May 24, 2022
Adviser Investments announced today that it has appointed Mario Ramos as Chief Executive Officer. Ramos joins Adviser Investments on the heels of its partnership with Polaris Wealth Advisory Group (“Polaris”).
Together, Adviser Investments and Polaris currently manage $9 billion in client assets and offer comprehensive financial planning services and low-cost custom portfolios of actively managed mutual funds, ETFsA type of security which allows investors to indirectly invest in an underlying basket of financial instruments (these may include stocks, bonds, commodities or other types of instruments). Shares in an ETF are publicly traded on an exchange, and the price of an ETF’s shares will fluctuate throughout the trading day (traditional mutual funds trade only once a day). For example, one popular ETF tracks the companies in the S&P 500, so buying a share of the ETF gets an investor exposure to all 500 companies in the index., tactical investment strategies and select alternative investments through a transparent fiduciaryA person or organization who manages assets for a third party, and is legally bound to act in the best interests of that third party, putting the third party’s interest before their own. model.
“Adviser Investments is on course to become a top 10 independent fiduciary, and I’m excited to lead the organization as we embark on a period of rapid expansion,” said Ramos. “Our team is poised to enhance our client offerings while creating an environment where advisers can flourish.”
“We are immensely proud of what we have accomplished over the past 28 years as we’ve grown from a team of three managing a single $180,000 account to a nationally recognized wealth manager with almost 150 employees and partners,” said Adviser Investments Chairman Dan Wiener. “Mario is a strong leader, and the next leg of our journey has now begun as he assumes responsibility for our overall strategic direction. As always, our corporate values of honesty and integrity will be essential to our growth.”
Ramos has more than 20 years of experience building and growing market-leading consumer service and technology brands. He previously served as Chief Financial Officer of Evolv Technology, a leader in advanced security screening. Prior to Evolv, Ramos was CFO and chief riskThe probability that an investment will decline in value in the short term, along with the magnitude of that decline. Stocks are often considered riskier than bonds because they have a higher probability of losing money, and they tend to lose more than bonds when they do decline. officer of Edelman Financial Engines, a financial advisory platform with more than $250 billion in client assets. Previously, Ramos spent six years at CVS in senior operations and finance roles, culminating in his stewardship of CVS Caremark as Chief Financial Officer. Before assuming the CFO role, Ramos was head of CVS’ M&A and Corporate Development group, where he led CVS’ acquisition and integration of Aetna.
Adviser Investments Interim CEO Chris Mirick will remain at the firm in a senior leadership position, providing legal counsel and direction as Senior Vice President and General Counsel. “Mario is the ideal choice to propel the next stage of our growth,” Adviser Investments Interim CEO and General Counsel Chris Mirick said. “I look forward to working with him as we continue to build the firm with a focus on delivering value for our clients and employees.”
Since 1994, Adviser Investments has helped individuals, trustsA legal document that functions as an instruction manual to how you want your money managed and spent in your later years as well as how your assets should be distributed after your death. Assets placed in a trust are generally safe from creditors and can be sold by the trustee in short order, avoiding the lengthy and costly probate process. and foundations build wealth through comprehensive financial planning and investment management. Adviser Investments is routinely named among Barron’s top independent financial advisers and the Financial Times’ 300 Top Registered Investment Advisers and has been consistently chosen as one of the best places to work in financial services in national and regional surveys.
Founded in 1998, Polaris Wealth Advisory Group offers a full suite of wealth management services to clients while pairing in-depth comprehensive planning with proprietary tactical investment management services. Polaris serves clients nationwide through strategic offices in California, Texas and Illinois. Polaris offers 18 unique tactical portfolios to clients and takes great pride in serving families and investors from all walks of life.
Awards and recognition referenced above do not evaluate client experience or investment returns, nor are such a guarantee of future performance or satisfaction. Adviser Investments did not pay a fee to participate in the awards referenced herein. The Barron’s America’s Best Independent Advisors ranking (awarded to Adviser Investments, LLC 2013–2020) 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 InvestmentNews Best Places to Work for Financial Advisers award (awarded to Adviser Investments, LLC 2018–2022) 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 Financial Times 300 Top Registered Investment Advisers is an independent listing produced annually by Ignites Research, a division of Money‐Media, Inc., on behalf of the Financial Times. The FT 300 is based on data gathered from RIA firms, regulatory disclosures, and the FT’s research. The listing reflects each practice’s performance in six primary areas: assets under management, asset growth, compliance record, years in existence, credentials and online accessibility. Over 750 qualified firms applied for the award, 300 of which were selected (40%). This award does not evaluate the quality of services provided to clients and is not indicative of the practice’s future performance. Neither the RIA firms nor their employees pay a fee to the Financial Times in exchange for inclusion in the FT 300.