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Choosing a financial advisor in Nashville can be challenging given the number of advisors in this growing area. Similar to, say, shopping for a guitar, finding the right advisor is a lot about figuring out the proper fit. To be successful, you must understand your financial needs and goals and how much you’re willing to spend.
Comparing firms and data points can be overwhelming, so we compiled the most relevant information here to help guide your decision. To figure out which advisors in Nashville are the best, we only considered firms that manage individual accounts and provide 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.
While our ranking can’t tell you which advisor will feel like the right fit for you, it can hopefully provide the information you need to make a fully informed decision. Keep reading for our list of the top firms in Nashville and their main highlights:
| Firm name | Minimum Assets Required | Fee Structure |
|---|---|---|
| Woodmont Investment Counsel, LLC | $1 million |
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| Stonebridge Wealth Management | $250,000 |
|
| M Capital Advisors | Varies by account |
|
| Covenant Partners, LLC | Not specified |
|
| Tillman Hartley LLC | Not specified |
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| Kraft Asset Management, LLC | $1 million; $500,000 for individual fixed income portfolios |
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| Criterion Capital Advisors LLC | Not specified |
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| Pinnacle Wealth Advisors | $500,000 |
|
| Decker Wealth Management, LLC | None |
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| Stonepoint Capital, LLC | None |
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For our search, we looked at firms across the city of Nashville. 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 Nashville, 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 March 15, 2021, but we urge you to also evaluate these firms on https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/.
From its Nashville office, Woodmont Investment Counsel, LLC caters to individuals and families, including business owners, who both are and are not high net worth, defined by the SEC as having at least $750,000 under management or a net worth of at least $1.5 million. The firm also serves retirement plans and institutions, such as nonprofits and charitable organizations, and provides services to a pooled investment fund.
The advisors at Woodmont Investment Counsel offer portfolio management as well as overall financial planning. Before any trading in accounts begins, advisors address gaps in areas such as retirement planning, insurance, taxes and the family’s estate or business, and then make referrals to the appropriate outside professionals if necessary.
Founded in 2000, Woodmont Investment Counsel’s roots extend back much longer. The founding team previously worked at two large money management firms, Stein Roe & Farnham and the investment advisory unit within J.C. Bradford. When J.C. Bradford sold to Paine Webber and ultimately to the brokerage firm UBS, Woodmont’s founding team decided to create this independent firm. Today, the firm is owned by key employees including portfolio managers Scott Burns, James Conner, Stephen Frohsin and Will Ed Settle, as well as co-founder Paul Kuhn.
Advisors at Woodmont Investment Counsel build portfolios specific to each client’s unique circumstances. The team believes in broad diversification among individual stocks, bonds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), no-load mutual funds and, when appropriate, alternative investments such as real estate investment trusts, commodities, hedge funds and limited partnerships. They also focus on keeping investment expenses low and controlling taxes on taxable accounts.
When searching for investments, Woodmont Investment Counsel takes a bottom-up approach, meaning the firm identifies asset classes and sectors it believes are attractive and then looks for cost-effective ways to gain exposure to that sector. For example, the team may use a core-satellite approach that offers indexed exposure to large-capitalization stocks through low-cost ETFs. Exposure to mid- and small-cap stocks and international securities comes from no-load, low-fee and tax-efficient funds.
Woodmont Investment Counsel has a clean legal and disciplinary record. The firm discloses no actions against the firm or its employees in the prior 10 years that a potential client would find material when evaluating the firm and the integrity of its leadership team. As a registered investment advisor, the SEC requires the firm to report this information in its Form ADV paperwork. To view the firm’s Form ADV and learn more, visit its IAPD page.
Stonebridge Wealth Management serves high net worth individuals and families, as well as some middle-income clients with smaller investment accounts. Specifically, the firm works with high-profile clients including professional sports players and arts and entertainment stars. Clients turn to the firm for investment management and general financial planning, which may include addressing topics such as asset preservation, disability and income protection, debt management, cash flow, tax management and legacy planning.
Legally known as Stonebridge Investment Counsel, LLC, the firm has provided investment advisory services since 2002 and is owned by Mitchell Martin, who serves as the firm’s president and chief compliance officer. The team works out of its single Nashville office.
The group also works with charitable organizations, corporations and other businesses and profit-sharing plans.
Stonebridge Wealth Management typically recommends that client money is invested through independent managers. A third-party registered investment advisor, Callan Associates, is responsible for researching and vetting independent managers, and provides a list of approved managers to Stonebridge Wealth Management. Clients also use an investment platform administered by Callan.
Stonebridge primarily invests client money in mutual funds and ETFs, as well as equities, certificates of deposit (CDs), and corporate and government fixed income. To identify investment opportunities, the team studies a company and industry’s fundamentals, such as growth prospects, competition and management, and also considers technical market data like historical pricing and volume data.
The firm notes that while tax efficiency is not its primary concern when investing client funds, it may use tax minimization tactics such as tax-loss harvesting. Still, it recommends that its clients consult with a tax professional.
Stonebridge Wealth Management reports no legal or disciplinary activities against the firm, its employees or its affiliates in the prior 10 years that a potential client would find material when evaluating the firm. This includes any civil, criminal or regulatory actions. To learn more, view the firm’s IAPD page.
Legally and originally known as Mastrapasqua Asset Management, this firm was founded in 1993 by its principal owner and chief investment officer, Dr. Frank Mastrapasqua. In 2017, the firm was rebranded as M Capital Advisors. In addition to its Nashville headquarters, M Capital Advisors currently has offices in Tullahoma, Tenn., and San Antonio, Texas.
The team at M Capital Advisors aims to blend managing client portfolios with financial planning for their futures. Thus, financial planning is sometimes included in the portfolio management fee at no extra cost. Other times, depending on the client’s needs, clients may pay hourly for financial planning. Topics addressed by the firm may include retirement, education or estate planning, as well as investment and cash flow analysis.
The firm serves individuals and families both with and without a high net worth, as well as pension and profit-sharing plans; institutions such as charitable organizations, corporations and other businesses; and unified managed accounts.
The team at M Capital Advisors has a handful of internally managed investment strategies. These range from large-cap core equity, to balanced portfolios of equity and fixed income, to mutual fund and fixed-income strategies. An investment strategy is selected for a client based on their investment objectives and risk tolerance.
To select stocks and sectors the firm believes will outperform, the team uses a top-down approach that first looks for industries and then specific investments that should outperform. It also uses a bottom-up approach that hunts for attractive stocks based on fundamental information such as catalysts, competitive positioning, industry tailwinds, the likelihood of sustainable growth and other factors.
M Capital Advisors has no disciplinary disclosures. This means that neither the firm nor its employees or affiliates have faced any civil, criminal or regulatory actions in the prior 10 years that would materially impact a client’s view of the firm or the integrity of its leaders. To get more information on M Capital Advisors, visit its IAPD page.
This Nashville-based team caters primarily to individuals and families, both who are and are not considered high net worth. The team also works with some privately held business entities and estates.
Clients can turn to Covenant Partners to manage their portfolios and provide financial planning on topics such as insurance, taxes, retirement and estate planning. The firm also offers general consulting and what it dubs fiscal counsel services, which includes family office services, bill-paying, payroll and the management of personal and business income and expenses.
Covenant Partners was founded in 1997 by its principals and owners, Todd Glisson and J. Banks Link.
Advisors at Covenant Partners usually do not build portfolios of individual equities unless the client specifically requests it. Instead, the team generally takes a buy-and-hold approach. However, short-term investments may be used for certain clients depending on their needs and objectives.
Portfolios created by the team are diversified among many asset classes, using the following three primary “sleeves”:
Covenant Partners discloses no legal or disciplinary events against the firm or its employees in the prior decade that a client would find material when assessing the firm and the integrity of its management team. As a registered investment advisory firm, Covenant Partners is required by the SEC to report such events in its Form ADV paperwork. Learn more by viewing the firm’s Form ADV provided on its IAPD page.
Tillman Hartley was founded in 1999 to provide investment management and advice, as well as financial planning services. The latter covers topics such as cash flow management, charitable giving, college planning, retirement planning, tax planning and estate planning. The firm also offers additional services to ultra-wealthy families with complex financial needs.
Typical clients of Tillman Hartley include high net worth individuals as well as a few middle-income individuals and families. The firm also serves pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations and small businesses.
Headquartered in Nashville, Tillman Hartley has an additional office location Gainesville, Fla. Founder Michael Tillman is the firm’s principal owner, with other owners including partners Michael Lambert, Gary Lutes and Kevin Schwall, and financial manager Benjamin Cannon.
Tillman Hartley crafts portfolios based on each client’s goals, objectives, time horizon and risk tolerance. Particular attention is given to diversification and investing expenses. Client money is primarily invested in no-load mutual funds and ETFs. When appropriate, stocks and bonds may be used. Other investments may include warrants, corporate debt securities, commercial paper, CDs, variable life insurance, options contracts, futures contracts and interests in partnerships.
To identify appropriate investments, the company relies primarily on fundamental research, which analyzes corporate activities, filings with the SEC and annual reports, among other sources. The team often — but not always — uses mutual funds and separately managed accounts from the third-party Dimensional Fund Advisors.
Tillman Hartley has a clean legal and disciplinary record. The firm discloses no marks over the past 10 years against the firm or its team that a client would deem material when evaluating the firm or its leadership. To learn more, view the firm’s IAPD page.
Founded in 2002, Kraft Asset Management is owned by KraftCPAs, PLLC, a certified public accounting firm in Tennessee. The team at Kraft Asset Management offers investment portfolio management, as well as consulting on other financial planning areas including income and estate tax planning, college financing, retirement planning, insurance needs, charitable giving and others. Written financial plans may be provided. The team also manages health savings accounts for clients.
Kraft Asset Management provides financial advice to clients including individuals, small businesses, family limited partnerships, estates, corporations and retirement plans. The firm typically requires a minimum account size of $1 million, or $500,000 for individual fixed income portfolios. However, clients with more modest portfolios can access services through an online software program, which allows a set number of meetings a year with the firm’s advisors. To qualify for this program, clients must have investable assets of at least $100,000, contribute at least $12,000 annually to their account and have a minimum annual household income of $200,000.
Headquartered in Nashville, the firm has two additional Tennessee offices in Columbia and Lebanon.
Kraft Asset Management takes a buy-and-hold approach to investing. The team believes that a portfolio’s performance over time depends more on its allocation rather than on choosing the best stocks or timing the market.
Thus, advisors at the firm recommend diversified portfolios, which typically include no-load mutual funds. Advisors may also use ETFs and individual equities, and model portfolios may be relied upon where appropriate. The firm may also tap third-party fixed-income managers.
Kraft Asset Management discloses no legal or disciplinary events in the prior 10 years against the firm, its team members or its affiliates, including any civil, criminal or regulatory actions. View the firm’s IAPD page to learn more.
Most of Criterion Capital Advisors’ clients are individual investors, including those who are considered high net worth. However, the firm also can provide services to pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, small businesses, corporations and other investment advisors.
The firm’s advisors provide investment management, financial planning and consulting services, addressing topics such as insurance, education, retirement and charitable planning. Standalone planning services are available, or they can be included as part of a client’s comprehensive wealth management services.
Criterion Capital Advisors registered as an investment advisor in 2018, and it is owned by its three partners: Allan Horner, Mark Pierce and Scott Freeman. The team works out of its Nashville office.
Criterion Capital Advisors believes that a portfolio’s asset allocation is the largest driver of performance and risk. Client money is primarily allocated among mutual funds, ETFs, individual equity and debt securities, annuities, private securities and independent investment managers.
To make its investment decisions, the team at Criterion Capital Advisors analyzes the macroeconomy and a company’s fundamentals to identify which sub-asset classes and individual securities it believes are the best bet. When looking specifically at individual stocks, the team seeks to identify durable companies with above-average rates of growth, profitability, shareholder payouts, stable economics and attractive pricing.
Criterion Capital Advisors has no disciplinary history to report. This includes any civil, criminal or regulatory events over the previous 10 years against the firm or its employees. Learn more about the firm by visiting its IAPD page.
Pinnacle Wealth Advisors caters primarily to high net worth individuals as well as some with more modest levels of investable assets. In addition to individual investors, the team also serves banking and thrift institutions and other types of businesses and corporations. The firm, which generally requires a minimum of $500,000 to open an account, provides investment management and financial planning services.
In existence since 2006, the group is a subsidiary of Pinnacle Financial Partners, a bank headquartered in Nashville. Advisors at Pinnacle Wealth Advisors work out of the firm’s headquarters, also located in Nashville.
The team at Pinnacle Wealth Advisors builds equity and balanced accounts that may include domestic stocks and options, ETFs and mutual funds, among other types of investments. The firm also offers fixed-income accounts, which may include municipal, corporate and agency bonds, exchange-traded bond funds or CDs.
The group has several proprietary models that can be used in an “a la carte” fashion when deciding how to allocate a client’s portfolio. The firm works with each client to determine their appropriate level of risk and thus which asset allocation is appropriate for their situation.
Pinnacle Wealth Advisors discloses no disciplinary or legal events against the firm, its employees or its affiliates in the prior 10 years that a client would deem material when evaluating the firm or the integrity of its management team. To learn more, view the firm’s IAPD page.
William Decker founded his eponymous firm in 2009, after spending more than 15 years combined with Morgan Stanley and US Trust/Bank of America. Today, Decker remains the principal owner of Decker Wealth Management, which works out of a single office in Nashville.
The team at Decker Wealth Management provides investment management, financial planning and consulting services. It works with individuals and families, including their associated trusts and estates, as well as some investment companies. Topics that may be addressed by the firm include business planning, retirement, insurance, estate planning, taxes and cash flow needs.
Advisors at Decker Wealth Management focus on spreading client money across various asset categories appropriate for the specific client, paying attention to costs and tax consequences. Client money is typically invested in ETFs, individual debt and equity securities and with independent managers.
In order to form its investment views, the firm relies on three primary sources of analysis: fundamental, which looks at the company’s financial condition and competitive position; technical, which looks at historical market data for repeatable trends; and cyclical, which looks at market conditions across the overall economy.
Advisors may also weigh in on other products such as variable life and annuity products, as well as a client’s employer sponsored-retirement plan.
Decker Wealth Management discloses no legal or disciplinary marks over the prior 10 years that would materially impact a client’s view of the firm or the integrity of its leaders. Learn more by viewing the firm’s IAPD page.
From its single Nashville office, the team at Stonepoint Capital provides portfolio management and financial planning to individuals, including those who are high net worth, and family offices. The team may also offer business and tax consulting services.
Founded in 2015, Stonepoint Capital is owned by Scott Alexander Greenwood, the firm’s chief compliance officer, and Timothy James Wolters, a managing member.
Advisors at Stonepoint Capital base their recommendations on many factors, including a client’s objectives, risk tolerance, asset class preferences, time horizon, liquidity needs, generational requirements, charitable desires and estate planning and tax considerations. Using this information, they form an appropriate mix of asset classes unique to that client’s needs.
To decide which third-party managers to recommend to execute that mix, advisors look at a manager’s philosophy, strategy, historical performance, expenses and tax efficiencies, among other factors. Alternative investments such as hedge funds may also be used when appropriate for certain clients to gain exposure to new areas otherwise inaccessible, and to enhance performance with lower volatility.
Notably, clients of the firm are not allowed to prohibit advisors from investing in any types of investments.
Stonepoint Capital has a clean record, disclosing no disciplinary or legal events in the prior decade that a potential client would find material when evaluating the firm or the integrity of its management. View the firm’s IAPD page to learn more.
Look for fee-only financial advisors in your area through trustworthy organizations such as the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors, or letsmakeaplan.org. Be sure to specifically ask the advisors how they are paid, and by whom. As a rule, fee-only advisors solely earn money from the fees their clients pay as opposed to fee-based advisors, who may also make money off of commissions from selling or recommending products or services.
To find the right advisor for you, you’ll want to search for someone who offers the specific services you need. Since some advisors have minimum account size requirements, you also need to make sure that the advisor accepts clients with the amount of money you have to invest and is experienced in working with investors in financial situations similar to yours. Finally, you should make sure you feel comfortable with how, and by whom, the advisor is paid.
Beyond these points, check out this list of key questions to ask all potential advisors when you’re vetting your choices.
No. Some financial advisors focus on managing your portfolio, while others look holistically at your financial life, including your retirement goals. The latter is known as wealth management vs. asset management. Be sure to ask all potential planners what services they specifically perform for helping you plan your retirement if this is a priority for you.
Tennessee is one of the most tax-friendly states in the nation. The state imposes no income tax. Previously, the state did tax interest and dividend income, but that was phased out in 2021.
Tennessee also has no state estate or inheritance tax. Residents may be subject to federal estate taxes though, depending on the size of the estate and their relationship to the deceased.
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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