What does Savant Wealth Management do?
Savant Wealth Management is an advisor-led wealth management firm, founded in 1986 in Rockford, Illinois. The firm serves more than 17,000 clients through a nationwide network of 47 offices.
The firm employs a multi-disciplinary advisory team whose members hold a range of recognized qualifications, reflecting an emphasis on credentialed, team-based advice.
Savant serves individuals, families, and institutional clients across the US and manages more than $39 billion in client assets, including both assets under management (AUM) and assets under advisement (AUA). Savant is majority employee-owned and operates under a fiduciary, fee-only model.
Client relationships are structured around ongoing, human-advisor engagement rather than automated or self-directed investing, with advisors working directly with clients to manage portfolios and provide integrated wealth planning over time.
Investment philosophy
Savant Wealth Management follows an evidence-based, long-term investment philosophy grounded in modern portfolio theory (MPT).
The firm emphasizes disciplined asset allocation, broad diversification, and avoiding short-term market timing. Portfolio decisions are guided by client risk tolerance, objectives, time horizon, and tax considerations rather than tactical speculation.
The approach also focuses on cost control and after-tax outcomes while maintaining the flexibility to adapt portfolios as client circumstances change.
Core services offered by Savant Wealth Management
Savant Wealth Management offers a range of advisor-led services to support clients with varying investment and planning needs.
- Comprehensive wealth management: Advisor-led service that integrates investment management with tax, estate, and retirement planning under one coordinated approach.
- Investment management: Evidence-based portfolio management focused on long-term allocation, diversification, and risk control rather than short-term market timing.
- Financial planning: A comprehensive planning process covering multiple areas of personal finance, including retirement, health and wellness, estate, tax, and charitable planning, designed to align financial decisions with long-term goals.
- Estate planning & wealth transfer: Estate and legacy planning supported by in-house legal expertise to help structure and transfer wealth.
- Tax advisory & preparation: Ongoing tax planning and preparation integrated into the broader financial strategy.
- Trust services: Trustee and trust administration services through Savant Private Trust, integrating investment management, tax planning, charitable planning, and estate and business succession support, available to clients nationwide.
- Accounting & consulting services: Business-focused accounting, payroll, and advisory support for closely held businesses.
- Family office services: An integrated service model for high-net-worth families, combining investment, tax, estate, accounting, and administrative guidance to address complex, multi-generational financial needs.
Clients work directly with a financial advisor to define goals and constraints, after which Savant designs and implements an appropriate investment strategy.
Portfolios are monitored and adjusted over time, with financial planning incorporated on an ongoing basis rather than delivered as a one-time exercise.
What are the pros and cons of Savant Wealth Management?
Savant Wealth Management offers a broad, advisor-led service platform that addresses investment management alongside tax, estate, business, and life-planning considerations.
Below are some of the key pros and cons to consider when choosing the right advisory firm for your needs.
Pros of Savant Wealth Management:
- Advisor-led, team-based service model: Clients work directly with credentialed financial advisors supported by specialists in investments, tax, estate planning, and trust services, rather than relying on a single generalist advisor or automated system.
- Integrated wealth management approach: Investment management, financial planning, tax strategy, estate planning, and trust services are designed to work together, which may be beneficial for clients with interconnected or complex financial needs.
- Fee-only fiduciary structure: Advisory compensation comes from client fees rather than product commissions, aligning the firm’s incentives with client interests and reducing sales-driven conflicts.
- Broad planning and specialized capabilities: The firm offers services beyond traditional portfolio management, including family office services, executive planning, business consulting, and employer retirement plan services.
- Specialized professional expertise: The firm demonstrates dedicated capabilities in advising executives, physicians, university faculty, and other professionals whose financial situations involve equity compensation, institution-specific retirement systems, and layered tax considerations.
- Dedicated planning support for women: Through focused advisory programs, the firm provides coordinated financial, tax, and estate planning support for women facing divorce or widowhood, addressing the financial restructuring often required during these periods.
Cons of Savant Wealth Management:
- High minimums for certain services: Some offerings carry meaningful entry thresholds. Investment management typically requires a minimum of $300,000 to open a managed portfolio. In contrast, executive planning services require an eligible adjusted net worth of at least $750,000, limiting access to clients with lower adjusted net worth.
- Not designed for small-balance investors: The firm’s advisor-led, comprehensive service structure assumes a level of financial complexity and asset size that may exceed the needs of investors seeking basic portfolio management or early-stage planning.
- Cost structure can become layered: While wealth management fees cover many services, certain offerings may be billed separately or through affiliated entities, making total costs less straightforward than a single all-inclusive fee.
- Limited appeal for investors seeking automated or low-touch solutions: Savant emphasizes personal advisor relationships and team-based planning rather than robo-advisory or app-first tools, which may not suit investors who prefer a predominantly digital or self-directed experience.
Savant Wealth Management fees: How much does Savant Wealth Management cost?
Savant Wealth Management primarily charges asset-based advisory fees, fixed fees, or hourly rates depending on the service required.
In addition to core advisory fees, some tax, legal, trust, and consulting services may be billed separately through affiliated entities.
Core advisory and planning fees
| Service | Fee structure |
|---|---|
| Comprehensive wealth management | 0.50%–1.50% annually (AUM/AUA) |
| Standalone investment management | 0.50%–1.50% annually (AUM/AUA) |
| Standalone financial planning | $250–$10,000 per project or $100–$500/hour |
| Divorce planning services | $5,000–$50,000 fixed or $125–$500/hour |
| Family office services | 0.50%–1.50% annually (AUM/AUA) |
| Accounting and consulting services | hourly rates generally range from $150 to $500 |
| Retirement plan services | Asset-based and/or fixed fees |
Additional cost considerations
Beyond Savant’s primary advisory fees, total costs may also be affected by the following:
- Third-party fees: Custodian, fund (mutual fund/ETF), and third-party manager fees apply separately and are not included in Savant’s advisory fee.
- Affiliated service fees: Tax, accounting, consulting, legal, and trust-related services are typically billed separately through affiliated entities and are not included in the core advisory fee.
- Optional program and administrative charges: Some optional programs, platforms, or administrative services may incur additional fees in addition to advisory charges.
What is Savant Wealth Management’s minimum account size?
Savant Wealth Management sets clear minimum requirements for several of its core and specialized services.
| Service | Minimum requirement |
|---|---|
| Investment management | $300,000 minimum to open a managed portfolio |
| Comprehensive wealth management | No stated asset minimum: annual minimum fees may apply |
| Executive Planning Services | $750,000 adjusted net worth (preferred $1 million) |
| Family office services | assets and the breadth of services required |
| Estate & Wealth Transfer Services | $500 minimum project fee |
Who should choose Savant Wealth Management?
Savant Wealth Management is built for clients who expect ongoing, human-led advice and are willing to engage with a firm that coordinates investments alongside tax, estate, and other planning considerations.
Savant Wealth Management works well for:
- Want an ongoing advisor relationship, not a digital-only platform: The firm emphasizes direct relationships with financial advisors supported by tax, estate, and trust specialists, rather than self-directed tools or robo-advisory services.
- Have interconnected financial needs: Investors whose decisions span investments, taxes, estate planning, business interests, or trusts may benefit from Savant’s integrated approach, which addresses these areas within a single advisory framework.
- Value professional coordination across disciplines: Savant’s model brings together investment advisors, tax professionals, attorneys, and planning specialists, thereby reducing the need to coordinate advice across multiple external providers.
- Require specialized planning beyond portfolio management: Situations involving executive compensation, business ownership, estate and wealth transfer planning, retirement plan oversight, or family office-style services.
- Comfortable with a full-service cost structure: Savant’s asset-based fees, combined with potential fixed, hourly, or affiliated-service charges, reflect a traditional full-service advisory model rather than a low-cost or minimalist approach.
Who might not benefit as much:
- Primarily cost-focused: Investors seeking the lowest possible advisory fees or a minimalist investment-only solution may find Savant’s full-service pricing structure more than they require.
- Prefer digital-first or automated investing: Those who want app-based portfolio management, automated advice, or limited human interaction may find Savant’s relationship-driven model less appealing.
- Have straightforward financial needs: Individuals who only need basic portfolio management or occasional guidance may not fully utilize the firm’s broader planning and specialist resources.
- Do not meet service minimums or engagement thresholds: Some of Savant’s services involve minimum asset levels, net worth requirements, or project-based minimum fees, which can limit access for smaller or early-stage investors.
Savant Wealth Management: Is it secure?
Savant Wealth Management is generally considered secure. The firm operates as an SEC-registered investment adviser and does not take custody of client assets; instead, it relies on third-party custodians to hold and safeguard client funds.
Client assets are held with third-party custodians, which independently maintain accounts and provide statements. This separation between asset custody and investment advice reduces the risk of misuse and gives clients an external record of account activity.
On the data side, Savant frames its program around SEC-required privacy standards under Regulation S-P (tied to GLBA), and states that it:
- Restricts access to nonpublic personal and account information to employees who need it to provide services.
- Maintains physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to protect nonpublic personal information.
- Does not sell personal information
- Information sharing appears limited to operational necessity.
Savant Wealth Management: Customer service
Savant Wealth Management offers a relationship-driven customer service experience centered on direct access to human advisors, rather than on-call support teams or digital-only help channels.
Unlike platforms that emphasize live chat or extended-hour help desks, Savant’s service model assumes that most client needs are handled through planned, advisor-led discussions. This works well for clients who value continuity and depth in advice but may feel less responsive for those who expect immediate, on-demand assistance for routine inquiries.
Savant Wealth Management: Mobile app
Savant Wealth Management offers a dedicated mobile app designed to support its advisor-led service model.
The app primarily functions as a mobile client portal, allowing users to view their complete financial picture and stay connected with their financial advisor.
It provides an at-a-glance financial dashboard showing net worth and account information, along with access to a document vault, interactive reports, and basic budgeting tools.
Is Savant Wealth Management worth it?
Whether Savant Wealth Management is worth it depends on the type of investor.
For individuals and families who want an ongoing, advisor-led relationship and value having investment management coordinated with financial planning, tax considerations, and estate-related needs, Savant’s integrated service model can offer meaningful value.
However, investors who are primarily focused on low-cost investing, prefer a digital-first or automated experience, or only need basic portfolio management, may find Savant’s full-service approach more than they require.
In those cases, the added depth and structure may not justify the higher level of engagement and cost compared with simpler advisory or automated alternatives.
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