Find a Financial Advisor in Houston, TX

Financial planning in Houston at a glance

Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth largest in the United States, with about 2.3 million residents inside the city limits and more than seven million across the metro area. It spreads across parts of Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties, and its economy rests on a few big pillars: oil and gas, the Texas Medical Center, Port Houston, aerospace around NASA’s Johnson Space Center, and one of the largest groups of corporate headquarters in the country.

Those pillars shape the questions Houston families bring to an advisor: an engineer holding a large block of company stock, a physician with high income and heavy student loans, a business owner with income that rises and falls, or a teacher planning around a state pension.

Financial advisors in Houston: what they do and what they cost

A financial advisor helps you organize your money and make decisions that fit your goals. That can include a savings plan, investments, retirement income, insurance, and coordinating with your CPA and estate attorney. Some advisors focus on one area; others coordinate your whole financial picture.

Houston has every kind of firm, from national brokerages in the Galleria and downtown to independent fiduciaries, virtual fee-only planners and private wealth teams in River Oaks and Memorial. How an advisor is paid matters as much as who they work for. Typical ranges, nationally and in Houston:

Wealth management companies in Houston

Wealth management is a broader, more hands-on service than investment advice alone. A wealth management company typically combines investment management with tax planning, estate coordination, charitable giving and business succession planning. Many firms set account minimums in the hundreds of thousands of dollars or more.

Houston has a large market for wealth management because of the number of executives, business owners and professionals in the region. Several situations come up again and again here:

• Concentrated energy stock. Years of restricted stock units, options or an employee stock purchase plan can leave one company making up a large share of your net worth. A wealth manager can help you sell down gradually, manage the tax hit and set rules for future grants.
• Business owners. Owners in construction, logistics, oilfield services and healthcare often need help with retirement plans for themselves and employees, entity structure, and an eventual sale or handoff.
• Executive compensation. Deferred compensation plans, bonus timing and change-in-control terms all have planning consequences.

When you compare firms, ask who will manage your account, how often you will meet, the all-in cost including fund expenses, and whether the firm is always a fiduciary.

Financial planners in Houston

A financial planner looks at your whole financial life and turns it into a written plan with clear next steps. Planning is often the right starting point for people who do not need full wealth management yet, or who want a second opinion on what they are already doing. Many planners hold the Certified Financial Planner designation, which requires education, an exam, work experience and a commitment to act as a fiduciary when giving financial advice.

Houston planners regularly help with questions like these:

• Young professionals and medical residents balancing student loans, a first home and retirement savings.
• Growing families choosing between the Texas College Savings Plan, LoneStar 529 or the Texas Tuition Promise Fund for future tuition.
• Households rebuilding after storms who want a larger emergency fund and a clearer insurance picture.

Because Texas has no income tax, there is no state deduction for 529 contributions. The main benefits come from tax-free growth and withdrawals for qualified education costs at the federal level. See our college savings guide for how the plans compare.

Get a second opinion on your plan

A Houston-area financial planner can review your budget, savings and goals with you, free and with no obligation.

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Retirement planning in Houston

Texas is often described as a tax-friendly state for retirees, and for income tax that is true. There is no state tax on Social Security benefits, pensions, 401(k) or IRA withdrawals, or investment income. That can make strategies like Roth conversions more attractive, because the only tax you pay on the conversion is federal.

The tradeoff is property tax. Texas relies heavily on property taxes to fund schools and local government, and effective rates in the Houston area are among the higher ones in the nation. For many retirees, the property tax bill is the largest tax they pay each year. Texas offers several kinds of relief for homeowners 65 and older on their primary residence:

• An additional homestead exemption on top of the general exemption that all homeowners can claim.
• A school district tax ceiling, often called a freeze, which generally keeps school taxes from rising above the level in the year you qualify, unless you make major improvements.
• The option to defer property taxes on your home for as long as you live there, with the deferred amount and interest due later.

Exemption amounts change through legislation and local decisions, so check current figures with the Harris Central Appraisal District, or the Fort Bend or Montgomery appraisal districts if you live in those parts of the metro.

Pensions are another big piece of retirement planning here. Many Houston-area workers are covered by the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, the Employees Retirement System of Texas, or one of the city’s own systems for municipal employees, firefighters and police. Many Texas school districts do not participate in Social Security. The Social Security Fairness Act, signed in January 2025, repealed the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset, which had reduced Social Security benefits for many people with these pensions. If you or your spouse have a public pension, it is worth asking an advisor to rerun your numbers. Our retirement planning guide walks through the basics.

A Houston retirement plan usually works through these steps:

1. Estimate your spending in retirement, including property tax, insurance and healthcare before and after Medicare begins at 65.
2. List guaranteed income from Social Security and any pension, and decide when to claim.
3. Choose a withdrawal order for taxable, tax-deferred and Roth accounts to manage federal taxes over time.
4. Plan for long-term care costs and keep beneficiary designations up to date.

Life insurance in Houston

Life insurance protects the people who depend on your income, replacing it for a spouse or children and paying off debts like a mortgage. Term life insurance covers a set period, such as 20 or 30 years, and is usually the most affordable way to get a large amount of coverage. Permanent policies, such as whole life and universal life, last for your lifetime and build cash value, but cost considerably more.

A few Texas rules make life insurance planning a little different for Houston families:

• Community property. In Texas, a policy bought with community funds during marriage may be considered partly owned by each spouse, even if only one spouse is named as owner. This affects who controls the policy and what happens in a divorce or at death, so coordinate it with your estate plan.
• Creditor protection. Texas law generally protects life insurance proceeds and cash values from many creditors, which can make insurance a useful part of an asset protection plan. An attorney can explain how this applies to you.
• Workplace coverage. Group life insurance from large Houston employers is valuable, but it often ends when you leave the job, so it should not be your only protection.

Insurance companies and agents in the state are licensed and regulated by the Texas Department of Insurance, which offers a consumer helpline and a way to check an agent’s license. Our life insurance guide explains the main policy types. A financial advisor can help you decide how much coverage you need and compare quotes, and a fee-only advisor can review a policy you already own without trying to sell you a new one.

Investment advisors in Houston

An investment advisor manages your portfolio, either by recommending investments or by making decisions for you with your permission. Firms that give investment advice for a fee are known as registered investment advisers. Smaller firms generally register with the Texas State Securities Board, while larger firms register with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Registered investment advisers owe their clients a fiduciary duty, which means they must put your interests first.

Brokers are regulated by FINRA, and many professionals are both. Before you hire anyone, look them up on the SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure site and on FINRA BrokerCheck. These free tools show registrations, work history and any disciplinary actions. Ask for the firm’s Form ADV Part 2, a plain-language brochure that explains services, fees and conflicts of interest.

For Houston investors, a few themes are worth discussing with any investment advisor:

• Diversifying away from energy. If your job, bonus and stock awards all depend on oil and gas, your portfolio may not need more of the same.
• Tax-efficient investing. Even without a state income tax, placing investments in the right accounts can reduce federal taxes on dividends and gains. Our investing basics guide and tax planning guide cover the fundamentals.

How to choose a financial advisor in Houston

The right advisor is someone you trust, who understands your situation and is clear about costs. These steps can help you choose with confidence:

1. Decide what you need help with: a one-time plan, ongoing investment management, retirement income, insurance, or full wealth management.
2. Ask whether the advisor is a fiduciary at all times and get the answer in writing.
3. Ask exactly how they are paid and what you will pay in total each year, including fund expenses.
4. Check their record on the SEC and FINRA lookup tools.
5. Ask who their typical clients are. An advisor who works with many energy professionals, physicians or retirees may understand your situation faster.
6. Meet with two or three advisors before deciding. A good advisor will welcome your questions.

Many Houston residents now work with advisors entirely by phone and video, which saves a drive across town and widens your choices.

Areas we serve around Houston

We connect people across the Greater Houston area with financial advisors, by phone or video. That includes neighborhoods such as Downtown, Midtown, the Heights, Montrose, River Oaks, the Galleria and Uptown, Memorial, the Energy Corridor, Clear Lake, Kingwood and Meyerland, as well as nearby cities like Bellaire and West University Place. We also serve communities throughout Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties.

Nearby communities include Sugar Land, Pearland, League City, Pasadena, Baytown, Conroe, Missouri City, Katy, Friendswood, Galveston, Texas City, Rosenberg and The Woodlands.

Nearby areas we also serve: See all of Texas

Frequently asked questions