Financial advisor in New Jersey
The right advisor,
close to home.
For families across New Jersey who want planning first and a person who answers the phone, Tilson Financial Group is a family-led, fee-only fiduciary that has been here since 1991.
A fee-only financial advisor in New Jersey is paid only by clients, never by commissions. Tilson Financial Group, founded in 1991 in New Providence, is a family-led Registered Investment Adviser whose team includes CFP® professionals and CPAs, serving families across New Jersey and across the country.
What an advisor does
What does a financial advisor actually do?
A financial advisor helps you make money decisions in the context of your whole life: when to retire, how to draw income, how to handle taxes, what to do after a sale or an inheritance, and how to leave things in order.
Investments are part of it. They are not the point. The larger piece is planning.
A retirement projection. One that accounts for real life, not a calculator’s version of it.
A tax strategy. One that looks past this year’s return to the next twenty.
Estate coordination. Working with your attorney so the documents match the plan.
A plan for the moments. A loss, a sale, a health event. The things that change everything.
When a plan exists, the investment decisions get easier. The portfolio has a job to do, and the job is defined by the plan, not by headlines. That is how we work.
Anyone can write a plan. We stay for what comes after.
How advisors are paid
Fee-only vs fee-based: what the difference costs you.
Fee-only means the advisor is paid only by you. Fee-based means the advisor can also be paid by commissions on products they recommend. The phrases sound alike. The incentives are not.
Fee-only
Paid only by you
A stated fee, disclosed in writing
No products, no commissions
Fee-based
Paid by you and by commissions
Pay can change with the product recommended
Ask which recommendations carry a commission
Tilson is fee-only. No products, no commissions, no corporate mandates. Our fee schedule is in our Form ADV Part 2A, and we walk through it in the first conversation.
What “fiduciary” means here
A fiduciary must act in your best interest, disclose conflicts, and put your outcome ahead of the firm’s. As an SEC Registered Investment Adviser, Tilson carries that duty to every client, on every recommendation. Not every advisor does. Ask, and get it in writing.
How to vet an advisor
How to vet a financial advisor in New Jersey.
Three checks: the credentials they hold, how they are paid, and what the public record shows. All three take less than an hour.
Credentials to look for
CFP®. Comprehensive planning: retirement, tax, insurance, estate, and investments, together.
CPA. Tax expertise, which matters more in retirement than most people expect.
CFA®. Investment analysis and portfolio construction.
Tilson’s advisory team includes CFP® professionals, CPAs, and a CFA® charterholder, working on the same plan, not in separate offices.
Before the first meeting, check the SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure and FINRA’s BrokerCheck. Both are free. Tilson’s Form ADV and Client Relationship Summary are a click away.
Five questions
Questions to ask in the first meeting
Are you a fiduciary at all times? The answer should be yes, in writing.
How are you paid? Fee-only, fee-based, or commission. Ask to see the fee schedule.
Who will I actually talk to? One person, a team that knows you, or whoever picks up.
What happens when something changes? A loss, a sale, a health event. Ask how the plan adjusts.
How do you coordinate with my CPA and attorney? Planning that stops at the portfolio is not planning.
About Tilson
A New Jersey firm since 1991.
Founded in 1991 by Robert Tilson in New Providence, New Jersey. Family-led, with the next generation already in place. Independent and fee-only. Built to be your last advisor.
We work with families across New Jersey, and increasingly across the country, who want the same thing: a plan first, and a person who picks up.
When you call, a human answers.
Your advisory team knows your story.
Our back office knows your name.
Comprehensive financial planning
Retirement planning
Tax planning
Estate planning coordination
Investment management
Multigenerational planning
Robert Tilson still leads the firm he founded. Read his bio, and the rest of the team’s, on our team page.
Who this is for.
Families approaching retirement who want a real projection, not a calculator. Couples managing aging parents and adult children at the same time. Business owners a few years out from a sale. Anyone who has lost a spouse and wants a steady hand, not a sales call.
If that sounds like you, we should talk.
“The personal connection. Being able to call people who know who I am, whom I’ve met personally, who understand my personal situation.”
Current TFG Client
Clients were not compensated for testimonials.
Questions families ask us about choosing an advisor.
Is Tilson Financial Group a fiduciary?
Yes. Tilson is an SEC Registered Investment Adviser and acts as a fiduciary for every client: we are required to act in your best interest, disclose conflicts, and put your outcome ahead of the firm’s. Our registration and Form ADV are on the SEC’s public adviser database.
What does a fee-only advisor cost?
A stated fee for planning, investment management, or both, paid by you and disclosed in writing. No commissions, no product incentives. Tilson’s fee schedule is published in our Form ADV Part 2A, and we walk through it in the first conversation.
What is the difference between a financial planner and a financial advisor?
In practice the terms overlap. “Financial advisor” is the broad label for anyone who advises on money, including brokers and insurance agents. “Financial planner” usually signals a planning-first approach, and CFP® professionals have met specific education, exam, and ethics standards to use that mark. Ask what the person actually does and how they are paid.
Do I need an advisor in New Jersey, or can they be anywhere?
Either can work. Most of the families we work with are in New Jersey, and a growing number are not; we meet in person or by video. What matters more than distance is whether the advisor is a fiduciary, how they are paid, and whether a person picks up when you call.
How do CFP® professionals and CPAs work together on one plan?
The CFP® professional builds and maintains the plan. The CPA looks at every decision inside it, from withdrawals and conversions to charitable gifts and a business sale, with the tax return in view. At Tilson both sit on the same advisory team, so planning and tax work happen together, year-round.
This is general information, not personalized advice.
Ready to talk?
The right advisor starts with a conversation.
No pitch. No pressure. Just a conversation about what’s on your mind and whether we might be a good fit. If you are looking for a financial advisor in New Jersey and want to know whether we are the right one, let’s talk.
Or call (908) 561-6203
Tilson Financial Group brings clarity, confidence, and presence when it counts.
The Tilson Financial Group, Inc. is a Registered Investment Adviser registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The material provided is for educational purposes.
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