10 Best Laptops for Financial Advisors: Top Picks in 2024 - Productivity Nine to Five (2024)

My top pick for the best laptops for financial advisors is the Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro.

This laptop has everything you need for financial planning, investment management, risk management, data analysis, or keeping up with clients. It comes with an elegant and lightweight design to carry with you and impress potential clients, robust security features to protect financial data and prevent unauthorized access, and all-day long battery life for superior mobility.

On top of that, the Galaxy Book is powered with the latest Intel Core i7 series processor and sufficient RAM for increased computing capacity and multitasking.

If you are on a budget, the Acer Swift X is among the top laptops you can buy. This is the best budget overall laptop on my list with solid computing and graphics performance, long battery life, high portability, and decent configuration overall.

If you want to dig deeper, here are my top picks for the best laptops for financial advisors.

What is the best laptop for financial advisors?

• Best overall Windows laptop for financial advisors: Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro
• Best premium laptop for financial advisors: Apple MacBook Pro M3
• Best convertible laptop for financial advisors: Lenovo Yoga 9i
• Best performance laptop for financial advisors: ASUS Zenbook Pro 14 OLED
• Best budget overall laptop for financial advisors: Acer Swift X
• Best creative laptop for financial advisors: Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
• Best business laptop for financial analysts: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon
• Best screen-real estate laptop for financial advisors: LG Gram 17
• Best budget high-security laptop for financial advisors: HP EliteBook 640
• Best gaming laptop for financial analysts: ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14

1. Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro (16’’)

Best overall Windows laptop for financial advisors

The Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro is one of the best laptops for financial advisors with lots of goodies under the hood. It’s powered by the latest Intel Core i7-1360P processor that clocks 5.0 GHz at max speed. Equipped with 16 GB fast LPDDR5 memory, you can rest assured that this laptop will support effortless multitasking.

You can get your hands on a beautiful 2.8 K AMOLED screen with a high refresh rate (120 Hz), a 16:10 aspect ratio, and great brightness (400 nits).

This laptop comes with the most advanced Galaxy Book security with multiple layers of Microsoft Secured-core PC security and dTPM. You also get a fingerprint reader for an easy and password-free login.

The AKG four-speaker system with Dolby Atmos support and the Full HD webcam will supercharge your online meetings with clients.

All this superpower is packed into a stylish and lightweight chassis, which reminds me of the MacBook Pro in outlook and quality. What’s also a similar feature is the 18-hour battery life and the seamless connection experience with your Galaxy devices. You can use your Galaxy Tab as a second screen, share files with ease, and sync your photos automatically.

Overall, I couldn’t find a grip on the Galaxy Book3 Pro; that’s why I recommend it as the best Windows laptop for financial advisors available today.

Csaba’s Rating:

• Performance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Connectivity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Portability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Battery life: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What I like and dislike about the Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro:

2. Apple MacBook Pro M3 (14.2”)

Best premium laptop for financial advisors

The Apple MacBook Pro M3 is probably the best laptop for financial advisors thanks to its built-in security features, comfortable keyboard, blazing-fast performance, massive buildup, vivid screen, and long battery life.

Apple finally improved the connectivity with an HDMI port and even an SDXC card slot so that you can now connect your new laptop to a projector or external display.

Power has become a trademark for MacBooks, and the M3 chip brings it to the next level. Apple’s new chip features 12 cores, along with an 18-core GPU and a 16-core neural engine. Employing dynamic caching and a new GPU architecture, the M3 chip is way faster than earlier MacBook models with the M1 chip or Intel-based configurations. Thus, you’ll have enough power to do financial analysis, run machine learning algorithms, or manipulate large datasets.

The stunning 3K Liquid Retina XDR display will be your best friend when creating marketing materials, researching market trends, monitoring portfolio performance, or delivering presentations to clients. The new screen is incredibly bright (600 nits), sharp, and colorful (1 billion colors), and it supports a high refresh rate (120 Hz).

The backlit magic keyboard provides a comfortable typing experience for doing complex calculations, typing out estate planning documents, and keeping track of clients in your CRM. However, my favorite feature is still the incredibly long battery life. The new MacBook can last for up to 18 hours. And while doing demanding calculations or running virtual meetings may finish your batteries more quickly, you still get all-day-long battery life.

It’s hard to get a grip on the new MacBook Pro except for the price and the lack of flexible features.

Csaba’s Rating:

• Performance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Connectivity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Portability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Battery life: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What I like and dislike about the MacBook Pro M3:

3. Lenovo Yoga 9i (14’’)

Best convertible laptop for financial advisors

The Lenovo Yoga 9i is the best convertible laptop for financial advisors on my list. It delivers a great computing capacity thanks to the latest 12-core Intel Core i7-1360P processor, which features sufficient threads, cache size, and clock speed. Complemented with 16 GB of blazing-fast LPDDR5 RAM, you will get enough power for financial planning, analyzing financial data and investment portfolios, and manipulating large spreadsheets.

This is the laptop where power meets flexibility. With a 2-in-1 design and a Lenovo Precision pen (which comes with your purchase), you can use your new laptop as a tablet, a laptop, or anything in between.

The fingerprint reader makes it easy to unlock your computer without messing up with a password, while the FHD infrared webcam can also authenticate you.

The Lenovo Yoga 9i comes with a sharp and vibrant 2.8K OLED touchscreen with amazing specs. It supports a wide color gamut (100% DCI-P3), high brightness (400 nits), and HDR content. The only thing I missed was a bit higher refresh rates.

Combined with the Bowers & Wilkins speaker system supporting Dolby Atmos and an FHD IR webcam with a privacy shutter, this laptop delivers a premium audio-visual experience for virtual meetings, streaming, and everyday tasks like estate planning, retirement planning, or presenting insurance products.

Overall, it’s hard to get a grip on this laptop which is a popular choice among business folks.

Csaba’s Rating:

• Performance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Connectivity: ⭐⭐⭐
• Portability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Battery life: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

What I like and dislike about the Lenovo Yoga 9i:

4. ASUS Zenbook Pro 14 OLED (14.5’’)

Best performance laptop for financial advisors

The ASUS Zenbook 14 Pro is a laptop where power meets innovation, portability, and comfort. This laptop comes in a stylish tech black color, weighing only 3.64 pounds while meeting military-standard durability (US MIL-STD 810H).

You won’t lack power thanks to the latest 14-core Intel Core i9-13900H processor that clocks 5.4 GHz at max speed. Combined with a strong NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card with 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM and 32 GB of system memory, this laptop can handle the most demanding financial work. Coupled with ASUS IceCool Pro thermal technology and a Mux Switch for bypassing the CPU, this setup is capable of powerful computing, video editing, and even gaming.

The Zenbook Pro features a top-notch OLED NanoEdge touchscreen with some impressive specs: it comes with a high refresh rate (120 Hz), a wide color gamut (100% DCI-P3), incredible brightness (550 nits), and fast response times (0.2 ms). This screen is not only superior for everyday work, but it also supports gaming and streaming HDR content. Plus, it supports the ASUS Pen if you want to unleash your creativity.

But wait, this is not the end of the goodies. The FHD IR webcam supports facial recognition for an easy and secure login and harnesses AI to reduce background noise, plus the camera ensures that you always look great when you meet with clients online. The premium Harman-Kardon certified speaker system with Dolby Atmos further amplifies the audiovisual experience.

The ErgoSense keyboard has become a trademark of the Zenbooks, and this model is no exception. It provides a comfortable typing experience while this model features the ASUS DialPad. The DialPad can multiply your productivity by allowing full customization of your apps.

The Zenbook Pro provides ample connectivity from fast Thunderbolt 4 to classic USB-A to HDMI. Wireless transfer is also good with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.

The only thing I can criticize is battery life, which is average with up to 10 hours of runtime. However, this powerful device is hungry for power. Overall, the ASUS Zenbook Pro is one of the most powerful laptops and a perfect choice for financial advisors, who want a future-proof device with superior performance.

Csaba’s Rating:

• Performance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Connectivity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Portability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Battery life: ⭐⭐⭐

What I like and dislike about the ASUS Zenbook Pro:

5. Acer Swift X (14’’)

Best budget overall laptop for financial advisors

The Acer Swift X is a highly acclaimed budget laptop or, I can say, a mid-tier laptop with solid computing and graphics performance, long battery life, high portability, and decent configuration overall.

What makes this laptop a great candidate for the financial adviser is the octa-core AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050Ti GPU with 4 GB GDDR6 VRAM. This combination, along with 16 GB of memory, can handle every task from analyzing financial data to setting up financial goals for clients to managing investment portfolios and large spreadsheets.

When it comes to virtual meetings, Acer’s PurifiedVoice with AI noise reduction can reduce background noise from your side as well as from the client side.

Despite being a budget laptop, the Acer Swift X features a fingerprint reader to avoid messing up with your passwords and a great air-inlet backlit keyboard for maximum performance and convenience.

Speaking of the screen, I can say it’s a decent FHD IPS panel with great colors (100% sRGB) and a relatively high screen-to-body ratio (85%).

Equipped with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, you won’t lack wireless connectivity. If you want to connect your new laptop to an external display or peripherals, you’ll find an option thanks to the various USB ports and HDMI port.

Overall, I couldn’t say anything bad about this laptop for this price. It’s an excellent choice for the budget-conscious financial adviser.

Csaba’s Rating:

• Performance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Connectivity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Portability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Battery life: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

What I like and dislike about the Acer Swift X:

6. Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 (14.4’’)

Best creative laptop for financial advisors

The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 brings together the best of Microsoft’s innovation into a powerful yet flexible device.

Power is handled by the latest Intel Core i7-13700H CPU with 14 cores. This power is further amplified by an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 graphics card with 6 GB VRAM. On top of that, this laptop comes with 32 GB of RAM for effortless multitasking. This configuration makes the Surface Studio an ideal laptop for financial analysts and easily handles the most demanding financial work from machine learning to handling financial data while maintaining robust security features.

Thanks to the flexible design, you can use your laptop as a tablet. The Surface Slim Pen 2 provides tactile feedback and charges under the keyboard magnetically attached. It can last for up to 15 hours on a single charge.

Impress your clients with a professional video conferencing experience by using the FHD webcam with automatic background blur, eye contact correction, and automatic framing.

One of the major selling points of this laptop is the 2.4K PixelSense Flow touchscreen with incredible brightness (650 nits), a high refresh rate (120 Hz), and support for HDR content and Dolby Vision. This screen makes this laptop great for not only financial work and presentations but also for streaming content and gaming.

Fortunately, the battery life is awesome with 18 hours of uptime, which positions Surface laptops in the top tier of the industry.

The only thing I missed was an HDMI port. Otherwise, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 is certainly among the best laptops for financial advisors.

Csaba’s Rating:

• Performance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Connectivity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Portability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Battery life: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What I like and dislike about the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2:

7. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (14’’)

Best business laptop for financial analysts

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is one of the best business laptops out there with great implications for financial advisors. This laptop comes with robust security features, a superb keyboard, powerful computing performance, and a decent configuration overall.

Power is handled by a deca-core Intel Core i7-1355U CPU with sufficient threads, cache size, and clock speed to support financial work like financial modeling and forecasting, analyzing investment options and market trends, keeping up with clients, and working with large datasets. You’ll have ample memory for multitasking, too.

If you run virtual meetings with your clients, the Full HD IR webcam with a privacy shutter and the AI-based noise-canceling mics will come in handy, just as the mobility that the 180-degree hinge and the lightweight design offer.

Screenwise, you get a 2.2K IPS panel supporting 300 nits, a 16:10 aspect ratio, and a 100% sRGB color gamut. Not bad at all, but this laptop could have deserved more brightness and an OLED display for that price.

You’ll have ample connectivity with multiple USB type C and type A ports, an HDMI port, and even a Kensington lock slot for physical security. The fingerprint reader makes it easy to unlock your work laptop securely and easily. Despite the 57-Wh batteries, battery life is acceptable at least.

Overall, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is the perfect laptop for financial planning with robust security features, a highly portable design, and powerful performance.

Csaba’s Rating:

• Performance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Connectivity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Portability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Battery life: ⭐⭐⭐

What I like and dislike about the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon:

8. LG Gram 17 (17’’)

Best screen-real estate laptop for financial advisors

The LG Gram 17 is a top pick for financial advisors with a sleek and lightweight design, big screen, great computing capacity, and long battery life.

Under the ultra-light magnesium-aluminum alloy chassis that bears the MIL-STD-810H durability badge, you’ll find a 12-core Intel Core i7-1360P processor with sufficient cache size and high clock speed. Combined with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 GPU and 16 GB of fast DDR5 memory, this laptop can handle every task from financial planning to risk management to machine learning (and of course streaming and even gaming).

Equipped with a Full HD infrared webcam, you can use biometric authentication (facial recognition) to unlock your computer without messing up with a password. It will also make your virtual meetings more professional by delivering a 360-degree sound, thanks to the Dolby Atmos speaker system.

The LG Gram 17 offers great screen real estate with its 17-inch 2.5K screen. It’s not only large, but it also comes with a wide color gamut (99% DCI-P3) and a high refresh rate (144 Hz). This configuration along with the powerful CPU and dedicated GPU makes this laptop suitable for casual gaming, too.

Fortunately, all those goodies don’t come at the expense of battery life: you can calculate with up to 14 hours of runtime thanks to the large, 90-Wh battery capacity.

I missed a fingerprint reader (although you have an IR webcam with facial recognition) and more pixel density. Otherwise, the LG Gram 17 is among the best business laptops for financial advisors and financial analysts.

Csaba’s Rating:

• Performance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Connectivity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Portability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Battery life: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

What I like and dislike about the LG Gram 17:

9. HP EliteBook 640 (14”)

Best budget high-security laptop for financial advisors

The HP EliteBook 640 is the best option for financial advisors who are on a budget and want a security-driven laptop computer. This laptop comes with great data security including TPM 2.0, HP Wolf Pro security with deep learning AI-based protection, HP Sure Sense malware protection, a fingerprint reader, and a Kensington lock slot.

It’s powered by a solid deca-core Intel Core i5-1235U processor with sufficient threads, cache size, and clock speed to support professional use for financial work such as investment management, estate planning, editing spreadsheets, or keeping up with clients.

The standard Full HD screen shouldn’t surprise you at this price range. If you want more screen real estate, you can always connect the EliteBook to an external display. It supports up to 4K resolution of an external monitor.

The webcam is another point where the budget comes in. This laptop features an HD camera only, although it’s a powerful infrared webcam with a privacy shutter and temporal noise reduction.

You won’t miss connectivity. The HP EliteBook features an array of ports from ultrafast USB-C Thunderbolt 4 to USB-A, HDMI, and Ethernet. This laptop also received the latest wireless technology including Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.

Battery life is fair with up to 11 hours of runtime on a single charge. Overall, the HP EliteBook is an excellent choice for daily work with good performance, robust security features, and ample connectivity.

Csaba’s Rating:

• Performance: ⭐⭐⭐
• Connectivity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Portability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Battery life: ⭐⭐⭐

What I like and dislike about the HP EliteBook 640:

10. ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (14”)

Best gaming laptop for financial analysts

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus is currently my favorite gaming laptop, and I’ll show you in a moment why it’s a perfect choice for financial advisors.

Speaking of a gaming laptop, you get the finest features for gaming, but that’s not why this laptop stands out for financial work and consultation. Of course, you get blazing-fast performance with the octa-core AMD 9 CPU and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 GPU. Of course, you get advanced thermal solutions for proper cooling and a dedicated Mux Switch to bypass the CPU when delivering graphics performance. Of course, you get a highly responsive screen with impressive parameters.

What’s more?

If aesthetics is important to you (and you want to impress your clients), you’ll love this laptop computer. The ROG Zephyrus comes with an incredibly futuristic yet elegant design. You can get it in white or black. This is the laptop where power perfectly meets portability and superior user experience.

Featuring an FHD IR webcam with Windows Hello face authentication, a Dolby Atmos four-speaker system with AI-powered noise reduction, a 180-degree hinge, a tilting keyboard, and a lightweight chassis, this laptop can easily find its way to the heart of the financial adviser.

The only weakness is battery life, which shouldn’t surprise you for a gaming laptop. At least, you can make use of the fast charge function. Overall, I can’t recommend enough this laptop for non-gamers too, who want a future-proof, innovative, and powerful device.

Csaba’s Rating:

• Performance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Connectivity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Portability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Battery life: ⭐⭐

What I like and dislike about the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14:

Recommended specifications of a good laptop for financial advisors: a buying guide

Although financial work doesn’t require a powerhouse, buying a future-proof new laptop is always a good idea.

Below, I provided the minimum and the recommended specifications for the best laptops for financial advisors. You can find more information in the Q&A section of this post.

Best laptops for financial advisors: FAQ

1. Are there any specific laptop brands or models recommended for financial advisors?

Apple positioned itself as a premium brand making high-quality business laptops with top-notch performance, innovative features, and longevity. Also, MacBooks offer cutting-edge battery life and build quality. I also like ASUS laptops because they produce innovative, powerful, and ergonomic devices. Lenovo is known for manufacturing solid laptops with excellent keyboards, performance, and versatility. HP oftentimes puts a major emphasis on security, and they also make durable and high-performance laptops. Specific and popular laptop models I can recommend for financial advisors are the MacBook Pro M3 or the MacBook Air M2, HP’s EliteBook series, Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Carbon, and the ASUS Zenbook series.

2. How much RAM and storage capacity do I need as a financial adviser?

Technically, 8 GB of RAM should suffice if you don’t do machine learning and don’t work with big data or run multiple demanding applications simultaneously (provided you already have a decent processor). 16 GB of RAM is probably a safe bet for everyday productivity, and it can handle more intensive work, such as financial modeling and working with large datasets or demanding applications. If possible, choose the latest and fastest DDR5 memory. As for storage capacity, I’d shoot for 1 GB storage space. Look for fast SSD storage: most laptops come with just that, no worries here.

3. What security features should I prioritize in a laptop for financial advisors?

As a financial advisor, you are responsible for sensitive client information. Luckily, with some best practices and built-in laptop solutions, you can address this issue. Biometric identifications such as facial recognition with an IR webcam or fingerprint sensors can be more secure than typing in passwords to unlock your laptop computer. (It’s also more convenient.) TPM (Trusted Platform Module) is a hardware-based security feature that helps you encrypt data on your laptop. Apple has its own solution for that. Antivirus software can help protect your data (and most importantly your client data) from viruses and malware. You can also use a VPN service (Virtual Private Network) to encrypt internet traffic. Finally, there are some physical mechanisms such as the Kensington lock slot that prevent your laptop from being stolen in the office or public spaces.

4. Which operating system is best suited for financial advisory work?

The MacOS on MacBooks offers a secure and easy-to-use platform for financial planning and other financial advisory work. What I like most about the MacOS is that it takes so much less time and effort to keep it clean and up to date than, say, Windows. Most of the time, you won’t even need antivirus software because the MacOS will just handle the issue. Windows, on the other hand, excels at flexibility and compatibility. You can also go with a Chromebook that runs on ChromeOS, which is a fast and secure platform, but it may not support specific financial software. I think your personal preferences as well as your software choice should steer your decision here.

5. What resolution and screen size are recommended for financial advisors?

As a rule of thumb, you need a Full HD screen that has a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Most modern laptops (including budget choices) come with an FHD screen. A lot depends on individual screen specifications and various models can differ significantly here, but I wouldn’t purchase an FHD laptop in 2024 (unless I’m on a budget). You need to prepare for the future and having a higher-resolution screen will make your laptop experience so much better. If you use your laptop for content creation, streaming, or even gaming, it’s more than important to get a great display. OLED screens and Apple’s retina displays are great choices for business professionals, but you can always find good deals on mid-range laptops as well.

To read more about the best laptops for increasing your productivity, check out my other guides:

• 10 Best Laptops for Real Estate Agents: Top Picks in 2024
• 10 Best Laptops with Ethernet Port for Gaming and Business

See also my ultimate guide on how to use Notion as a freelancer:

• How to Use Notion as a Freelancer (My Complete System Revealed)

Best laptops for financial advisors compared

Cover photo by Adam Nowakowski on Unsplash