Which Financial Advisors Get Mentioned in AI Answers?
Two 2026 studies show which advisory firms AI tools name most often, where those names come from, and why specialists beat bigger firms in their niche.
AI answers name two kinds of firms most often. One is a few very large national firms. The other is small firms that serve one type of client. Most other firms do not show up at all, even many with top rankings.
That is the short version of two studies from 2026. One looked at more than 8,000 AI answers about hiring an advisor. The other logged over 1,000 sources that ChatGPT cited. Here is what they found, and what it means for a small firm.
Big rankings do not guarantee a mention
In October 2026, the PR firm Gregory published a study of 8,389 AI answers. The answers came from ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews. The team asked 248 questions, the way a wealthy client might ask them.
Three national firms came up far more than anyone else:
- Mercer Advisors, in 26.6% of answers
- Creative Planning, in 18.1%
- Mariner Wealth Advisors, in 15.4%
Being on a famous list did not help much. CNBC ranks 100 top advisory firms each year. In this study, 84 of them never showed up in a single answer. From Barron's 2026 list of top RIAs, only 10 firms showed up in more than 1% of answers.
Specialists win their own niche
The same study found that small firms with a clear focus beat the big names for their kind of client:
- Dentist Advisors appeared in 57% of answers about advisors for dentists.
- Hockey Wealth Group appeared in 85% of answers about advisors for NHL players.
- Artisan Financial Planning came up in 88% of answers about advisors for musicians.
These firms do not need to beat Mercer for "best financial advisor." They only need to be the clear answer for one group of people. AI tools look for the firm that best fits the exact question. A firm that names its niche makes that easy.
If you have not picked a focus yet, our guide on how to choose a financial advisor specialty covers how to decide.
Where AI tools find the names
AI tools do not make up firm names. They pull them from pages they can read. In the Gregory study, AI answers cited these sources:
- Firm websites, in 90% of answers
- Directories and listing sites, in 25%
- Business and financial media, in 24%
A second study came from Bonfire Studio. Financial Planning reported on it. The team asked ChatGPT to suggest advisors in five US cities. Advisor websites made up close to half of the sources it cited. The top source was not a firm at all. It was the NAPFA directory.
Your own website is the source you control most. One general "Services" page gives an AI tool little to work with. A page for each type of client gives it a clear match.
One article can change the answer
Press coverage matters more than its 24% share suggests. The Gregory study found two clear cases:
- Answers that cited a Wall Street Journal review of Carson Wealth named the firm 41% of the time. Answers that did not cite the review named it 8% of the time.
- The Los Angeles Times ran a profile of Richard Singer. Every answer about advisors for media executives that cited it named his firm, Singer Burke. Answers without it named the firm about half the time.
One strong article in a trusted outlet can do more than dozens of small listings.
The list changes every time you ask
AI answers are not fixed like a ranking. In the Bonfire study, the team asked ChatGPT the same questions twice on the same day, for the same city. Only about half the firm names came back the second time.
This matters for how you check your own visibility. One search tells you very little. Run the same set of questions several times, on more than one AI tool, and track how often your firm appears over a few months.
What this means for an independent firm
You will not out-mention a national firm with hundreds of offices. You do not need to. The research points to four things a small firm can do:
- Name your niche on your website. Give each type of client you serve its own page, written in the words those clients use.
- Fix your directory listings. Start with NAPFA, the CFP Board, and Google Business Profile. Then keep your details the same everywhere.
- Earn one real media mention. A quote or profile in a trade or local publication your clients read is worth more than many small listings.
- Check on a schedule. Ask the same questions every month and count how often you appear.
Our main guide on AI search visibility for financial advisors covers each step.
A note on the studies
Both studies come from companies that sell marketing. Neither has shared its full method. The two agree on the main points, but treat the exact numbers as a snapshot. AI tools change often, and the numbers will move.
Tim is the founder of Finsites, the done-for-you online growth system for independent financial advisors and RIAs. He is also the founder of Pixels and Sense, a fintech product design agency, and has been a designer since 2001, working exclusively in financial technology since 2011.
He started Finsites because he believes independent financial advisors deserve websites that actually work. His approach is to build each one around the advisor's own story and personality, not a template, and to design it to bring in new business. He also makes sure every site is ready for the new era of AI search and gives the advisor full visibility of their marketing, so they always know what is bringing in clients.
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