Best Financial Advisors in Wellington
We assessed 16 financial advisors in Wellington and ranked the top 5 on public rating quality, review volume and how recent the reviews are. The businesses listed below hold 586 Google reviews between them. No business can pay for a place in these rankings. Last updated 5 September 2026. How we rank →
Before you hire
Whether you want investment advice, financial planning or wealth management, financial advisers in NZ must be licensed under the Financial Markets Conduct Act. Check their licence on the Financial Service Providers Register, ask how they are paid (fee-for-service or commission), and confirm they are required to act in your best interest, not just recommend suitable products.
Top 5 Financial Advisors in Wellington
The top 5 financial advisors in Wellington are #1 DUX Financial Services, #2 Velocity Financial, #3 FoxPlan, #4 Harness Financial, and #5 BrokerIntel, ranked by Top5 score. Scroll for our take on each, plus what to ask before you choose.
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1
DUX Financial Services
★ 5.0 165 reviews +2 Top5 Score 1735★ 165DUX Financial Services covers KiwiSaver planning, mortgage structuring, and insurance across a single adviser relationship, making them practical for clients who want consolidated financial guidance. After meetings, advisers follow up with written summaries so clients leave with a clear plan rather than scattered notes, a habit multiple clients across different advisers have pointed to specifically.
location_on 1/60 Cuba Street, Te Aro, Wellington
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2
Velocity Financial
★ 5.0 168 reviews +2 Top5 Score 172 +15★ 166 1★ 2Velocity Financial gets first-home buyers, KiwiSaver starters, and personal insurance seekers to their goals across a team of named advisers who each take ownership of their client's situation. Clients who switch to them from previous providers consistently describe finally understanding their cover and options clearly, with advisers like Giovana and Simon fielding questions without judgment and following through directly with banks and insurers.
location_on 38 Vivian Street, Te Aro, Wellington
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3
FoxPlan Wellington
★ 4.9 59 reviews Top5 Score 153 -15★ 57 1★ 2FoxPlan takes clients through mortgage securing, financial planning, investment advice, and insurance structuring, with advisers like Stephan, Warwick, and Kajal each building long-term relationships rather than one-off transactions. Where many advisers hand over a generic plan, the team here sets concrete goals with measurements and revisits them regularly, something multiple clients across different life stages have pointed to as the difference.
location_on Level 8/138 The Terrace, Wellington Central, Wellington
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4
Harness Financial
★ 5.0 40 reviews +1 Top5 Score 151 +25★ 40Harness Financial works across personal insurance, KiwiSaver, and investment advice, with advisers like Sam, Joshua, and Dieter each spending extended time learning a client's situation before making recommendations. Clients who came in sceptical about financial advice describe being won over through plain explanations and follow-through, with the team known for going to bat with insurers on clients' behalf when claims or negotiations get complicated.
location_on Level 8/95 Customhouse Quay, Wellington Central, Wellington
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5
Julia Berner at BrokerIntel Financial Planning/Advice
★ 5.0 34 reviews Top5 Score 1465★ 34BrokerIntel gets first-home buyers, new migrants, and property investors through mortgage structuring, savings planning, and KiwiSaver guidance, with Julia working through each client's goals before recommending a path. Clients who came in with no knowledge of the New Zealand financial system describe leaving with a clear, personalised plan and repayments structured to stay manageable as rates moved.
location_on 36 Reuben Avenue, Brooklyn, Wellington
Before you choose a financial advisor in Wellington
Drawn from 162 customer reviews collected for this page. The first answer is what it costs.
What does a financial advisor typically cost in New Zealand? expand_more
Fee structures in New Zealand fall into three main types: hourly rates, flat fees, and commissions paid by product providers. Hourly rates run from around $150 to $400, while a full financial plan often costs between $1,500 and $5,000.
Mortgage and insurance advisers are frequently paid by commission from lenders or insurers, at no direct charge to you. Under the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013, any commission or fee must be disclosed to you before advice is given.
Does a financial advisor need to be licensed in New Zealand? expand_more
Anyone providing financial advice to retail clients for payment in New Zealand must hold, or operate under, a Financial Advice Provider (FAP) licence issued by the Financial Markets Authority (FMA). Individual advisers who do not hold their own licence must be formally authorised under a licensed provider's FAP.
You can verify whether an adviser or their firm is licensed by searching the Financial Service Providers Register (FSPR) at the Companies Office website, which is free and publicly accessible. If an adviser cannot produce their FAP licence details or does not appear on that register, they cannot legally give you financial advice.
How do I know if the advice is tailored to my situation, or just a product recommendation? expand_more
Genuine tailoring starts with a thorough fact-find: reviewers who felt well-served described sessions where the adviser asked about their goals, risk tolerance, and life circumstances before presenting any options. In one case an adviser told a client directly that they did not yet need a financial adviser, which is a clear signal of advice-first thinking rather than product-first selling. Under New Zealand disclosure rules, any adviser recommending a product must tell you upfront what commission or other benefit they receive from that recommendation, so ask for that disclosure in writing before agreeing to anything.
What are the warning signs of a financial advisor you shouldn't use? expand_more
- –An adviser who presents only one product or provider without explaining why alternatives were ruled out is not giving you full advice.
- –Poor responsiveness after the first meeting is a red flag: at least one reviewer described months of ignored emails and unfinished work after payment was taken.
- –Vague or verbal-only explanations of fees and commissions signal that the adviser may not be meeting their legal disclosure obligations.
- –Advice that feels identical to what anyone off the street would receive, with no reference to your income, debts, family situation, or goals, suggests a cookie-cutter approach.
- –An adviser who cannot supply their Financial Advice Provider (FAP) licence number or does not appear on the Financial Service Providers Register (FSPR) is not legally permitted to advise you.
What should you ask before hiring a financial advisor? expand_more
- –Ask how they are paid: flat fee, hourly rate, or commission from a lender or insurer, and request written disclosure of the exact amounts before signing anything.
- –Ask which banks, insurers, or investment providers they have access to, because an adviser with a limited panel may not be able to find you the most competitive option.
- –Ask whether they will present multiple options with the pros and cons of each, or whether they will deliver a single recommendation.
- –Ask how often they will contact you after the initial engagement, and what their process is when your circumstances change significantly.
- –Ask for their Financial Advice Provider (FAP) licence number and verify it on the Financial Service Providers Register (FSPR) before your first paid appointment.
Also recommended financial advisors in Wellington
Ranked 6 to 10 on the same public review record.
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6
Retirement Taylor Made
★ 5.0 31 reviews -1 Top5 Score 145 -15★ 30 4★ 1Retirement Taylor Made draws clients who have never engaged with their KiwiSaver, helping them choose the right fund, restructure existing schemes, and transfer overseas retirement savings into the New Zealand system. Ailsa meets clients at home or a cafe, explains options in plain language without jargon, and stays available for questions well after the initial setup is done.
location_on 151 Karepa Street, Brooklyn, Wellington
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7
SAVVY WEALTH
★ 5.0 28 reviews Top5 Score 1435★ 27 4★ 1Savvy Wealth builds personalised retirement and investment plans, including UK pension transfers to New Zealand, portfolio structuring, and long-term wealth strategy for clients with businesses and family assets to protect. Dieter is known for explaining complex financial decisions in plain terms and following through on what he commits to, with clients describing a calm, unhurried process from first meeting through ongoing management.
location_on Level 8/95 Customhouse Quay, Wellington Central, Wellington
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8
New Zealand Financial Planning
★ 5.0 27 reviews Top5 Score 1435★ 26 4★ 1NZ Financial Planning covers insurance reviews, investment portfolio setup, and retirement planning, with adviser Callum working with clients across decades as their circumstances shift from mortgages and dependants through to retirement. Clients who come in mid-stress, including after a bereavement, describe leaving with practical, tailored advice and no pressure to take up products that earn fees.
location_on Level 9/342 Lambton Quay, Wellington Central, Wellington
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9
NZ Funds Private Wealth Wellington
★ 5.0 23 reviews Top5 Score 142 -15★ 22 4★ 1NZ Funds Private Wealth works with clients across KiwiSaver planning, portfolio management, and retirement income structuring, with advisers like Bonard, Matt, and Aryan each taking time to map a client's goals against projected outcomes and identify gaps. Clients who have stayed with the firm across decades, including through bereavement and major life transitions, describe entering retirement with genuine confidence in their financial position.
location_on Level 3/40 Johnston Street, Wellington Central, Wellington
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10
Lyford Investment Management Ltd (Lyfords)
★ 5.0 11 reviews Top5 Score 135 +35★ 11Lyfords works across retirement planning, UK pension transfers, investment strategy, and KiwiSaver structuring, with advisers like Richard and Lucy taking time to understand a client's full situation before recommending anything. Where another adviser might pitch a product, Richard has told clients outright that they are not yet ready for a financial adviser and pointed them toward better options first, a level of candour that multiple clients have named as the reason they came back.
location_on 174 Hutt Road, Petone, Lower Hutt
About this ranking
What the 10 financial advisors listed above hold, at the 5 September 2026 check.
We first assessed financial advisors in Wellington in March 2026 and have rechecked the ranking four times since. Three different businesses have held first place; DUX Financial Services has held it since March 2026. DUX Financial Services, Velocity Financial and FoxPlan have been in the top 5 at every check. Across the 10 locations we assess financial advisors in, the 84 businesses listed have a median rating of 5.0, and one-star reviews are 1.2% of their total.
What has changed since March 2026? expand_more
- Jul 2026
Scoring method updated. Lyfords entered the list at #10.
- Apr 2026
- Mar 2026
First check.
Latest check, 5 September 2026: no change to the top 5. Months where nothing changed at the top are not listed.
How are the top financial advisors in Wellington chosen? expand_more
We build this page from Google Maps results for financial advisors in Wellington. Each one is scored on its public rating and review record. Businesses outside the area, or whose reviews describe a different line of work, are left out, and a business whose main Google category is a different trade is held back until a person has checked what it does. A business whose website no longer resolves and that has had no Google review for six months is treated as dormant and left off the page until either changes. Every category and city is rechecked on a rolling cycle, about every two to three months. A location with a subscribing business is rechecked every month, and the whole page updates with it. See how we rank for the full method.
What does a business subscription offer? expand_more
No business can pay for a place in these rankings. Claiming and verifying a listing is free. It adds a phone number to the card and a small trust bonus (+3 points) to its score, for confirming a real operator stands behind the listing. The owner also gets a dashboard showing how their score is made up. A paid subscription provides an enhanced card with more ways to reach the business, including a website link and a detailed profile page. It also refreshes this page monthly and adds ranking history and competitor analysis to the owner's dashboard. The subscription adds nothing to the score. Claim your listing or see what a subscription includes.
Why isn't my business listed? expand_more
We build this page from Google Maps results for financial advisors in Wellington. The usual reasons for missing out are a Google Business category that does not match, too few reviews to score near the top, or an address outside the area we cover. Sometimes we miss a business that should be here. Check where you rank first. If you are not there and think you should be, get in touch.