How to Get Clients as a Financial Advisor

Ask any advisor where their best clients came from and most will say referrals. That is still true. What has changed is what happens after the referral. Today a prospect hears your name, looks you up, reads your reviews, checks your website, and compares you with two other firms, all before they ever call.

This guide covers the five channels that bring in clients today and what each one costs, using 2026 data from Kitces Research and recent surveys of investors. It also covers the step most firms skip: making sure your website turns that research into a booked meeting.

Where new clients come from

The typical practice gets 62% of its new clients from referrals, according to Kitces Research’s 2026 study of 506 advisors. That number tells two different stories depending on how fast the firm is growing.

High-growth firms still get plenty of referrals. They also built two other steady sources: centers of influence (CPAs, attorneys, and other professionals who send clients) and what Kitces calls direct trust-building, like seminars, content, and search.

How prospects choose an advisor today

In a 2025 Wealthtender survey of 500 households earning $100,000 or more who plan to hire an advisor, friends and family were still the top source. Search engines were a close second, and one in four said they would use an AI tool like ChatGPT or Gemini.

The research step

What prospects do before they call you

96%

Research the advisor online before hiring, even when highly recommended

83%

Look at reviews and awards to judge reputation

72%

Visit the advisor’s website

52%

Plan to contact three advisors before choosing one

50%

Want to read client reviews before they reach out

Source: Wealthtender, 2025 (same survey).

A referral gets you on the list. Your online presence decides whether you make the cut. Half of these prospects want to read reviews before they contact anyone, and most will talk to three firms. That makes reviews, a clear website, and a few helpful articles part of every referral, not a separate marketing project.

1. Make referrals easier to give

Client referrals are the most used tactic in the Kitces study (88% of firms) and among the cheapest at 34 cents per dollar of new revenue. Firms with a clear niche do far better: their referrals cost about 6 cents per dollar, compared with 23 cents for firms without one. When clients know exactly who you help, they know exactly who to send.

• Ask at the right moment. Good times are right after you solve a problem, at an annual review that went well, or when a client thanks you.
• Name the person you can help. “Do you know anyone retiring from the county in the next few years?” works better than “Do you know anyone who needs help?”
• Give them something to forward. A short article or checklist about a decision their friend is facing makes the introduction easy.
• Ask for a review at the same time. Displaying reviews on your website was the cheapest tactic Kitces measured, at 13 cents per dollar. Follow the SEC Marketing Rule on how to ask.

2. Partner with CPAs and estate attorneys

Center-of-influence referrals are used by 64% of firms and cost about 72 cents per dollar of new revenue. Among advisors who work with COIs, 89% partner with CPAs and 79% with estate attorneys.

The difference at high-growth firms is focus. They are 16 points more likely to choose COIs who serve the same clients they want (37% vs. 21%). A CPA who works with physicians is a better partner for a physician-focused advisor than a busy general practice.

Start with two or three partners. Meet quarterly, send them clients when it fits, and give them content they can share with their own clients, like a tax-season retirement checklist.

3. Show up in search and AI answers

SEO costs about 45 cents per dollar of new revenue, roughly a tenth of social media, and more firms are using it each year (32% in 2026). Directory listings are even cheaper at 28 cents. Both work best for a firm with a defined niche, because a specific page like “retirement planning for PG&E employees” can rank where “financial advisor near me” never will.

Ficomm Partners and Absolute Engagement, 2026

Who used AI to find their advisor

Share of investors with an advisor who used AI tools during their search.

Investors under 4525%

Investors with $5M+15%

All investors with an advisor9%

Source: survey of 1,000 investors, via InvestmentNews, June 9, 2026.

AI search is the newer piece. Younger and wealthier investors are already using it to shortlist advisors. Kitces found that relatively few clients reach advisors through a chatbot recommendation yet, so treat AI as an extension of SEO. The same clear, helpful pages that rank in Google are the ones AI tools pull from, along with directories, reviews, and press mentions. Our guide to GEO vs. SEO explains the difference.

4. Teach in person and online

Seminars are used by 23% of firms at $1.76 per dollar of new revenue. Webinars cost $2.37 and have lost ground since 2024. Client appreciation events are popular (30% of firms) but expensive at $4.54.

Events work best at larger firms with a clear audience. High-growth firms over $1 million in revenue run seminars 18 points more often and webinars 20 points more often than other firms that size.

Pick one topic your niche is worried about right now, like a pension election deadline or Medicare enrollment. Teach it well, keep the pitch short, and offer a one-on-one review at the end. Every slide is an advertisement under SEC and FINRA rules, so plan time for compliance review.

5. Reach the next generation

Two big shifts are coming at once. A huge amount of wealth is passing to heirs, and many of the advisors who manage it today are retiring.

Sources: Cerulli Associates, via ASPPA (Jan. 2025); Cerulli press release, July 2021; Cerulli press release, Jan. 2024.

Heirs find advisors differently than their parents did. In a June 2026 survey by Ficomm Partners and Absolute Engagement, 59% of investors under 45 found their advisor without a referral. They search, compare, and read reviews first.

Two moves help. Meet your clients’ adult children now, while their parents can make the introduction. And make sure your website, reviews, and content speak to someone in their 30s or 40s as clearly as to a retiree.

Make your website close the deal

Every channel above ends in the same place: a prospect on your website, deciding whether to book a call. Most advisor websites are built from templates that make every firm look alike, which is why many advisors tell us their site has never brought in a client. Your site should make it obvious who you serve, why you, and how to take the next step.

Eight things a client-winning advisor website has

The homepage says who you serve in the first sentence

Every page has a clear way to book a call

Client reviews appear with the required disclosures

Advisor bios include credentials, photos, and why you do this work

Fees and minimums are explained plainly, or at least how they work

Articles answer the questions your niche asks, so search and AI tools can find them

Form ADV and BrokerCheck links are easy to find

It loads fast and reads well on a phone

See how we approach this in our website design for financial advisors.

Channel comparison

Use this table to pick your next channel. Costs come from the 2026 Kitces study. Time to results is our estimate from client work and will vary by market.

Ready to put these in order? Our guide to building a financial advisor marketing plan walks through budget, channel choice, and a 90-day calendar.

Frequently asked questions