Choosing the right financial advisor or wealth manager is a high-stakes decision—especially for individuals and families with significant assets.
Whether you’re navigating a business exit, managing the complexities of equity compensation, or planning for a confident retirement, you need a partner who can align your investment strategy and overall financial plan with your long-term goals.
If you’ve landed on this article, there’s a good chance you’re seeking a wealth management partner in or near St. Louis, Missouri who can guide your financial life with depth, transparency, and sophistication.
In a market crowded with choices—boutique firms, national broker-dealers, and Registered Investment Advisors—how do you know which is the best fit for your needs?
To help with your search, we’ve rounded up six of the top-ranked firms in the St. Louis area based on public reputation, visibility, fiduciary standards, and service offerings.
Before we share a bit about each, let’s first cover the key things you should be evaluating about each firm.
What broad criteria make a great wealth management firm?
If you’re serious about your long-term financial wellbeing, we recommend vetting advisory firms thoroughly.
To make sure you’re covering your bases, it's essential to check out each firm’s Form ADV and Form CRS to quickly understand their services, fees, and scope of services. You can find Plancorp’s ADV and Form CRS at these links:
At the very basic level, you should make sure you evaluate the following qualities about the firms you may work with:
Fee Structures
You would think a topic like how a wealth management firm is paid would be fairly straightforward and similar from firm to firm, but the differences can be vast.
Some firms are fee-only and simply charge a percentage of assets under management. Others may follow commission-based models that introduce potential conflicts of interest.
We recommend checking out our article that deep dives all the potential fee structures you may encounter in your search: How Much Do Wealth Management Services Cost?
Standard of Care
There are two standard of care in the financial industry: the fiduciary standard and the suitability standard. Choosing the right one for you could make all the difference when it comes to reaching your financial goals.
We break it down in this article: Fiduciary Standard of Care vs. Suitability: What's the Difference?
But here’s a quick definition of each:
Firms that operate under a fiduciary standard (like our team at Plancorp) are legally required to put your interests first as the client, regardless of how the advisor or their firm may benefit.
Fiduciary firms will typically align with the fee-only structure we outlined above, which helps them avoid conflicts of interest that may arise from commission-based structures.
The suitability standard of care allows for some leeway in the financial advice your wealth manager can give. You’ll typically see the suitability standard in large broker-dealer firms rather than RIAs.
The suitability standard only requires advisors to make recommendations that are “suitable” for the client, but not necessarily the best option. This could leave you subject to higher fees that are padding the pockets of your advisor in the form of commissions.
Service Offerings
The service offerings can also differ across wealth management firms. Some firms offer comprehensive financial planning services, while others may just serve in an investment advisory capacity, providing only basic investment advice.
If you are a high earner with substantial wealth, you will likely be better served at a firm that offers bespoke, holistic services that touch every area of your financial plan, including:
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Retirement planning
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Investment management
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Tax planning
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Estate planning
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Insurance planning
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Charitable giving
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Equity compensation management
Credentials and Designations
For clients with complex situations, it’s important to also consider to credentials of your potential advising team. Look for a team that includes a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), or Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and ask how they’ll help you integrate investments with tax planning, estate planning, and lifestyle goals.
The Best Financial Advisors in St. Louis for 2025
Plancorp Wealth Management
Plancorp, headquartered in Town and Country, has been in business for over 40 years, currently managing over $7 billion for our clients. We are a fee-only firm and have operated under a fiduciary standard since day one.
We have held the prestigious CEFEX certification for more than 15 years and have a unique team model where the experience of every advisor on our team is available to support your plan when needed.
We do our best work with high-net-worth clients who have outgrown basic financial advice and are ready to solve for the complexities that their financial plans require. Plancorp clients typically fall into one (or more) of the following categories:
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Investing a nest egg over $1 million
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Maximizing equity compensation
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Navigating generational wealth
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Growing or exiting a business
If this sounds like you, let’s get started with a private strategy session.
The Moneta Group
The Moneta Group is a Registered Investment Advisor headquartered in Clayton, MO, with additional offices nationwide. They serve high-net-worth individuals and families and offer a full spectrum of financial planning services. Their firm is organized into individual teams or groups that could offer different services or styles depending on who you get paired with.
Focus Partners Wealth
Focus Partners Wealth is located in downtown Clayton. They also have 56 other locations throughout the U.S. They are a Registered Investment Advisor focused on evidence-based investing and multi-faceted financial planning. Focus has grown to manage over $200 billion through a recent merger with a firm in Boston.
Stifel
Stifel provides brokerage, trading, investment banking, investment advisory, and related services. Their wealth management division focuses on helping individuals and families build, preserve, and pass on their wealth. Their firm similarly operates with a collection of individual teams which may have varying specialties.
Edward Jones
Headquartered in Saint Louis, Edward Jones is a broker-dealer offering a range of investment and financial advising services. They provide financial services in the U.S. and through an affiliate in Canada. Their purpose is to partner for positive impact to improve the lives of its clients and help them achieve their financial goals, with an emphasis on independent advisor offices across the country focusing on a retail investment management system.
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo is a financial services company offering banking, investment, and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance. Their wealth management business, Wells Fargo Advisors, can help clients maximize their financial picture through estate planning, investment planning, smart borrowing, planning for retirement, and more.
Explore Our Wealth Management Services
At Plancorp, we help high-net-worth clients create a cohesive plan that brings together investment management, retirement planning, tax optimization, and more.
Whether you're navigating a business transition or managing concentrated equity, our credentialed team of wealth advisors is here to guide you.
Explore our wealth management offerings or book a private strategy session with a Plancorp advisor to take the next step toward your financial future and overall peace of mind.
