Find a Financial Advisor in El Paso County

Financial advisors in El Paso County: a region with its own rhythm

El Paso sits where Texas, New Mexico and Chihuahua meet, on Mountain time, with the Franklin Mountains running through the city. It feels far from Houston and Dallas because it is: more than 500 miles separate them. That distance shapes the local economy and also means a financial advisor here needs to understand things that a Dallas or Houston advisor may not, such as how military pay works, how a household with relatives in Ciudad Juarez plans, and why summer heat and arroyo flooding belong in an insurance review.

The advisors we connect you with serve El Paso County by phone or video. Our guide to financial advisors explains the titles and how fees work. The rest of this page covers what is specific to this corner of Texas.

El Paso County at a glance

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey, El Paso County has a median household income of $59,806, a per capita income of $28,486 and a median home value of $180,400. The median age is 33.6, 13.1 percent of residents are 65 or older, and 25.9 percent of adults have a bachelor’s degree or more. About 64.2 percent of homes are owner occupied, median gross rent is $1,079 and the unemployment rate is 6.0 percent. The 2025 population estimate is 877,858.

Housing here costs far less than in Austin or Dallas, so a paycheck can stretch further toward saving, provided the household takes advantage.

Fort Bliss and the money questions of military life

Fort Bliss is one of the largest Army installations in the country, and William Beaumont Army Medical Center is part of the same community. Soldiers, civilian employees, contractors and military retirees make up a large part of the local economy. Military families face a distinct set of planning topics that general advice often misses.

• The Thrift Savings Plan is the military’s version of a 401(k), and the Blended Retirement System adds government matching for many service members.
• Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance is cheap, but coverage ends or changes after separation, so many families add a private term policy.
• Frequent moves can disrupt a spouse’s career and income, so a cash reserve matters.
• Retired pay, VA disability compensation and survivor benefits each follow different tax and offset rules.
• Some Texas property tax exemptions apply to disabled veterans, and the amount depends on the disability rating.

A planner who works with service members will ask about your career stage, your plans after the Army and your expected benefits. Before leaving active duty, get a plan for health coverage, because TRICARE rules change for retirees and for those who separate earlier. Dollar limits and rules change, so confirm them with the military finance office or a tax professional.

Wealth management in El Paso County for professionals and business owners

Wealth management goes beyond investments to coordinate taxes, insurance, estate planning and giving. Locally it can fit a physician at one of the area hospitals, an owner of a manufacturing support firm, a trucking or logistics company owner, or a family with land and property on both sides of the border. Many families are also multigenerational, which makes estate planning more than a legal formality. Who inherits the house, and who cares for a parent in the later years?

Owning assets in Mexico or sending support across the border adds reporting rules and currency risk. A wealth manager should work with a cross-border tax professional and an attorney rather than guess. Our estate planning guide describes wills, trusts and beneficiary forms, which matter even for families of modest means because Texas homestead and probate rules affect what happens to a house.

A border economy with factories, trade and health care

The city and Ciudad Juarez form one of the largest binational metro areas in the world. Plants on the Mexican side supply manufacturers across North America, and El Paso is home to trucking, customs brokerage, warehousing and rail activity that supports the trade. Health care, education and government, including the University of Texas at El Paso, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, the school districts and the military, supply steady employment that does not rise and fall with trade.

Trade jobs can be sensitive to tariffs, border waits and the exchange rate. Anyone whose job depends on cross-border trade should keep a larger emergency fund than usual, and consider how much of their family income depends on a single industry. Public jobs offer more stability but come with pension rules that deserve study. Our budgeting and saving guide describes how to size a cushion.

Financial planners in El Paso County: plans for working families

A financial planner turns scattered goals into a written plan. For a household in El Paso, Socorro or the eastside neighborhoods, that might mean a plan to buy a first home, pay off a car loan at a high interest rate, save for a child at UTEP and start a retirement account. Planning can be done for a flat fee, and it often pays for itself by catching expensive mistakes.

Local public universities such as UTEP and El Paso Community College cost less than many schools elsewhere, so a college savings target can be smaller if your child stays close to home. Texas offers a 529 plan, and the right amount depends on the school you expect. Our college savings guide covers the options. Families who plan to send a child out of state should start earlier.

Texas tax rules for El Paso County residents

Texas has no personal income tax. Wages, pensions, Social Security and IRA withdrawals face no state income tax, and Texas does not tax capital gains at the state level. Local government is funded mostly through property tax and sales tax, so property tax is a large yearly cost for homeowners. Homestead exemptions lower the taxable value of a primary residence, and homeowners 65 and older or disabled may qualify for further relief and a limit on school tax increases. File with the El Paso Central Appraisal District, and protest if your appraisal jumps. Because rules and dollar limits change by legislative session, confirm current details with the Texas Comptroller or a tax professional.

Remember that federal tax still applies, and that moving to or from Texas can change which state, if any, taxes your income.

Retirement planning in El Paso County

Only 13.1 percent of residents are 65 or older, though the number grows every year, and the county attracts retirees who want sun, a lower cost of living and nearby medical care. Many people retire on a mix of Social Security, a military pension, a teacher or municipal pension, and savings. The sequence matters: when to claim Social Security, how to bridge years before Medicare at 65, and which accounts to spend first.

Military retirees should check how retired pay, VA benefits and a Survivor Benefit Plan work together, since an election made at retirement is often permanent. Teachers in Texas often belong to the Teacher Retirement System and may be outside Social Security, so benefit estimates need extra care. Our retirement planning guide lays out the full steps.

Around El Paso, retirement costs include cooling a home through long summers and, for many people, traveling to visit family across borders. Include both in the budget.

Life insurance in El Paso County

Life insurance replaces income if a wage earner dies. For military families the first layer is often Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance, and civilians may have group coverage from an employer. Those policies can end when the job does, so a private term policy that you own gives you stability. Term coverage costs the least, and the premium rises with age and health issues, so buying earlier usually costs less.

Compare coverage amounts with real needs: the mortgage, the cost of raising children, a spouse’s income, and support for parents. Be careful with policies pitched at base events or by mail that carry high premiums for small benefits. Our life insurance guide helps you compare policy types.

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Heat, dust, monsoon floods and what to insure

El Paso is a desert city, and the risks come from the dry climate. Summer temperatures are high for months, which raises cooling costs and strains roofs and equipment. Late summer monsoon storms can drop heavy rain on hard desert ground, and runoff races through arroyos and streets. The 2006 flooding showed that damage can be severe, including in areas outside mapped flood zones. Standard homeowners policies exclude flood, so ask your agent about a separate policy.

Wind and dust storms can damage roofs and vehicles, and hail occurs on occasion. Keep an emergency fund large enough to cover your deductible, and review coverage each year as home values change.

Investment advisors in El Paso County

An investment advisor chooses and monitors your portfolio. For many families with modest accounts, a low-cost index fund inside a Thrift Savings Plan, 401(k) or IRA is enough, with an advisor needed only for occasional checkups. If you have received a settlement, sold a business or inherited property, hiring an ongoing advisor can make sense.

Typical fees are around 1 percent of assets a year, and some advisors charge flat or hourly rates instead. Ask about fund expenses, and ask whether the advisor acts as a fiduciary. Our investing guide explains how fees reduce returns over time.

How to choose a financial advisor in El Paso County

Pick someone you can talk to easily. Interview two or three advisors, and compare what they say in plain terms.

1. Ask what they would do for a household like yours in the first three months.
2. Request a written fee estimate in dollars as well as percentages.
3. Check their record on FINRA BrokerCheck and the SEC adviser database.
4. Ask about experience with military pay, public pensions or business owners, depending on your case.
5. Confirm whether they can meet in English or Spanish.

Areas we serve in El Paso County

Advisors we connect you with serve households across the county by phone or video, including El Paso and Socorro. The county also includes Horizon City, San Elizario, Clint, Anthony, Canutillo and the Lower Valley, as well as eastside, westside and northeast neighborhoods near Fort Bliss. Mention where you live, because property tax, school district and flood exposure vary by neighborhood.

Frequently asked questions