Honored for Culture and Scope
The Barron’s America’s Best Independent Advisors ranking considers factors such as assets under management, revenue produced for the firm and quality of practice as determined by Barron’s editors. The award sponsor has not disclosed how many firms were surveyed or considered for this recognition, nor the percentage of total participants that ultimately received recognition. Prior to 2019, the award was called the Barron’s Top 100 Independent Wealth Advisors.
The Barron’s 2023 Top 100 RIA Firms ranking is based on assets managed by firms, technology spending, staff diversity, succession planning and other metrics. Advisors who wish to be ranked fill out a survey and Barron’s verifies that data with the advisors’ firms and regulatory databases. Barron’s uses a ranking formula to the data and considers factors such as assets under management, revenue produced and quality of practice. A fee was not paid to participate. The award sponsor has not disclosed how many firms were surveyed or were considered for this recognition, nor the percentage of total participants that ultimately received recognition.
The Barron’s Top Advisor Rankings by State (Massachusetts) (also referred to as Barron’s Top 1,200 Financial Advisors) considers factors such as assets under management, revenue produced for the firm, regulatory record, quality of practice and philanthropic work. According to Barron’s, “around 4,000” advisory firms were considered for this recognition in 2021, with about 1,200 firms receiving recognition.
The Boston Business Journal Largest Independent Investment Advisers in Massachusetts (also referred to as Boston Business Journal’s Top 25 [Massachusetts]) ranking is based on each participating firm’s assets under management as of June 1, 2021. Only firms that choose to participate are ranked and included on the top 25 list. The award sponsor has not disclosed how many firms were surveyed or considered for this recognition, nor the percentage of total participants that ultimately received recognition. This award is not indicative of future investment performance, nor does it represent client experience.
The Boston Business Journal Largest Private Companies in Massachusetts ranking is based on each participating company’s total revenue in 2021. Only companies that choose to participate are ranked and included on the list. Participation is not limited to companies providing financial services. The award sponsor has not disclosed how many firms were surveyed or considered for this recognition, nor the percentage of total participants that ultimately received recognition. This award is not indicative of future investment performance, nor does it represent client experience.
The Boston’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For® competition recognizes organizations displaying a commitment to human resource practices and employee enrichment. Only companies that voluntarily participate are considered for recognition. The competition assesses participating organizations based on categories such as communication, work-life balance, employee education, diversity, recognition, retention and more. Participation is not limited to companies in the financial services industry. In order to participate, an organization must have at least 10 employees; be in business for at least one year, complete the required surveys, and pay any applicable fees. Participants are then benchmarked against participants. Certain fees are assessed to participants requesting specific analysis and reports on their application. Participants are not required to pay any particular fee or purchase any particular analyses or reports. Award is not indicative of future investment performance nor represents client experience. For more, visit https://thebestandbrightest.com/events/bostons-2022-best-and-brightest-companies-to-work-for/winners/.
The Five Star Wealth Manager award, administered by Crescendo Business Services, LLC (dba Five Star Professional), selects award recipients based on the following 10 objective eligibility and evaluation criteria: (1) credentialed as a registered investment advisory representative or registered investment adviser; (2) actively employed as a credentialed professional in the financial services industry for a minimum of five years; (3) favorable regulatory and complaint history review; (4) fulfillment of their firm review based on internal firm standards; (5) currently accepting new clients; (6) and (7) client retention rates for one-year and five-year periods; (8) non-institutional client assets administered; (9) number of client households served; and (10) education and professional designations. Five Star Professional determines the final list of Five Star Wealth Manager award winners.
The Forbes ranking of America’s Top RIA Firms, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on an algorithm of qualitative criteria, mostly gained through telephone, virtual and in-person due diligence interviews, and quantitative data. The algorithm weighs factors like revenue trends, assets under management, compliance records, industry experience and those that encompass best practices and approach to working with clients. Portfolio performance is not a criterion due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK receive a fee in exchange for rankings.
SHOOK scoured the financial services industry for nominations and accepted advisors who met pre-determined minimum thresholds and acceptable compliance records. Nearly 42,643 nominations-advisors who met SHOOK’S thresholds-were received. 23,100 of these nominees have taken an online survey. For a list of all requirements to be considered for this award, click on the More Information link below.
SHOOK is completely independent and objective and does not receive compensation from the advisors, Firms, the media, or any other source in exchange for placement on a ranking. SHOOK is funded through various sources, such as conferences and research partners. Since every investor has unique needs, investors must carefully choose the right advisor for their own situation and perform their own due diligence. SHOOK’s research and rankings provide opinions for how to choose the right financial advisor and are not indicative of future performance or representative of any one client’s experience.
The 2020 Forbes Top Women Wealth Advisors selection process was conducted by SHOOK Research. Candidates were evaluated with an algorithm based on the individuals’ revenue production for their firms, client retention data, assets under management by the individuals’ teams, review of the individuals’ compliance records, fee structure, breadth of services offered, professional credentials, years of service, community involvement and an interview (telephone or in person) with the award evaluators. Minimum eligibility criteria included: (1) at least seven years as a financial advisor; (2) working for current firm for at least one year; (3) individual is recommended by her firm; (4) completion of an online survey; (5) 50% of revenue production attributable to the individual; and (6) an acceptable compliance record as determined by the award’s evaluators. In total, 32,000 participants were nominated for this award; 14,190 were invited to complete the survey and partake in an interview, and 1,000 (7% of participants) were named to the final list. The award does not consider portfolio performance. Inclusion on the list of Top Women Wealth Advisors does not mean that the individual does not have any negative history on their regulatory compliance record.
The 2023 Forbes Top Women Wealth Advisors Best-In-State selection process was conducted by SHOOK research. Candidates were evaluated through an algorithm based on the individual’s revenue production for their firm, client retention data, assets under management by the individual/individual’s team, review of the individual’s compliance record, fee structure, breadth of services offered, professional credentials, years of service, community involvement and an interview (telephone or in-person) with the award evaluators. Minimum eligibility criteria included: (1) at least seven years as a financial advisor; (2) working for current firm for at least one year; (3) individual is recommended by her firm; (4) completion of an online survey; (5) business that is conducted with individuals is evaluated; and (6) an acceptable compliance record as determined by the award’s evaluators. 38,314 nominations were received (10,250 women) 22,106 were invited to complete the survey and partake in an interview, and 1,697 were named to the list of which 54 professionals were named to the Massachusetts list. The award does not consider portfolio performance. Inclusion on the list of Top Women Wealth Advisors does not mean that the individual does not have any negative history on their regulatory compliance record. The award is not indicative of client experience or future investment performance. Adviser Investments did not pay a fee to participate in this award. For more information on this award—including eligibility and evaluation criteria, information on the algorithm used to compare and rank participants, and compliance record review methodology—visit: Top Women Wealth Advisors Best-In-State 2023 (forbes.com)
The InvestmentNews Best Places to Work for Financial Advisers award is conducted in partnership with employee survey firm Best Companies Group. Winners are selected based on a two-part survey completed by employers and employees. Employers report their organization’s workplace policies, practices and demographics. Employees complete a survey designed to measure the employee experience in areas such as leadership and planning, pay and benefits, corporate culture and communications, and work environment. Scores from the employee survey represent three-quarters of the weight of the final rankings. Firms do not pay a fee to participate. To be eligible for the award, a firm must be a registered investment adviser or broker-dealer, have been in business for at least one year and have at least 15 full-time employees. In 2018, 50 firms were named to the list; in 2019–2022, 75 were named. The award sponsor has not disclosed how many firms were surveyed or considered for this recognition, nor the percentage of total participants that ultimately received recognition.
The Nation’s Best and Brightest in Wellness® program—in conjunction with scoring partner SynBella—surveys and evaluates each participating organization’s efforts in employee wellness. Participation is not limited to companies in the financial services industry. In order to participate, an organization must have at least 10 employees, be in business for at least one year, complete the required surveys and pay any applicable fees. Certain fees are assessed to participants requesting specific analysis and reports on their application. Participants are not required to pay any particular fee or purchase any particular analyses or reports.
Pensions & Investments’ “Best Places to Work in Money Management” award is conducted by research firm Best Companies Group (BCG). Participating firms and their employees complete surveys assessing corporate leadership, culture and communications, role satisfaction, work environment, relationship with supervisor, training, development and resources, pay and benefits and overall engagement. BCG analyzes the results and ranks participating firms, which must have an office in the United States, at least 20 employees and $100 million in discretionary regulatory assets under management and have been in business for at least one year. The award sponsor has not disclosed how many firms were surveyed or considered for this recognition, nor the percentage of total participants that ultimately received recognition. For more information and a complete list of recipients, visit www.pionline.com/best-places-work/10-years-success-and-record-100-winners.
This webpage describes the criteria for each industry award or recognition received by Adviser Investments that may appear on our websites or in other marketing materials used by Adviser Investments. In addition to the specific descriptions and criteria described for each award above, please keep in mind that unless otherwise specifically stated, the following provisions apply to all awards and recognitions above:
Welcome.
Polaris Wealth Advisory Group and Adviser Investments are now under one new brand, RWA Wealth Partners.
Over the next few months, we are transitioning to a new website under our new brand. For you, this means a better experience and more access to valuable education, insights and advice. It also means you gain access to expanded wealth management solutions such as tax¹ and legal services², alternative investments and more. Explore this site for additional information on these new services and call your advisor with any questions at 833-RWA-PLAN.
¹Personalized tax advice and tax return preparation is available through a separate, written engagement agreement with RWA Tax Solutions, LLC.
²Legal services can be obtained through a separate, written engagement via our relationship with Hall & Diana, LLC