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Choosing a financial advisor in Las Vegas can feel daunting, given the number of financial advisors in this city known more for getting rich off slot machines than the stock market. To find the right match, you must rely on more than luck. You need to understand your financial needs and goals, as well as how much you’re willing to spend.
Comparing firms and data points can be difficult, so we compiled the most pertinent information to help guide your decision. To determine the best advisors in Sin City, we only considered firms that manage individual accounts and offer financial planning services. We then ranked these firms based on assets under management (AUM), which serves as a general metric for a firm’s size. Although not formally part of our ranking, we encourage readers to take note of each firm’s client-to-advisor ratio, as this indicates how much attention you may get as a client. All data used in our methodology is taken from each firm’s most recent Form ADV filing with the SEC so as to ensure the accuracy and reliability of our rankings.
Our ranking is not indicative of which firm may be best for you, but it can help make the shopping experience easier. Take a look at our list below for the top firms in Las Vegas and their key highlights:
| Firm name | Minimum assets required | Fee structure |
|---|---|---|
| The Wealth Consulting Group | Varies by program |
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| Buckley Wealth Management, LLC | No minimum |
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| Arista Wealth Management, LLC | $250,000 for investment advisory services |
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| H&H Retirement Design and Management Inc | $1 million for portfolio management |
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| Kingsbridge Wealth Management, Inc. | Generally $5 million for separately managed accounts; $100,000 to $1 million for private funds |
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| American Retirement Planning Group Inc | Varies by program |
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| The AmeriFlex Group | No across-the-board minimum, though certain programs have requirements |
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| Redrock Wealth Management, LLC | No minimum |
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For our search, we looked at firms across the city of Las Vegas. All of the firms considered are bound by fiduciary duty, registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and offer individual account management and financial planning services. Information used for our methodology criteria is taken directly from each firm’s most recent Form ADV filing and brochure, found on the IAPD database.
To localize our results for this list, we exclusively looked at firms that met the above criteria and had their headquarters in Las Vegas, as per the address provided in the Form ADV. Of those firms, we only considered those that offer financial planning services and portfolio management to individual investors. To be considered for this list, firms also could have no more than one disciplinary disclosure in the past 10 years. From there, the remaining firms that met all of the above stipulations were ranked in order of highest to lowest AUM, as this is an indication of a firm’s size and how many assets it has been entrusted to manage.
In our reviews, we have also listed several other key features that will help you determine which financial advisor may be most fitting for your investing style and financial needs. While our ranking system and methodology is designed to help you compare firms, it does not indicate which firm may be best for you. All information here is accurate as of February 24, 2021, but we urge you to also evaluate these firms on https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/.
The Wealth Consulting Group has a broad mix of clients. While this includes institutional investors and high net worth individuals (defined by the SEC as investors with more than $750,000 in assets to invest or a net worth of $1.5 million), the bulk of its clients are individuals and families with more modest investment portfolios who turn to the group for investment advisory services and financial planning. The firm also has an Advanced Planning Team focused on offering resources for issues such as retirement planning, estate planning, charitable giving and generational business planning.
Not all advisors work under the Wealth Consulting Group brand name. The firm is made up of a network of almost 30 smaller offices branded with their own name but operating under The Wealth Consulting Group. These offices are scattered across several states with a heavy presence in California.
Legally known as WCG Wealth Advisors, LLC,the current version of the practice began in 2014. Today the firm is independent, owned by The 1970 Lee Trust. Its founder and CEO is Jimmy Lee.
The Wealth Consulting Group relies on a “core-satellite” investment approach. For the core portfolio, advisors create an appropriate asset allocation for the particular client’s needs and goals in an effort to manage risk. The satellite positions are based on the views of the firm’s investment committee, and what it anticipates are long-term trends.
Client money may be put to work in model portfolios created by the firm’s investment committee. It can also be invested with third-party advisors. Typical asset classes used include mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), individual stocks and bonds, real estate investment trusts (REITs) and variable annuities.
Most advisors are separately licensed to work as broker-dealers. Thus, clients may choose to separately buy and sell securities, and pay a commission per transaction.
The Wealth Consulting Group has a clean record. The SEC requires all registered investment advisory firms to disclose any legal or disciplinary actions against the firm or its employees in the previous 10 years that would be material to a potential client’s evaluation of the firm or integrity of the management team. To learn more, visit the firm’s IAPD page, where its disclosures are made available to the public.
Buckley Wealth Management, LLC primarily focuses on portfolio management for individual investors both with and without a high net worth as well as a handful of pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations and other businesses. The team also offers financial planning and consulting services, where clients may receive a written financial plan or advice on a specific topic, such as retirement, insurance, education, estate or business planning.
The firm is primarily owned by its founder Brian Buckley, who was a senior vice president at Morgan Stanley before founding his firm in 2017. He now serves as Buckley Wealth Management’s managing partner and chief investment officer. The group works out of a single office in Las Vegas.
The team at Buckley Wealth Management tailors portfolios to each individual client, factoring in their current financial situation, goals and risk tolerance. Typical investment recommendations may include individual stocks and bonds, mutual funds, ETFs and other private and public investments. Client money may also be invested with third-party managers.
The team utilizes a variety of strategies and research methods to create their recommendations and portfolios. Rather than focus solely on choosing stocks, in general, the team works to create an appropriate asset allocation, making sure clients have the right combination of stocks, bonds and cash. When it comes to holding specific investments, sometimes the team holds them for the long term, meaning many years, and other times the team may buy and sell on the same day to take advantage of short-term price movements.
Buckley Wealth Management discloses no legal or disciplinary events in the last 10 years against the firm or its employees that would materially impact a client’s opinion of the firm or its leadership. Visit the firm’s IAPD page to learn more.
With a minimum requirement of $250,000 for investment advisory services, Arista Wealth Management, LLC caters to middle- and upper-income investors, as well as a few institutions, including businesses and nonprofits. These clients turn to the team for financial planning and portfolio management, either as standalone services or grouped together. Financial planning services may include a formal written plan or a consultation on a specific topic, such as retirement, estates, education, taxes, real estate, insurance, businesses and other financial issues. The team also offers certain professional services to wealthy families, such as family member education, business planning and exit strategies, among other services.
Founded in 2006, Arista Wealth Management is owned by Starcrest Trust. The firm has a second location in Mesa, Ariz.
At Arista Wealth Management, portfolio recommendations are tailored to each specific client. Their money may be invested in low-cost mutual funds, ETFs and other public securities or investments.
When it comes to passive investing, the team at Arista Wealth Management largely uses a passive index approach. That said, the team may recommend portfolios of passively managed asset class and index mutual funds if it believes it’s suitable. Recommended mutual funds are offered by The Vanguard Group and Dimensional Fund Advisors, which often charge lower fees than other types of funds.
Among other investment strategies used, advisors may buy stocks, mutual funds and other securities using borrowed money from a client’s account, known as margin transactions. This strategy enables clients to buy more stock than the cash in their account would otherwise allow. The firm may also use long-term purchases, holding investments for more than a year, when it thinks an investment is undervalued or it simply wants to gain exposure over time.
Arista Wealth Management discloses no legal or disciplinary issues involving the firm or its employees or affiliates in the prior decade that would be material to a client evaluating the firm or the integrity of its leadership. View the firm’s IAPD page to learn more.
Founded in 2014, H&H Retirement Design and Management caters primarily to high net worth individuals and families, defined by the SEC as having at least $750,000 to invest or a net worth of $1.5 million. Though the firm generally requires an investment of at least $1 million for portfolio management, the team also can serve individuals who are not high net worth, as well as businesses, family trusts and foundations, among others. Specific niches include business owners, dentists, physicians and retirees.
Clients can choose among various levels of services, including standalone portfolio management or the addition of account tax management, to reduce taxes, or a full financial plan. The firm is owned by its CEO Kenneth Himmler and operates out of a single office in Las Vegas.
Client money at H&H Retirement Design and Management is handled on a discretionary basis, meaning clients hand over control of making daily trading decisions to their advisor. Clients can choose to have their money invested through model portfolios, or to have their advisor create an individual portfolio specific to their circumstances. Clients can also choose to have their advisor create an asset allocation strategy, and then recommend unaffiliated advisors to execute the strategy. These advisors may be so-called “robo-advisors,” which use algorithms to determine which investments are most appropriate.
Investment recommendations generally include public equities, fixed income, mutual funds, variable life insurance and variable annuities, options contracts and interests in partnerships investing in real estate. The team typically plans to hold purchases for the long term. Advisors also may use options as a strategy, meaning they buy the right to buy or sell an asset at a specific price before a certain date.
H&H Retirement Design and Management discloses no legal or disciplinary issues over the prior 10 years that would materially impact a client’s opinion of the firm or its management team, giving the firm a clean record. Visit its IAPD page to learn more.
With a minimum investment of $5 million generally required for a customized portfolio, Kingsbridge Wealth Management, Inc. serves a select number of very wealthy individuals and families. The group also works with a few institutional investors, such as charitable organizations. Advisors offer portfolio management through separately managed accounts to these wealthy investors. Financial planning and consultations are also available, as well as additional services like record keeping, succession planning and lifestyle management. The team also manages five private funds available to certain wealthy and sophisticated investors.
Founded in 2009 and registered with the SEC in 2012, the firm works out of its single Las Vegas office. Firm president David J. Dunn is also the Kingsbridge Wealth Management’s principal owner.
Kingsbridge Wealth Management works with its clients through discretionary relationships, meaning clients give their advisors control of trading decisions without needing to sign off on each transaction. Advisors use separately managed accounts, and tailor each account to the individual client’s goals, objectives and risk tolerance. The team aims to manage assets in a tax-efficient manner for taxable accounts. Advisors may also recommend third-party managers to oversee part of a client’s portfolio.
The firm prefers to index to specific asset classes since they are lower cost, can be managed for lower taxation and participate in market returns. When appropriate or possible, advisors will index with individual equities or ETFs. As for time frames, advisors may buy investments with the goal of holding them for the long term, for the short term or even trading them that same day, to take advantage of what they view as opportunities.
Investment recommendations typically include domestic equities, fixed income, ETFs, mutual funds, options and other securities or non-public investments. Clients may invest some of their money in the firm’s private funds.
Kingsbridge Wealth Management has a clean record. The firm has no legal or disciplinary disclosures over the prior decade involving either the firm or its employees or affiliates that would be material to a client’s evaluation of the firm or the integrity of its management team. Visit the firm’s IAPD page to learn more.
American Retirement Planning Group, Inc. has roots dating back to 1991, when it was founded by Dwight Machael. Today, the firm is owned by Machael, who serves as vice president, and Michael Dahl, the firm’s chief investment officer. The partners work out of a single Las Vegas office. Their list of clients include individuals and families who are and are not considered high net worth (though it serves a significantly larger proportion of the former), as well as pension and profit-sharing plans.
The team at American Retirement Planning Group provides portfolio management and financial planning services and consultations, addressing complex topics such as life insurance and fixed annuities. They also can supply advice to retirement plan participants and others planning for retirement about how to invest their funds.
American Retirement Planning Group manages client money using its proprietary Tactical Asset Allocation Methodology. This strategy adjusts a client’s asset allocation based on the firm’s short-term market forecasts. To create its forecast, the team monitors 20 fundamental and technical factors every week, ranging from core inflation to bond yield curves. The firm describes it as an exit strategy for your investments, protecting your funds from heavy market corrections. Clients should be aware that this strategy may create more trading and more taxes or taxable events in comparison to buying investments and holding them for the long term.
The group designs client portfolios specific to their individual needs. Investment recommendations may include stocks, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds, money market accounts and insurance products such as variable annuities or variable life insurance.
The particularly aggressive Cerberus Strategy offered by the firm invests primarily in stocks and ETFs, and also uses hedging strategies in certain market conditions. Its goal is to achieve maximum long-term gains by exploiting market inefficiencies and other opportunities. The strategy also focuses on protecting capital during unfavorable markets.
American Retirement Planning Group has no legal or disciplinary disclosures to report against the firm or its employees that would be material to a client evaluating the firm or the integrity of its leadership. The SEC requires that all registered investment advisors report such events in their Form ADV paperwork. Learn more by visiting the firm’s IAPD page.
Founded in 2019 by CEO and primary owner Thomas J. Goodson, The AmeriFlex Group is headquartered in Las Vegas. Additionally, the firm has a network of 13 partner offices spread across California, Arizona, Colorado and Texas that may be independently owned and operate under their own branding but are licensed through The AmeriFlex Group.
These affiliated financial advisors provide investment management and financial planning services to individuals and families both high net worth and not. The team can also work with pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations and other business groups. The list of potential financial planning topics the firm can advise upon are broad, including marriage and divorce transition planning, business succession, retirement planning and estate settlement.
Clients of The AmeriFlex Group have options as to how they would like their money invested. Advisors can use sophisticated planning software along with their understanding of your goals and needs to construct a portfolio for you. A typical asset allocation may include a mix of stocks, bonds, options, ETFs, mutual funds and other securities. Or client money can be invested in model portfolios of mutual funds, ETFs and other investments constructed by outside managers, such as BlackRock Investment Management. Some or all of a client’s account may be invested with third-party managers.
Most of the firm’s advisors are also separately registered as broker-dealers, allowing them to buy and sell securities for commissions.
The AmeriFlex Group discloses no disciplinary or legal events that would be material to a potential client evaluating the firm or the integrity of its leadership, thus giving the firm a clean record. Visit the firm’s IAPD page for more information.
About Redrock Wealth Management, LLC
Those who are and are not high net worth turn to Redrock Wealth Management, LLC for asset management and financial planning and consulting, either as standalone services or offered together. In particular, the firm offers many retirement planning tools, such as Social Security planning and retirement income distribution planning.
Greg Phelps struck out on his own and founded Redrock Wealth Management in 2005 after working at other Wall Street firms. Today, the firm is owned by Phelps and advisor and partner Jeremy Murray. Alongside its Las Vegas headquarters, the advisory firm has an additional office in Henderson. It also works with pension and profit-sharing plans, and can serve additional types of institutional investors.
Redrock Wealth Management, LLC investing strategy
Advisors at Redrock Wealth Management believe that markets are efficient and investor returns are determined mainly by the mix of assets in their portfolio. Thus, rather than rely on individual stock selection, Redrock Wealth Management primarily uses mutual funds and index-based ETFs. The firm develops diversified portfolios generally through less actively managed, asset class funds and the mindful selection of advisors and separate account managers who emphasize disciplined asset allocation.
The firm generally does not allow clients to restrict certain types of investments from their portfolios, although exceptions are made on a case-by-base basis. Portfolio recommendations may consist of stocks, bonds, ETFs, options, mutual funds and other public and private investments.
Redrock Wealth Management, LLC disciplinary disclosures
Redrock Wealth Management has a clean record, disclosing no civil, criminal or regulatory items over the prior 10 years that would materially impact a client’s evaluation of the firm or its leadership team. View the firm’s filings on its IAPD page to learn more.
Nevada has a reputation as a tax-friendly state. The state has no state income tax. It also levies no estate or inheritance taxes, though residents could still be subject to federal estate or inheritance taxes.
Independent financial advisors are unaffiliated with the country’s big firms and thus may have fewer conflicts of interest. As for the best type of independent advisor, in general, fee-only planners typically rank as the least conflicted, since they are paid only by the client. Fee-based financial planners, on the other hand, are compensated by the client as well as from other parties, perhaps including commissions from companies on the products the advisors sell. Such payments could incentivize them to recommend products that earn them a bigger paycheck.
While most advisors work with clients who plan to use their investments to fund their retirement, not all advisors specifically help clients plan for retirement. Some advisors focus simply on managing your investments, known as asset management, while other advisors create a plan for you to reach your retirement goals and income needs, known broadly as wealth management.
Ask each potential advisor whether and how they help clients plan for retirement. For example, what factors do they work into their scenarios for your potential retirement income? Will they create a written plan? Will they factor in assets in 401(k) plans?
Generally yes. Many professionals can use the term financial advisor, including brokers who may push certain products in order to nab commissions. A fiduciary is required by law to act in the best interest of the client, and put your needs above their own.
Amanda GenglerAmanda Gengler has been researching and writing about finance for more than 15 years. She honed her personal finance writing as a journalist at Money magazine for a decade.
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