guided Investing
Merill Guided Investing is a well-known name in the financial advising industry and if you’re wondering how to ge the financial advice that comes with a low barrier of entry, this could be a good option for you. All you need is an initial $1,000 investment, and then after that, there’s a 0.45% annual management fee. The catch is that there are more costs if you want to access ‘human’ consulting.
Merill Guided Investing’s low barrier to entry is contrasted with the higher fees it charges for consultations with its human online financial advisors. Any advice you receive for free will be bot-generated and there’s little to no option for tax strategy planning either. As such, this financial adviser company is suited to people who want a basic service.
5. J.P. Morgan Private Client Advisor
For those looking for even more brand name recognition, the J.P. Morgan financial advisor pool offered via its private client program should be just right. By signing up with J.P. Morgan, you will receive a template investment plan. The fees are fairly reasonable too, starting at 0.6% for assets up to $250,000.
For those wanting to go the extra mile with their online financial advisers there’s the option to create a fully personalized investment plan with a personal advisor. This comes at an increased cost, at 1.45% of your investment per year; however, this cost decreases as your portfolio grows.
6. Harness Wealth
Harness Wealth is likely to prove popular with those wanting to take a more diversified approach to their long-term investment portfolio. The company’s online financial advisors have experience with conventional investments like real estate but also have considerable knowledge about cryptocurrency as well. This provides its clients with considerable financial flexibility.
The downside is that Harness Wealth certainly doesn’t come free, and it has a higher barrier of entry than some of the others on this list, at up to 1% per year with a minimum investment of $250,000. As such, this financial advisors company represents an intermediate-to-advanced option for people looking to invest their money.
7. Ameriprise Financial Investments
In contrast to the previous entry on this list, Ameriprise Financial Investment is more suited to people looking for financial advisors who will help them with a specific aim: securing a financially stable retirement. The company is highly rated for its advanced charting features and fiduciary expertise, and you can open an account in the following formats: individual brokerage accounts, traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, simple IRAs, SEP IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, 529 plans, and Coverdell education savings accounts (CESA).
It’s a niche specialist, so Amperirise Financial Investments isn’t for everyone. It also has a complex fee system, so you will need to get in touch with the company directly to find out how much these financial advisors will cost.
8. Vanguard
None of the financial advisors we’ve listed thus far are actually free but Vanguard is one of the options that comes closest, at least relatively speaking. The company has a low barrier of entry for new clients at $50,000, and its management fee is 0.30% per year, which is very competitive for a wide range of prospective clients.
Vanguard also offers a more advanced service for clients willing to invest at least $500,000, providing a certified financial planner (CFP), an industry-recognized professional title. As such, this financial advisors team could prove to be a good option for those who are willing to create a long-term investment plan that will grow with the company.
9. SoFi Automated Investing
SoFi Automated Investing stands out thanks to several features that are very appealing to new investors, including zero advisory fees. Also, while some robo-advisors charge an annual fee and do not provide free one-on-one consultations with Certified Financial Planners (CFPs), SoFi can offer this to its clients.
The trade-off is that SoFi clients have to choose between five portfolio templates; you can’t customize your choices. You can choose from moderate, moderately conservative, conservative, moderately aggressive, and aggressive, so there should be something for most clients. Just keep in mind that SoFi’s tax management options are fairly limited, so if you need that, look elsewhere.
10. Charles Schwab
Rounding out our list of companies that will provide you with the right amount of financial advice is Charles Schwab, an online brokerage firm with a well-established reputation. The company provides complimentary access to financial consultants for clients with assets totaling $500,000 or more and a personalized financial plan.
The standard fee rate of 0.80% is steep but lower than some other rates provided on this list. The problem for new investors is likely to be the high initial investment barrier of $500,000. However, if you can reach this standard, the high levels of personalization offered by Charles Schwab’s financial advisors should more than make up for the cost.
Cheap Financial Advice Is Never Free – Except for PocketGuard
Investment advice from a crack team of online financial advisors will go a long way towards securing your financial future; there’s another piece of free advice we can give you today. When it comes to managing your money, you have to start small.
Sound investments start with managing your daily budget. Thanks to PocketGuard, this process is as simple as possible.
Our budgeting app is ideal for ensuring that all your daily expenses, bills, payments, etc. can be managed in one location. With full control over your routine finances, you’ll be able to plan your long-term future. Create a free account today and make sure you get in touch to learn more.
Dec 18, 2023