Brands that earn the Most Reviewed badge have received the most customer reviews in their category on Retirement Living over the last 12 months.
Updated: January 27, 2023
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SmartAsset’s award-winning resources help millions of people manage money and get matched with up to three financial advisors. The website provides free, detailed money management advice, personalized financial calculators and financial product comparisons. SmartAsset charges nothing to help you find a financial advisor to answer your questions and create a plan, whether you need a budget or wealth management.
SmartAsset’s award-winning resources help millions of people manage and grow their money. Get matched with a financial advisor near you.
SmartAsset offers financial advice with free tools and information organized on its website. The company also developed complex algorithms to help consumers find the best financial advisor for their needs. Complete a set of questions online to get a fine-tuned pairing with up to three financial professionals.
A recent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau study shows a correlation between effective money management and using a financial advisor. SmartAsset assists people with finding the best advisory firm for their financial situation and life stages. Automated Financial Modeling is built into the free financial planning tools on the website. AFM reveals how different decisions made now impact finances in the future.
Pros
Free financial tools and information
17 calculators to help with taxes, buying a home, retirement, investing, banking and credit cards
Answer questions once to get the best financial advisor matches
Over 65 million people per month benefit from using SmartAsset’s services
Cons
No tools for estate planning, although there’s plenty of reading material
How SmartAsset Helps You Choose a Financial Advisor
SmartAsset asks 20 questions about your finances. Your answers remain private. SmartAsset then uses proprietary algorithms to provide white-glove service to connect you to the right financial professionals in your area.
Visit the SmartAsset website, click on Find a Financial Advisor, enter your ZIP code and click on Get Started
Answer 20 questions, then enter your name and contact information
SmartAsset’s algorithm uses your answers to find up to three financial planners or investment advisors, depending on your needs
You have the opportunity to read each financial advisor’s bio before you talk to them
Book a consultation appointment online, or use SmartAsset’s free concierge service to get in touch with a financial advisor
Tip: Pay attention to the explanation provided with each question on SmartAsset’s assessment to learn why your answer is important.
SmartAsset Financial Advisor Screening Process
SmartAsset vets each financial advisor in its network. These professionals meet strict criteria and licensing requirements and must have demonstrated reliable and responsive client service. Choose a registered investment advisor, and you will work with a financial advisor who works under fiduciary duty standards.
Financial advisors may specialize in family finances, retirement planning, wealth management and other areas. Your answers reveal your priorities and needs through the algorithm, which selects advisors with the appropriate experience.
Tip: Here are some good questions to ask during the consultation. SmartAsset’s concierge service can assist you with the initial consultation as well.
SmartAsset Costs
SmartAsset charges nothing for you to use the financial tools on the website. Getting matched to financial advisors is free as well. The company makes money from fees charged to network advisors and for other services.
The SmartAsset website is divided by topics with personalized financial tools. Under each section, you will find detailed guides, reviews of related resources and calculators that let you perform what-if scenarios. For example, adjust income and retirement age on the Social Security calculator to see how changing these variables affects your benefits.
Section
Calculators and Other Resources
Home Buying
Home Affordability Calculator Rent vs. Buy Calculator Mortgage rates, lender reviews, home buying guides
Taxes
Income Tax Calculator Retirement Taxes Calculator (based on state) Tax guide, how to fill out a W-4, tax software reviews
Asset Allocation Calculator Capital Gains Tax Calculator Compare online brokerage accounts and 529 plans by state
SmartAsset Free Financial Decision Tools
Other sections on the SmartAsset site are not as feature-rich but offer a calculator and rate or quote comparisons. These sections cover life insurance, mortgage refinance, personal loans and student loans.
How to Access SmartAsset’s Services
Visit the SmartAsset website, and you will see the Home Buying, Taxes, Retirement and other sections on the top navigation bar. Hover your mouse over a topic to see the available information and calculators and click on your selection.
Click the Get Started button found throughout the site to access the questionnaire used to find a financial advisor.
SmartAsset Complaints
There are few SmartAsset reviews online, but almost all were positive. ConsumerAffairs recommends SmartAsset for its free comprehensive advice, and GoodFinancialSense endorses the company. ScamReport gives SmartAsset an A+ rating, while that site’s readers rate SmartAsset 5 out of 5 stars.
SmartAsset has no listing with the Better Business Bureau. WalletHub reader ratings averaged out to only 2.1 out of 5, but WalletHub doesn’t guarantee the accuracy of the reviews. Business publications Forbes, Crunchbase and Financial Advisor Magazine all speak highly of SmartAsset.
SmartAsset Q&A
Does SmartAsset offer financial planning services directly to the consumer?
SmartAsset doesn’t employ financial advisors to work with consumers. The company’s website provides a broad range of personal finance tools and information. You can use SmartAsset’s financial advisor tool to locate up to three professionals in your area.
How does SmartAsset Financial Advisory Service keep my information private?
You never provide account numbers, your Social Security number or credit card number to SmartAsset. You pay SmartAsset nothing to help you make wise financial decisions. If you use the site to find a financial advisor, SmartAsset collects your name, phone number and email for communications purposes. The site also provides a link at the bottom of the page so you can opt out of advertisements.
What if I don’t like the financial advisors SmartAsset recommends?
You can answer the questions again using a nearby ZIP code to expand your search. You can also work remotely with a financial advisor who isn’t located near you. Many professionals offer service with video chats, email and phone calls.
What information do I have to give SmartAsset to find a financial advisor?
SmartAsset only requires enough information to narrow the selections of professionals who will work best for your situation. You provide your: • Full name • Phone number • Email address • ZIP code • Marital status and children • Investment risk tolerance • Retirement timeline • Income • Savings • Investment and retirement assets
What is the SmartReads section on the SmartAsset website?
SmartReads is SmartAsset’s blog, which covers everything to do with personal finance. The blog features current events, how-to articles and studies related to consumer money management.
Conclusion
SmartAsset provides consumers with a bounty of free information and tools for managing money and making sound financial decisions. These resources and the financial advisor match-up service are appropriate for all adults. SmartAsset’s algorithm selects the best financial advisors whether you need short-term assistance or long-term planning.
There are no minimum income or assets under management requirements. SmartAsset financial advisory services help you find the right professional to help you reach your goals.
Do not fall for their sales pitch. The leads I received were all worthless. False phone numbers and no one ever pick up the phone. All the leads they sold me were many miles away from my office. I was told I was the only rep that had signed up for this service in my area. If so, why did I only get phone numbers from 100 miles away? When I told them to stop sending me leads they knew why without explanation. Their solution was to keep buying leads to see if any were any good. So, keep paying us and good luck? I asked for a refund and they said they were keeping my money. I wished I had seen all the bad reviews out there before I had made my decision. However, if they were a good company they would stand behind their service. But to lie about the leads are all vetted! What a crock.
Doug C.
College Station, TX
February 21 2024 11:03PM
SmartAsset claims that 3-5% of the leads they generate will result in closed business, and that the service will begin to pay for itself 3-4 months after you sign up. As it turns out, of the first 60 leads they sent me, there wasn't a single qualified investor. The majority of the people never responded to calls or emails regardless of the time or frequency of the reaches. The few that I was able to get in touch with either didn't have money, or had never even heard of SmartAsset. These leads cost in the ballpark of $100 each but were completely worthless. SmartAsset is a dishonest organization that preys upon advisors who are desperate to grow their businesses. I wonder if they also have a stat of how many advisors went out of business after blowing their marketing budget on the false promises of SmartAsset?
Paul K.
Boulder City, NV
July 19 2023 2:46PM
This is a Scam company. Advisors should stay clear of this company. They just take your money and return garbage information and when you try to cancel, they do NOT return unused dollars. They need to be reported as criminals.
Nancy B.
Mount Clemens, MI
May 09 2023 10:57PM
As an advisor, I found that their program is very misleading. They are very vague on how they bill you and how to cancel. That makes me wonder how they treat their "clients". I have a fiduciary duty to my clients, do they?
Ken I.
Glendale, AZ
November 11 2022 3:46AM
SmartAsset is a scam for both financial professionals and retail investors. They claim to match investors especially screened advisors, when in reality it is just an expensive lead generating service. Any adviser can pay thousands of dollars a month to receive investors' contact info. It's a dead end on both sides. Avoid!
T M.
Sarasota, FL
October 10 2022 5:41PM
Terrible lead company. Leads were never qualified, regularly received fake names, emails and phone numbers. You have to argue that each lead is terrible, and they know it so they credit back 50% of them (but I'm sure they are sending them out to the next round of fools that sign up for their lead program). They should be shut down.
