Top 10 financial advisers in NZ

All financial advisers can give you broad advice about your money.

But most people don’t realise financial advisers usually specialise in one specific area.

For instance, a financial adviser could specialise in any of the following:

• Budgeting – helping you manage your money
• Investments – focused on managed funds or property investment
• Mortgages – for investors and home owners
• Insurance – including personal and business insurance
• KiwiSaver – Finding the right KiwiSaver provider and correctly setting it up.

Because of this many investors ask: “Who is the right financial adviser for me?”

So, how do you find the right financial adviser for your financial needs? Here are my picks for the top 10 financial advisers in New Zealand.

Opes Partners

Before we get into the list of top financial advisers, here at Opes we are financial advisers who help people invest in property.

I’m not including ourselves on the list, even though I own the company!

Because if I say that Opes Partners are “the best” financial advisers in NZ, you’ll think I’m biased (even though I think we’re pretty great).

So, I won’t point to a specific financial adviser in my team like I will for the rest of the list. But, if you’re a property investor buying a New Build, Opes Partners may be the right fit for you.

More from Opes Partners:

• What does a financial adviser actually do? (Article)
• Help! My 2 financial advisers are saying different things (Article)
• The bank vs financial adviser debate: What's best for your property investment goals? (Podcast)

Budgeting and general financial advisers

#1 Hannah McQueen – EnableMe

Hannah McQueen founded enable.me, which specialises in budgeting, mortgages and insurance.

It was recently bought by AdviceFirst (which is ultimately an Australian company). But Hannah is still a financial adviser at the company.

enable.me is arguably the best company in New Zealand at helping people budget better.

They help you create a plan to spend less and pay off your mortgage faster.

Hannah has also written 3 books:

• The Perfect Balance: How to Get Ahead Financially and Still Have a Life (2012)
• Kill Your Mortgage and Sort Your Retirement: The Go-To Guide for Getting Ahead (2015)
• Pocket Money to Property: How to create financially independent kids (2017)

If you choose to work with Hannah she can provide you with several financial advice services. This includes money habits, goal setting, investment options and mortgage management.

Just be aware that not everyone gets to work with Hannah. So, if you choose to use enable.me you may end up working with one of her team.

Cost: Hannah’s fees are $400 (GST incl) for the initial consultation. Any additional programme fees range from $2,999 to $12,499.

#2 David Smart – David Smart Co.

Unlike others on this list, David Smart is completely independent. It’s just him, working from his home in Auckland.

This means that you’ll be working directly with him, and not a member of his team.

David can advise on a range of topics, including:

• budgeting
• cash management
• investment planning and managed funds.

He says: “I don't turn anyone away.”

Before meeting David, you’ll fill out a 2-page fact-find form; then the consultation takes about an hour.

This first meeting is free, but after that he’ll be able to propose a plan moving forward. This includes costs.

David says every client is different, so a one-size strategy is not appropriate. And he does enjoy making different strategies for each client. He aims for solutions that are straightforward and achievable for clients.

David says he believes in educating his clients ... not just advising them. To him, it’s just as important to understand the why behind financial decisions.

Cost: David’s initial consultations are free. Following that, he charges by the hour.

Mortgages and insurance

#3 Cameron Marcroft – loan market

Cameron Marcroft is a mortgage broker. He leads the Loan Market Central team from his office in Remuera, Auckland.

Loan Market is a nationwide company and has 130-plus advisers based all around New Zealand.

He is a very well-decorated broker. NZ Adviser Awards named Cameron as the broker who helped Kiwis borrow the most money (2022).

His name is well respected on the Property Investors Chat Group on Facebook. Investors praise Cameron and his team for their service. All his Google reviews mention he is punctual and a good communicator.

Cost: $0. Mortgage brokers get paid by the bank, so the cost to you is usually nothing.

#4 John Bolton – squirrel

John Bolton, or JB as he’s often known, founded Squirrel in 2008.

He is the Director of Mortgages with a team of over 50 advisers.

Squirrel has a specialist property finance and commercial team for more complex lending.

You’ve likely heard of Squirrel; it’s one of the largest branded mortgage brokers in New Zealand.

The team writes roughly $3 billion in mortgages each year.

This does mean that if you choose to work with Squirrel, you may not work directly with JB; you could be working with one of his team.

Squirrel is a bit different from most mortgage brokers because their team is primarily paid salaries. They’re not 100% commission-based. This means they don’t have a substantial incentive to get you a mortgage.

Squirrel sees this as a big benefit because they’re not incentivised to get you more into debt than you need to be.

JB is a former General Manager at ANZ and has 10 years of senior banking experience in financial markets, Treasury and financial strategy.

Cost: $0. Mortgage brokers get paid by the bank, so the cost to you is usually nothing.

#5 Eugene Bartsaikin – twine financial advisers

Eugene is the managing director of Twine Financial Advisers in Rosedale, Auckland. He founded the company in 2017.

He says the point of difference for his business is they are property strategists, specifically around property and financing property.

Eugene and his team detail the “ins and outs” with investors. This way they can get their game plan in place before making a purchase.

After this process is finished Eugene then refers his clients to other professionals.

Twine also offers an ongoing loan renewal service, which clients find helpful especially when interest rates and property prices keep changing.

He and his team specialise in mortgages for property investors, existing homeowners and first home buyers.

Eugene’s name is well-known in the industry. He was the Top Adviser of the Year in 2023 and has been in the top 20 mortgage advisers’ list since 2020. On top of that, he made the Young Guns list, which acknowledges advisers aged 35 and under in the business.

Here at Opes, we know Eugene well. Why? Because we’ve seen the financial advice he’s given to our investors … and it’s good. It’s thorough and some of the most clearly written I’ve seen in the industry.

Funds, shares and other investments

#5 Angela Chu – AMA Capital

Angela Chu is a financial adviser at AMA Capital. She specialises in high net-worth individuals, trusts and companies.

AMA Capital customises investment strategies to meet the unique goals of its clients. This is what makes it stand out from other firms. 

To get started, potential clients have a discovery meeting. There is no cost for this. This meeting will allow you and Angela to see if she’s the right fit.

If you’re interested in an investment AMA Capital doesn’t offer, she can put you in touch with the right advisers.

Angela is sharp. She started university at just 15, where she studied mathematics. She then worked for one of the big four banks and became a financial adviser.

You might also like to know Angela is engaged to Ed – our economist here at Opes!

Cost: Angela’s service is highly customised, so fees vary. 

She typically charges a fee, which is a percentage of the amount you invest through her.

#7 Darcy Ungaro – Ungaro & Co

Darcy Ungaro is the director of, and sole financial adviser for, his business Ungaro and Co.

This Auckland firm focuses specifically on mortgages, insurance and KiwiSaver.

But, having said that, Darcy says they also like to take a broad approach to financial strategy.

He says: “Every conversation is different.”

My favourite part about Darcy is he is a fellow podcaster and host of NZ Everyday Investor. He's in the top 30 business podcasts in New Zealand (Chartable.com).

NZ Everyday Investor covers the whole spectrum of investment. It aims to make it easier for the everyday Kiwi to develop wealth.

Darcy has 19 years experience as a financial adviser and his business is about 13 years old. Despite immigrating to New Zealand in 1986, his accent has never faltered.

Cost: Works on commission. Fees for financial planning start from $320 an hour + GST

#8 Anna Robinson – Quartz Wealth

Anna has been a financial adviser with the Quartz Wealth team since 2015.

She has over 15 years experience, including work in Australia and London.

One of Quartz Wealth’s core businesses is private wealth management. This is especially for high net-worth investors.

Anna and her colleagues at Quartz Wealth work as a team of advisers.

So, for investors this means you’ll have a lead adviser who will primarily work with you. But any one of the team could work on your account.

Anna can advise you on a range of financial services ... from financial and investment planning to cashflow analysis and savings.

She can also provide general insurance and mortgage advice. But she doesn’t delve into the specifics. In this instance, she’ll recommend clients work with a professional.

Cost: Investors pay a flat annual fee, but they also pay a percentage of the funds they invest in. How much depends on what assets you invest in.

#9 Elliot Young – Fisher Funds

Fisher Funds has been operating in New Zealand for 25 years. It’s a very well-known and trusted investment firm that provides:

• KiwiSaver funds
• managed funds and
• wealth management

Currently, they have over $22 billion in funds under management. That’s from nearly 500,000 Kiwis.

Fisher Funds has a large nationwide team with offices in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

I ran a poll with my team. One of their top picks is Elliot Young. He’s a senior wealth management adviser based in Auckland.

He can provide tailored financial advice and manages portfolios for his high net-worth clients.

Cost: Fisher Funds charges a fee to manage your investment. For a conservative fund this is 0.93% of your net asset value. This increases to 1.02% for a growth fund.

#10 Murtaza Haidermota – Milford

Milford is a specialist investment firm. Murtaza is a financial adviser. He specialises in providing advice on Milford’s KiwiSaver Plan.

This does mean that if you talk to Murtaza he’ll recommend you invest in Milford’s KiwiSaver plan and then help you set it up the right way.

So, if you don’t want to invest in Milford’s KiwiSaver funds, Murtaza wouldn’t be the right fit for you.

He helps everyone, from first home buyers to people creating a retirement nest egg.

In this role, he realised that Kiwi financial literacy was generally very low. His move to a financial adviser is so he can help people develop and achieve their financial goals.

Cost: There is no fee for receiving Murtaza’s financial advice, although you will pay fees to Milford if you invest through their KiwiSaver funds.