Awards & Rankings Disclosures

Third-party rankings and recognition from rating services or publications are no guarantee of future investment success. Working with a highly rated advisor does not ensure that a client or prospective client will experience a higher level of performance or results. These ratings should not be construed as an endorsement of the advisor or by any client nor are they representative of any one client’s evaluation. Generally, ratings, rankings and recognition are based on information prepared and submitted by the advisor. Unless otherwise noted no fee was paid for consideration of any ranking or award.

A more thorough disclosure of the criteria or methodology used for various rankings can be found below.

USA Today’s Best Financial Advisory Firms in 2023 and 2024

USA TODAY partnered with market research firm Statista to evaluate 30,000 companies and rank the top 500 RIAs in the United States based on its proprietary methodology. The rankings were based on the growth of the companies’ assets under management (AUM) over the short and long term and the number of recommendations they received from clients and peers. USA TODAY and Statista also included separate groupings based on the amount of assets RIAs oversee so readers can compare firms in similar size classes.

Full methodology on the rankings can be found on Statista’s website: https://r.statista.com/en/licensing/americas-best-financial-advisory-firms-2024/award/

D Magazine Best of 2024  |   Best Financial Planners:

Methodology:

D Magazine asked every CFP in the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the Financial Planning Association to cast an online ballot. They were asked to name peers, both inside and outside their firms, whom they considered to be the most skilled and experienced financial planners in the industry. Outside-firm votes counted more than inside-firm votes and self-nominations were tossed out. A panel of esteemed local financial planners reviewed the list. Only CFPs made the list.

Voting Criteria/Procedures:

a. Requirements for voters:

1. i. Ballots will be sent via email
2. ii. Voters are limited to a total of 5 votes, and no more than 2 votes can be for members of their own company
3. iii. No self-nominations are allowed
4. iv. Must be an active member of the FPA
5. v. Must have an office based within D Magazine’s geographic boundaries, which include Tarrant County

b. Requirements for winners:

1. i. Must be an active member of the FPA
2. ii. Must have an office based within D Magazine’s geographic boundaries, which include Tarrant County
3. iii. Must receive at least one vote to be eligible to win. Preference is given to nominees with at least two votes from outside their own firm.
4. iv. Must be in good standing. Brokerage checks and CFP checks will be conducted during the first round of fact check. Any issues identified will be investigated by D Magazine.
5. v. Must be accepting new clients at the time of the list’s publication
6. vi. Must have a minimum of 5 years’ experience as a financial planner
7. vii. Must currently lead client engagement

 

D Magazine Best of 2024  |   Top Wealth Managers (Entire Wealth Management Firm):

Methodology:

D Magazine asked every wealth management firm and team in the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the Financial Planning Association, Chartered Financial Analyst Institute, and the Investments and Wealth Institute to tell them about their practices. The final list was selected based on these criteria: top firms or teams must have total assets under management for individual clients of at least $100 million; average assets under management per client of at least $1 million; a 95 percent client retention rate over the last two years; and no current disciplinary actions. Additionally, all firms (or teams, should the team by applying as an entity separate from its parent company) must have been in existence for at least five years as of the application deadline. They must also hold themselves out as fiduciaries for their clients and provide them with a written disclosure. A panel of esteemed local wealth managers reviewed the final list. All numbers are current as of the application deadline.

Voting Criteria/Procedures:

a. Requirements for winners:

1. i. Ballots will be sent via email
2. ii. No self-nominations are allowed
3. iii. Must have average assets under management per client of at least $1 million
4. iv. Must have a 95% client retention rate over the last two years.
5. v. No current disciplinary actions
6. vi. Must have an office based within D Magazine’s geographic boundaries, which include Tarrant County

Additionally, all firms (or teams, should the team be applying as an entity separate from its parent company) must have been in existence for at least five years as of the application deadline. If you have been in existence for less than 5 years, please provide a history of your entity.