I went with Creative Planning in Jan 17. They moved some accounts under management and moved funds that weren't to be moved. I sold some real estate and did not have a 1031 property identified, so I parked the cash at Creative. Despite directions to the contrary my CFP invested it in a high volatility market and lost 10% and charged me 1% for the management services to endure those losses. When I asked for the CFP notes on my accounts, the firm circled the wagons and won't release any notes to me. It culminated with my CFP dropping the ball on converting a stipulated amount in an IRA to a ROTH during the COVID crash. They dropped the ball despite an e-mail trail of directives. Discussions with the principal Peter Malouk initially looked promising, like they'd make good on the error, but once again they circled the wagons and won't do anything. Very lackluster performance in their picks. Any gains I made while with Creative happened on investments I had prior to moving to Creative. The wealth managers are sales types, who appear to be selected on a friendliness factor. There were no rebalancing trades during the COVID crash to capitalize on the market. 1% fee for significantly less return than the market as a whole. read more

At the top of the year, I met with my planner. He asked me "what are your investment goals?" I thought, oh great, this is going to be a collaborative effort. I expressed my concerns for my portfolio being equity heavy in a market that posed extreme economic risks. I told him "I don't want to lose a significant percentage of my account to where it would take years to recover." Come to find out, this company didn't care about hedging risk. They said "well no one can time the market, so it's better to just sit in quality positions and let them do their thing." Fast forward to now and here I am down over 20% of my portfolio while many other investors are having record years for understanding what the hell a bear market is. This company is not going to protect you from a 2008 or 2000 style market and you can expect a long road just to break even, which won't even be the case due to inflation. If you're interested in their investment strategies, just buy a bunch of ETFs and save yourself their commission fee. There's better investment advice on Twitter these days. read more

Lord! Cannot believe this outfit is on Schwab's list! What snake oil is to doctors . . . Their "self-test" on your investor profile suggests their optimally pursued potential client is the one who at best expects investment value to keep up with inflation. They were less interested when they learned my investment history and my preference of growth strategy. Note: when a family member who has already been stupid enough to let them invest for her has their guy come by to do a "projection" of what "Creative Planning can do" for you, don't give out that personal financial info. It has no client protection at that point and may be part of sleuthing out your financial situation by a nosy relative! Goes in my slimeball operation category read more

Extremely disappointed. They managed an account for me for about 14 months. At the same time I personally managed a similar account with similar balance. At the end of 14 months they had accumulated a net loss of about -8% on their account, I liquidated my account in September 2018, and netted about +10% gain! Plus I paid them a management fee of about $20,000 for this service. I really questioned their pics for my portfolio and also questioned their constant trading for "tax losses". I was hoping for capital gains but ended up with tax losses. Let you do the math and figure it out for yourself. Jan F. read more

In reading other reviews, it seems some people are confused by what a wealth management company should do. From my 7 years as a client, I have become very confident in their ability to help us meet our goals. They sell no products and invest in mainstream ETFs and Mutual Funds. Their tax harvesting strategy insures you'll save $$ at tax time. I get almost instant responses from my advisor, with accurate and complete research every time. The employees are very happy working for them (according to Glass Door). They offer advice and help on virtually any financial question you might have. I used to manage my own portfolio, but have seen huge benefits from going with Creative Planning. Bryan O'Dell is a real pro. 5 stars all the way! read more

I've had a great relationship with the team over at Creative Planning since day one. Considerate, friendly and true experts in their field. Working with them has been a breath of fresh air compared to any other financial service providers. I would recommend them and look forward to working with them in the future. This is one of those companies where the level of excellence comes all the way from the top. I absolutely love that in companies! True thought leadership and innovation that impacts the entire company and clients positively. It's the same thing I try to do for my own business. read more

The only five-star rating Creative Planning deserves is consistency in poor service and ineffective financial management. If the person with whom I was working is representative of Creative Planning's other financial advisers, I do not exaggerate in saying the company should not be in business. I was often taken aback by the responses I received from the adviser, most of which I believe were a subterfuge to the adviser's inability to provide an answer. such as "Check statements of...." As to why the account was losing money, the answer varied from "Well, give it time; you have only been with us a year," etc. I should not have waited any longer because the losses continued. The fact that nothing changed when I contacted the regional director reflects even more poorly upon Creative Planning. The ads a prospective client receives are also suggestive of what I believe to be underhanded tactics. Creative Planning touts its recognition by major rating agencies in these ads, hoping people will be swayed into believing the rating is because of Creative Planning's commendable results with investors. No, the ratings are because of Creative Planning's generous contributions to charity--with your money and mine. What is notable is that shortly after my monies were transferred from Creative Planning my earnings began to grow. I would be derelict if I did not write this review, so that others may be wary. read more

We have been with Creative Planning for three years now and we are very satisfied with the returns on our investment. During the 2020 COVID induced downturn in the market, Creative Planning rebalanced our portfolio by selling bonds and buying more stock at reduced prices. This strategy was brilliant! We had an amazing return in our portfolio last year. Creative Planning has since rebalanced our portfolio and repurchased bonds. I love the fact they will take advantage of situations in the market to increase our rate of return. They also offer a service called "Home Office." This service lets us access their on-staff trust attorney and CPA who can answer any questions we may have. We tried to used their on-staff insurance person but found that service to be lacking and totally unsatisfactory. I do not recommend using the insurance portion of their business. However, their financial planning and wealth management is 5 stars in my opinion. read more

Have contacted with them since early June and have experience negative returns - NOT IMPRESSED

I am thoroughly impressed with Creative Planning. They have been managing my money and all my family members for years now. Yes they handle investments but they also put a team of people with you to handle taxes, estate planning and anything related to your financial life. They also don't push any products or investments that they get paid on so you know you are getting advice in your best interests! read more

My parents have been clients of Creative Planning for several years, and they tell me all the time how glad they are to have become clients. I for one, want to say, "thank you" to Creative Planning for keeping my parents' wealth and my future inheritance safe! read more

Two years ago, I extensively researched firms along the Front Range in Colorado that could manage my dollars expertly now, had attorneys on staff to craft a Trust document for me that could distribute my assets judiciously over time when I die (like ruling from the grave), and also had accountants on staff. I was seeking a one-stop-shop that could do it all. Creative Planning was the only firm I found in this area that could do this and do this very well and at the lowest cost. There's NO CHARGE to talk with them about what they can do for you. John Baker is the managing director in the Denver, Colorado area and he can be reached at 720-202-0952 and at john.baker@creativeplanning.com. John is exceptionally bright, very knowledgeable, well prepared, really approachable, and enjoyable to work with and he has a well-trained team in place to handle the smallest details. BTW, after I had the Trust document created, I had an attorney review it down at Buckley Air Force Base (I'm a veteran - they don't create Trust documents there, but can review them) and he indicated that it was the best and most comprehensive Trust document he had seen, it "covers every contingency", and was the most reasonably priced as well. I'd recommend Creative Planning without hesitation. read more

After reading Tony Robbins's book I moved half my retirement to CP. I lost 3% with my CP investment and made 18% with my E*TRADE Index fund. Before I left CP I asked my investment manager if I could see the past performance of their fund. He said he was not allowed to disclose that. That's when I knew I had to run! I have a Lot respect for Tony Robbins and he's changed my life for the better with his self help material. But I'm very disappointed in him because he continues to say how good the fund is doing but that seems to be a lie. He says Ray Dalio gave him the secret recipe for the CP investment instrument but they are clearly missing some ingredients. I will say they did have some great services such as tax and accounting people that can help you out. But none of that matters when they're charging you 1% and you're losing money. It makes me sad to write this review but people should know the performance of their fund. It could have changed but not from what else I have read online. I assume that most people in the fund don't understand the market and don't realize how much better they can do with an index fund. read more

Creative Planning is a comprehensive financial firm that can assist on planning, setting up trusts, insurance, etc. They asset allocate based on your risk profile and apparently set once when you open account. I have had sub-index performance with Creative Planning and have been moved from advisor to advisor as they grow. Not much for customer service other than a once a year visit. In 2013, my accounts did 1/3 of the S&P performance. I had made one specific investment request that was ignored and trades made in this direction without communication to me. read more