Fee-only financial advisors in Illinois

398 fee-only investment advisers in Illinois serve individuals, across 107 cities. 273 offer hourly or flat-fee arrangements and 233 are registered with the SEC; the rest are registered with the state securities regulator. Each listing comes from the firm’s own Form ADV filing, as of November 6, 2026.

Cities with three or more fee-only advisers

• Chicago 112
• Northbrook 17
• Naperville 16
• Downers Grove 10
• Lake Forest 8
• Oak Brook 8
• Winnetka 8
• Hinsdale 7
• Northfield 7
• Barrington 7
• Geneva 6
• Champaign 6
• Oak Park 6
• Schaumburg 6
• Arlington Heights 6
• Orland Park 6
• Evanston 5
• Deerfield 5
• Buffalo Grove 4
• Springfield 4
• Oakbrook Terrace 4
• Lisle 4
• Wheaton 4
• Des Plaines 4
• Peoria 4
• Palatine 4
• Bloomington 3
• Skokie 3
• Mount Prospect 3
• Libertyville 3
• Lincolnshire 3
• Aurora 3
• Lake Bluff 3
• Glen Ellyn 3
• Glenview 3

Fee-only advisers in Illinois serving the most individuals

• Morningstar Investment Management LLC Chicago · 515,959 individual clients
• Geowealth Management LLC Chicago · 50,425 individual clients
• Savant Wealth Management Rockford · 23,288 individual clients
• Segall Bryant & Hamill Chicago · 5,337 individual clients
• Whale Chicago · 3,006 individual clients
• Access Softek Advisory Services Naperville · 2,223 individual clients
• JMG Financial Group Ltd Downers Grove · 1,776 individual clients
• Wisdom Financial Services, L.L.C. Geneseo · 1,518 individual clients
• Harvest Investment Services, LLC Oakbrook Terrace · 1,500 individual clients
• Cohen Capital Chicago · 1,457 individual clients

Other Illinois cities

How to choose between them

1. Decide how you want to pay. Hourly and flat-fee planners suit people who want a plan and will implement it themselves. A percentage-of-assets fee buys ongoing investment management; on $1 million at 1% that is $10,000 a year, every year.
2. Check the SEC record. Each listing links to the firm’s page on the SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure site, where you can read the Form ADV Part 2 brochure (fees, minimums, conflicts) and any disciplinary history.
3. Ask who you will actually work with and what credentials they hold. The advisor versus consultant guide explains which titles are regulated and which are marketing.
4. Ask about minimums. Form ADV Part 1 does not record account minimums, so they are not shown here. Many asset-based firms require $500,000 or more; hourly planners usually have none.
5. Get the fee in writing before you sign, including fund expenses and any platform or custody charges on top.