How to find a Christian financial advisor

1. Decide what "Christian financial advisor" actually means to you

The phrase is not a credential — it's a spectrum. Before you search, clarify which combination matters to you:

• Shared faith. The advisor is a Christian and frames planning around stewardship principles — generosity is a goal, not a budget leak.
• Credentialed faith integration. The advisor holds the Certified Kingdom Advisor® (CKA®) designation, which requires existing credentials (CFP®, CPA, or similar), completion of a Kingdom Advisors biblical-wisdom training program, client character references, and ongoing renewal. It's the most rigorous formal signal of trained, faith-integrated planning.
• Values-aligned portfolios. You want an advisor familiar with biblically responsible investing (BRI) — the fund families (Timothy Plan, Eventide, GuideStone, Inspire, Praxis), the screening criteria, the tradeoffs, and what to do when your 401(k) has no BRI options.
• Generosity planning. You give at a level where the mechanics matter — donor-advised funds, QCDs, giving appreciated stock, or charitable trusts. You want an advisor who treats this as financial planning, not a footnote.

Most families want all four. The point is to be explicit in the first call so you can verify early, not discover after months of working together that your advisor was just gracious about your giving.

2. Fee-only is not optional

A commission-based advisor earns money when you buy certain products. That structure conflicts directly with a stewardship ethos — you're paying someone to make recommendations that may favor their payout over your plan. Fee-only means the advisor is paid exclusively by you: a flat retainer, an hourly rate, or a percentage of assets managed. No commissions. No referral fees.

In a faith-aligned context, fee-only is the structure that removes the incentive to sell you expensive whole life insurance as a giving vehicle, or funds with high expense ratios (including some BRI funds), when cheaper alternatives serve you better. It is also, not coincidentally, the fiduciary structure — fee-only advisors registered as investment advisers are legally bound to act in your interest, not their own.

A quick check: Ask any advisor, "Are you fee-only? Do you receive any compensation from third parties when you make recommendations?" A clean answer is "no, never." Hedging — "only minimal," "just on insurance" — means no.

3. The Certified Kingdom Advisor® designation: what it signals

The CKA® is granted by Kingdom Advisors, the professional organization founded on the work of Larry Burkett and Ron Blue. To earn it, a candidate must:

• Already hold a recognized professional credential or license in finance or related fields (CFP®, CPA/PFS, ChFC®, CFA, JD, or substantial field experience).
• Complete the CKA training program and pass its examination, which covers financial planning topics through a biblical stewardship lens: generosity, contentment, debt principles, client communication from a faith perspective, and professional ethics.
• Provide character references, including pastoral references, attesting to personal faith and professional conduct.
• Renew through continuing education to maintain the designation.

What the CKA® does not guarantee: a specific theological position on contested questions like tithing on gross vs. net, or a view on specific fund families. Those remain personal and professional judgments. What it does mean: the advisor has invested seriously in doing faith-integrated planning well, inside a community that holds them to it.

See our full CKA guide for a deeper comparison with the CFP® and a list of questions that reveal real alignment regardless of designation.

4. Where to search

Three directories are worth starting with:

1. Kingdom Advisors advisor search (kingdomadvisors.com) — the official CKA® directory. Filter by state and specialty. Because earning the CKA® requires existing credentials, anyone in this directory is a real financial professional, not just someone claiming the label.
2. NAPFA (napfa.org) — the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors. All NAPFA members are fee-only by definition; not all specialize in Christian planning, but the fee-only filter matters. Search results can be cross-referenced with the Kingdom Advisors directory.
3. Garrett Planning Network (garrettplanningnetwork.com) — fee-only advisors who work hourly or on a project basis. Useful if you want planning advice without committing to an ongoing advisory relationship.

Avoid directories that include commission-based advisors without clearly labeling them — many "financial advisor finder" tools do. The Dave Ramsey SmartVestor Pro network is not fee-only; SmartVestors pay a referral fee to Ramsey for leads, and the network includes commission-based brokers. That does not make them dishonest, but it is a structural conflict worth understanding before you engage.

5. Ten questions to ask before you hire

These questions are designed to reveal real alignment in a first or second conversation. Listen for specificity and honesty, not rehearsed reassurance.

1. "How do you personally approach the relationship between faith and money?" You're listening for a genuine, thoughtful answer — not a mission statement.
2. "Are you fee-only? What are all the ways you're compensated?" The answer should be immediate and specific: a fee schedule, no commissions, no third-party payments. Any qualification is a flag.
3. "We give [X]% of our income. How do you typically plan around a giving commitment that size?" A faith-aligned advisor should engage this as a planning constraint and a goal, not route it through "charitable giving" as an afterthought.
4. "What experience do you have with biblically responsible investing?" You're looking for familiarity with actual BRI fund families and honest discussion of tradeoffs — expense ratios, screening definitions, and what to do inside a 401(k) with no BRI options.
5. "How do you handle it when your recommendation conflicts with a client's faith position?" There is no right answer, but there is a bad one: "I defer to whatever they want." A good advisor should be able to name real cases.
6. "Do you hold the CKA designation? If not, how do you stay current on faith-integrated planning?" The CKA is not the only path to genuine faith alignment, but the question surfaces how seriously the advisor pursues it professionally.
7. "What credentials do you hold beyond the CKA?" The CKA is an add-on to base professional credentials, not a replacement. You want a CFP®, CPA, or equivalent as the technical foundation.
8. "Can you walk me through how a donor-advised fund or QCD might fit our giving plan?" A conversant answer here — specific, with tax mechanics — distinguishes real planning expertise from general sympathy with your goals.
9. "How do you handle clients who disagree with your recommendation on faith grounds?" Some BRI funds carry significantly higher fees. Some clients won't own a particular asset regardless of the return. A mature faith-aligned advisor has navigated this and can describe it.
10. "What does a typical first-year engagement look like?" This reveals process, pricing structure, and whether the advisor's model fits where you are — comprehensive planning, investment management, or project-based help.

6. Red flags

• "I work with Christians" without any structural or credentialing evidence. Faith affinity is not a planning qualification.
• Whole life insurance as a stewardship vehicle. Some advisors in this space sell permanent life insurance as both a "protection" and "investment" tool. It can be appropriate in narrow circumstances; it is routinely over-sold by commission-compensated advisors to generous families who respond to mission-language.
• Proprietary funds or product suites. A fee-only fiduciary should be recommending the best available product for your situation. If every recommendation traces back to the same fund family or platform, ask why.
• Vague answers to fee questions. "My fees are very reasonable" is not an answer. Get a written fee schedule before signing anything.
• Conflating faith values with specific political or social views. A planner's job is financial planning. If a first call runs heavily toward culture-war territory rather than your actual financial situation, reconsider.

7. What to bring to the first conversation

You'll get more from a first meeting if you come prepared with:

• Your current giving commitment — how much, to whom, gross or net basis
• A rough household income and investable assets figure
• Any BRI preferences you already hold, or concerns about what's in existing accounts
• A sense of where you are in the Ramsey journey, if applicable — whether you're in debt paydown, just finished baby steps, or managing a significant portfolio
• Your estate and legacy intentions, if those are on your mind

A good advisor will ask most of these questions anyway. Coming in with clear answers signals that you're serious, and it speeds up the process of finding out whether you're a fit.

If you want us to handle the search

Fill out the form below. We match Christian families with fee-only fiduciaries who plan around stewardship — giving commitments, values-screened investing, and retirement. We'll connect you within one business day. No fee, no obligation, and we never sell your information.

Get matched with a faith-aligned advisor

Free, confidential, no obligation. Tell us a little about your situation and we'll connect you with a fee-only advisor who fits.