The 5 Best Financial Advisors in Fort Collins and Northern Colorado

The 5 Best Financial Advisors in Fort Collins and Northern Colorado

Looking for the best Fort Collins financial advisor? Or perhaps you’re broadening your search and seeking out the best financial planner in Northern Colorado. We realize that our firm’s comprehensive approach to financial planning isn’t the perfect fit for everyone. After all, you’re unique — and so are your financial planning needs!

While, like many other financial planners in Fort Collins and NoCo, we provide investment management, our holistic approach includes much more. We’re best equipped to guide our clients through thorough financial planning, tax preparation and planning, as well as investment management. We also include advice on many other money-adjacent topics — from insurance and employee benefits to homebuying, budgeting, and other financial  decisions in between. Limiting services to one slice of the financial pie that is your life simply isn’t our strong suit.

In case you’re looking for different services than the ones we have to offer, we put together this guide to the five best financial advisors in Fort Collins and Northern Colorado. We hope that it’ll give you a head start toward finding the perfect match for your needs.

5 Best Financial Advisors in Fort Collins and Northern Colorado

Sunit Bhalla
OakTree Financial Planning
Fort Collins, CO
“OakTree Financial Planning specializes in providing financial planning and portfolio management to engineers and technology professionals. Our clients have worked at high-tech companies, including Hewlett-Packard, Amazon, Google, Broadcom,  Agilent Technologies, Keysight Technologies, and Schneider Electric. While most of our clients are located in Fort Collins and Loveland, Colorado, we work with clients nationwide.”

Don Dority
Dority & Associates, LLC
Fort Collins, CO
“As a CPA with the additional credentials of PFS (Personal Financial Specialist) and CFP^® (Certified Financial Planner™), Don brings a wealth of additional knowledge and experience to help his clients reach their goals.  Don’s work as a firefighter and paramedic for agencies like Larimer County Emergency Services, Loveland Fire Rescue and the West Metro Fire Protection District has given him unique insight into planning, tax and financial issues that affect the members of the public safety community.”

Michael Tarantino
Tarantino Wealth Management
Fort Collins, CO
“We help individuals, families, and businesses pursue their financial planning goals.  In today’s ever-changing economy, planning for your current needs or your financial future can be a daunting task. Whether you are a young investor, retiree, new parent, or empty-nester, we can help you work towards your goals.  From simple asset allocation to sophisticated estate or retirement planning strategies, we will help you create a personalized strategy to assist you in achieving your goals.”

Layman-Lewis Group
Loveland, CO
“We created our unique PEACE PROCESS™ system with YOU in mind. The Peace Process is our five-step approach to creating holistic strategies and is designed to help you achieve your goals, check off bucket-list items and address any financial concerns you have. By using investment and insurance products to tailor holistic strategies to your needs, we give you confidence to boldly pursue your retirement dreams.”

Wendy Woods
Edward Jones
Fort Collins, CO
“As a financial advisor, it’s important to me to understand what’s important to you and your family. My goal is not to meet you once and send you on your way, but to establish a personal relationship with you and your family. Goals are not achieved without strategies and execution. I partner with my clients throughout their lives to achieve their goals through personalized strategies. In order for us to be successful together, we must both be serious and committed, but have an enjoyable connection. I strive to work with people who look forward to our meetings because we connect as individuals, not only on a business level.”

As you search for the best fit for your needs, we encourage you to do your due diligence. Be sure to interview the professionals you’re considering working with. A free introductory phone call and complimentary initial consultation are great no-cost ways to begin the process. They allow you to meet the planners you’re considering working with as well as a member or two of their teams. These no-obligation meetings can also help you determine if they’re a personality fit as well as ask questions about their background, qualifications, and specialties.

Interviewing prospective financial advisors

Unsure how to choose a financial advisor? During your introductory phone call and initial consultation, a few details and questions can help you find the right fit. As you interview financial planners to see if they’re the right professional for you to add to your team, you should expect the following.

1. Begin by telling your story.

Your initial meeting or meetings are all about you! If a financial planner starts by talking about themselves, this can be a red flag. A positive sign is if the financial advisor you’re interviewing kicks things off by asking about you, your unique needs, and what you’re looking for. This can also save you time. If the person you’re speaking with doesn’t have experience in the area in which you need deep expertise, they can point you in the right direction quickly. This can help you avoid wasting valuable time, only to discover that they can’t meet your needs at the end of a lengthy conversation.

2. Share some financial details.

The financial planner you end up choosing will likely need to know the intimate details of your financial life. Transparency is key when working with a financial professional for you to get the best results. So it’s not uncommon to share your annual income, your net worth, and your debts early in the interviewing process. This can help a financial advisor understand if they can deliver the value that they expect you to receive from a financial planning relationship.

3. Go for the goals.

Now that you’ve shared a bit about your financial circumstances and financials, the professional you’re interviewing will probably want to know what you’d like to get out of working together. After all, you’re likely doing this to get somewhere! Tell them about what you want to achieve, whether it’s early financial independence so you can enjoy life and travel while you’re young, saving now so you don’t have to worry about daily spending in retirement, or leaving a legacy for your family to enjoy for generations to come..

4. “Do you help people like me?”

By this point, the financial advisor that you’re interviewing knows a bit about you  — at least financially! They should be able to tell you if they’ve helped people like you before or if your case is within their wheelhouse. You’ll want to hear a strong “yes,” and maybe some examples of what they’ve done for other clients.

5 . Ask away! Questions to ask a financial advisor

Before you agree to another meeting with a financial planner, ensure that they answer your most pressing questions. From experience, the questions to ask when choosing a financial advisor tend to include …

Are you a full-time fiduciary?
Real financial planners are fiduciary financial planners, and full-time fiduciaries always work in their clients’ best interest. So the answer to this question should always be a strong, “Yes!” Better yet, ask if they’ll put it in writing.

How do you and your team operate?
True financial planning requires expertise in multiple areas. You’ve likely heard of a “Jack of All Trades.” That sounds great … but did you know that the full adage is “A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one”? You deserve better than a master of one financial planning discipline, but it’s tough for one person to do it all — and you almost certainly don’t want to work with a master of none! Rather than trusting one person for all of your financial planning needs, a team whose members have specialized areas of expertise can often be best equipped to handle your needs. This question can help you ensure that you’re in the right place and working with the right people.

Do you have any asset minimums?
Some financial planners only work with clients who have $200,000 to invest. Others require clients to have $2 million before they’ll work with them. Those with minimums tend to have them for good reason as they might cater to wealthier clients. Others might want you to have a higher investable net worth … because they make more money if you invest more. The answer to this question should suit you, your assets, and your needs.

What’s your fee?
That brings me to this important question. You likely know what you can afford and what you’re willing to pay for what you expect. Make sure that this aligns with the fee a financial advisor will charge you. And look out! Some planners charge you a fee directly — and also charge somewhat less clear fees on the funds they manage for you. Be sure to get the whole picture here, whether it’s “a percentage of this,” “a multiple of that,” or “a transparent flat fee.”

 What will my first few meetings with you look like, and what should I expect to get out of them?
Financial planning is often an ongoing process. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have clear expectations of what you’ll achieve at certain milestones. Be sure to ask and get clear on what you can expect and when. You should leave each phone call or meeting with a clear idea of what the next steps are.

At this point, you might be wondering if we could be the best fit for your needs after all. We offer free introductory calls for you to find out, and you can schedule yours on our Services page. If we’re not right for you, no hard feelings! After all, we’re fiduciaries who want what’s best for you 100% of the time — even if it’s not us.