Find a Financial Advisor in Denver, CO

Denver at a glance

Denver is a city and a county in one, so Census figures describe a single place. The U.S. Census Bureau 2025 population estimate is 740,613, and the 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey (ACS) puts the median household income at $94,718 and the median age at 35.3. Of adults, 56.5 percent hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, and only 12.5 percent of residents are 65 or older (ACS). A financial advisor in Denver therefore spends more time on building wealth than on spending it down.

Any financial advisor in Denver hears about housing first. The ACS median home value is $616,000, the median gross rent is $1,831 a month, and 48.8 percent of homes are owner occupied. Renters saving for a purchase and owners carrying a mortgage ask different questions, which is why the sections below treat them apart.

How much does a financial advisor cost in Denver?

A financial advisor in Denver usually charges in one of three ways, and the right one depends on how much help you want. The label matters less than the dollar amount.

An asset-based fee is a yearly percentage of the money the advisor manages. One percent is a commonly quoted figure, often lower on larger balances. On a hypothetical $500,000 portfolio that comes to about $5,000 a year. A flat planning fee covers a written plan for a set price, usually in the low thousands of dollars. Hourly work suits a single question, such as how to sell a block of employer stock or whether to roll an old 401(k) into an IRA. Some advisors are also paid commissions on products, so a financial advisor in Denver should tell you in writing which kind of pay applies to your account.

Before signing, get the full yearly cost written as a dollar figure for your own balance, fund expenses included. Rates differ from firm to firm, so confirm current numbers directly.

Who needs a financial advisor in Denver?

Anyone whose money questions have started to touch each other. In this city that usually looks like one of four situations:

• A renter saving a down payment while the median home sits at $616,000 (ACS).
• A household paid partly in stock or options by a technology, aerospace or energy company, where taxes and concentration risk collide.
• A freelancer, restaurant owner or tradesperson who has no employer plan and needs a way to save for retirement.
• A public employee who will draw a Colorado PERA pension and wants to see how it fits with savings and Social Security.

A financial planner can sort these in order, and a financial advisor in Denver who works with all four will say which to settle first. Often the first call is a ranking exercise, with no fund picks yet.

What a financial advisor in Denver can handle

Advisors who serve the area cover five kinds of work, and many firms do several of them.

• Wealth management for larger households, joining investments, taxes and estate planning.
• Financial planning for budgets, debt, cash reserves and college savings.
• Retirement planning, including account choices, withdrawal order and tax planning.
• Life insurance review, from term coverage for a young family to policies that support an estate.
• Investment advice on investing basics, fund costs, risk and rebalancing.

Housing against income: the Denver math

A financial advisor in Denver will usually begin with ratios like these. They use ACS medians, so swap in your own numbers.

1. Owners with a mortgage report a median monthly cost of $2,466. Times 12, that is $29,592 a year.
2. Divide by the median household income of $94,718. The result is 31.2 percent of income going to housing.
3. A median renter pays $1,831 a month, or $21,972 a year, which is 23.2 percent of that same income.
4. A six-month cash cushion at the median income is roughly $47,400, since $94,718 divided by two is $47,359.
5. Hail is a regular fact of life along the Front Range, and many Colorado homeowner policies set a separate wind and hail deductible as a percentage of the home’s value. At 1 percent of $616,000 that deductible is $6,160, and at 2 percent it is $12,320. Read your own policy for the actual number.

Most plans start with a cushion that covers the hail deductible and a few months of mortgage. The guide to budgeting and saving shows how to build it.

Colorado tax basics for Denver households

Colorado taxes income at a flat state rate, and a financial advisor in Denver can walk you through how that interacts with your pay. The state gives older residents some subtraction on retirement income, including Social Security, with amounts that depend on age. Colorado does not currently charge a state estate or inheritance tax, though the federal estate tax still applies to very large estates. Rules change often, so confirm current rules with the Colorado Department of Revenue or a tax professional before you act on any of this.

Neighborhoods and suburbs we serve

Households looking for a financial advisor in Denver reach us from Capitol Hill, the Highland area, Washington Park, Cherry Creek, Park Hill, Five Points, Baker and Central Park, the former Stapleton district. Nearby suburbs include Aurora, Lakewood, Littleton, Englewood, Arvada and Westminster. Everything runs by phone or video, so the commute on I-25 or Colfax Avenue does not matter.

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How to choose a financial advisor in Denver

1. Write your two main questions on paper before any call, so you can judge whether a financial advisor in Denver answers them directly.
2. Pull each firm’s record from the SEC adviser search (IAPD) and FINRA BrokerCheck, and read the disciplinary section first.
3. Find out whether the advisor earns anything from the products sold to you, and keep that answer in an email.
4. Put two or three yearly quotes next to each other, each priced on your actual balance.
5. Settle how often you will meet and who answers the phone between meetings.
6. Walk away from anyone who names a return in advance or wants money moved on call one.

Frequently asked questions