The best financial planning companies in 2026 are Nino, Facet, Range, Domain Money, Vanguard Personal Advisor, Betterment Premium, Empower, Creative Planning, and Mercer Advisors. They split into two pricing models. Flat-fee memberships run from $2,600 (Facet Core) to $12,500 (Range Titanium) a year at list prices checked October 27, 2026, and Nino Advisor plans are $3,600, $4,800, or $12,000 a year with federal and state tax filing on every plan. The asset-based companies charge about 0.30% to 1.20% of the money they manage, with minimums from $50,000 to $500,000, and none of them files your return inside the fee.
The fastest way to narrow the list is two questions: do you want tax filing included, and do you want the company to manage your investments?
- Planning and tax on one team, with your money left in your own accounts: Nino.
- Planning plus managed investing for a flat fee: Facet, Range, Domain Money.
- Managed investing with an advisor attached, priced on assets: Vanguard Personal Advisor, Betterment Premium, Empower Personal Strategy, Creative Planning, Mercer Advisors.
What is a financial planning company?
A financial planning company sells ongoing advice on your whole financial picture: cash flow, taxes, retirement, equity compensation, insurance, and estate decisions. It is different from a brokerage (which holds and trades your investments), a robo-advisor (which manages a portfolio by algorithm), and a tax preparer (which files your return). Some planning companies also manage investments or file taxes. Most do one or the other, and the price depends on which.
The people matter as much as the company. Financial planning work is usually done by a CFP professional, and tax work by a CPA or enrolled agent. Nino’s guide to CFP vs CPA covers what each credential does.
How do financial planning companies charge?
There are three models, and the fee shape decides what you pay as your balance grows.
- Flat annual fee. A fixed price for a defined set of services. The fee does not change when your accounts grow. Nino, Facet, Range, and Domain Money publish their prices.
- Percentage of assets (AUM). A yearly percentage of the money the company manages for you, charged whether or not the plan changed that year. Vanguard, Betterment, and Empower price this way. The AUM vs flat-fee calculator shows the break-even balance for your numbers.
- Hourly or project. Pay for a one-time plan or a second opinion. Not a company model so much as an individual planner’s, and covered in Nino’s guide to what a financial advisor costs.
“Fee-only” and “flat-fee” are not the same thing. Fee-only means no commissions; a fee-only firm can still charge a percentage of assets. Nino’s explainer on fee-only vs fee-based advisors sorts out the labels.
Which financial planning companies are best in 2026?
Nino. A flat-fee CPA and Financial Planner team with AI software. Advisor plans are $3,600 (Essential), $4,800 (Plus), and $12,000 (Premier) a year, each with federal and state tax filing, a financial plan built by a CFP professional, and year-round tax planning by a CPA. The software is also sold alone from $20 a month. Unlike traditional wealth managers, Nino never takes control of your investments. You retain full ownership and decision-making authority. There is no percentage-of-assets fee that grows with your balance, and the plan covers every account you own, including a 401(k), company stock, and property. Best for households with equity compensation, a business, or a liquidity event who want planning and filing from one team.
Facet. A planner-led membership. As of October 27, 2026, Facet lists $2,600 (Core), $5,500 (Plus), and $8,700 (Complete) a year. Every tier gets a CFP professional and investment management; tax filing through a partner starts on Plus. Best for someone who wants a planner and a managed portfolio at the lowest flat entry price and can file elsewhere. See the Facet alternatives post for the tradeoffs.
Range. A specialist-team membership with portfolio management at no asset-based fee. Range lists Premium at $3,950, Platinum at $5,950, and Titanium at $12,500 a year. Platinum adds tax planning and CPA access; Titanium adds personal tax filing. Best for high earners who want planners, tax, and estate specialists under one roof and are prepared to pay for the top tier to get filing. See Range alternatives.
Domain Money. Flat-fee planning with a first-year and renewal price. Domain Money lists Essential at $3,900 (renews $2,900), Strategic at $5,200 (renews $4,200), and Comprehensive at $9,000 (renews $8,000). Filing through Taxfyle starts on Strategic. Best for a household that wants a planner-built plan first and is comfortable with a partner preparing the return. See Domain Money alternatives.
Vanguard Personal Advisor. A hybrid program: automated investing plus an advisor when you call, with a $50,000 minimum and a net advisory fee of about 0.30% of enrolled assets. Personal Advisor Select raises the minimum to $500,000 and assigns a dedicated financial planner. Vanguard’s program page has the fee schedule. Best for a Vanguard investor who mainly wants the portfolio managed at a low rate. No tax filing.
Betterment Premium. Betterment’s advisor tier: 0.65% a year on the first $1 million with a $100,000 minimum, on top of its automated investing. Betterment’s pricing page has the thresholds. Best for someone already on a robo who wants unlimited calls with a CFP professional. No tax filing.
Empower Personal Strategy. Managed investing plus planning at a published 0.89% a year below $1 million, with a $100,000 minimum, on top of a free dashboard. Empower’s program page has the tiers. Separate Taxfyle filing starts at $175. Best for someone who already uses the free dashboard and wants a managed portfolio with a planner. Filing is a separate purchase. See Empower alternatives.
Creative Planning. A large independent registered investment adviser. Its Form ADV Part 2A dated March 31, 2026 lists 1.20% on the first $500,000, 1.00% to $2 million, 0.85% to $5 million, and lower tiers down to 0.25% above $100 million, and says it generally requires $200,000 under management. Tax preparation is available through an affiliated firm for a separate fee. Best for a household that wants one firm to manage investments with planning attached and is comfortable with a 1%-range fee.
Mercer Advisors. Mercer’s own fee FAQ puts a typical asset-based fee at around 1% for portfolios of $1 million to $5 million, declining at higher balances. Its Form ADV Part 2A sets a minimum annual fee by service level and describes tax return preparation as a separate agreement and fee. Best for a household that wants investment, tax, and estate services under one wealth manager.
How do the best financial planning companies compare?
| Company | How you pay | Published price | Tax filing | Minimum | Manages investments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nino | Flat | $3,600 to $12,000/yr | Yes, every Advisor plan | None | No |
| Facet | Flat | $2,600 to $8,700/yr | Plus and Complete, via partner | None stated | Yes |
| Range | Flat | $3,950 to $12,500/yr | Titanium only | None stated | Yes |
| Domain Money | Flat | $3,900 to $9,000/yr (year 1) | Strategic and up, via Taxfyle | None stated | Yes |
| Vanguard Personal Advisor | % of assets | About 0.30%/yr | No | $50,000 | Yes |
| Betterment Premium | % of assets | 0.65%/yr on first $1M | No | $100,000 | Yes |
| Empower Personal Strategy | % of assets | 0.89%/yr below $1M | Separate, from $175 | $100,000 | Yes |
| Creative Planning | % of assets | 1.20% on first $500K, tiered | Separate fee, via affiliate | $200,000 (generally) | Yes |
| Mercer Advisors | % of assets | About 1% on $1M to $5M | Separate fee | Minimum fee by tier | Yes |
Flat-fee prices are list prices as of October 27, 2026. Asset-based rates and minimums were checked on each company’s linked page or Form ADV on October 27, 2026. Confirm current terms before you sign.
How much do they cost at a given balance?
A percentage fee only looks small until you put a balance behind it. At $500,000 managed:
- Vanguard Personal Advisor at 0.30%: about $1,500 a year
- Betterment Premium at 0.65%: $3,250 a year
- Empower Personal Strategy at 0.89%: $4,450 a year
- Creative Planning at 1.20% on the first $500,000: $6,000 a year
- Nino Essential, Facet Core, Range Premium, Domain Money Essential: $3,600, $2,600, $3,950, $3,900
At $1.5 million the asset-based fees rise with the balance and the flat fees stay where they are, which is why most people past the low seven figures end up on a flat fee unless they want full delegation of the portfolio. The AUM vs flat-fee calculator runs the comparison over 10 to 30 years on your own balance.
How should you compare financial planning companies?
Four facts settle most decisions. Get each one in writing.
- The fee in dollars for your situation. Ask for this year’s number, not a rate. On a flat plan, ask what moves you to the next tier (states, K-1s, rentals).
- Who prepares your tax return. An in-house CPA, a partner firm, or nobody. The company whose planner and tax preparer sit on the same team is the one that catches a late form before you file. Nino’s guide to a financial advisor with tax filing included explains why that coordination is the piece that usually fails.
- The credentials of the people you will work with. CFP for planning, CPA or EA for tax. Ask who is assigned to you, not who is on the website.
- Whether you need investment management. If you are happy holding low-cost funds at a major custodian, a company that manages investments is charging you for work you do not need. If you want full delegation, a flat-fee planner without management is not enough on its own.
For any company registered as an investment adviser, its Form ADV Part 2A and Form CRS on the SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure site describe fees and conflicts in the company’s own words. Also search FINRA BrokerCheck for the person you will work with. Nino’s guide on how to verify a fiduciary financial advisor walks through those checks.
When is a flat-fee financial planning company the best choice?
A flat fee fits when your planning needs are larger than your portfolio: equity compensation, a business, a sale or IPO, several states, or a return with K-1s. In those cases the work is tax and structuring, and a fee tied to assets pays for the wrong thing. It also fits anyone whose balance is past the break-even point, roughly $360,000 against a $3,600 plan at a 1% rate. Nino’s post on the best flat-fee financial advisors compares the flat-fee group in more depth, and the Facet vs Range vs Domain Money comparison covers the three that also manage investments.
When is an asset-based company the best choice?
A percentage fee can still be the right call when you want someone to manage the portfolio and never think about it, when the company already includes tax and estate planning inside the fee, and when your balance is small enough that the percentage costs less than a flat plan. Vanguard at 0.30% on $200,000 is $600 a year; no flat-fee company is cheaper than that. The check is whether the fee still makes sense once the balance grows, and whether you are paying for tax filing somewhere else on top.
Where Nino fits
Nino is the company on this list that sells planning and tax filing together and leaves your money where it is, so the fee stays flat as your balance grows and no advice depends on moving accounts. A CFP professional builds the plan, a CPA plans your taxes through the year and files federal and state returns, and the AI software connects your accounts so both see the same picture. Advisor plans are $3,600, $4,800, and $12,000 a year; the software alone is $20 to $200 a month.
Book a free consultation to see which plan fits your return and your household. Every Advisor plan includes a 30-day money-back guarantee; see plans and pricing.