ADVSR Rankings · Methodology
How The ADVSR Top 500 is built
America's 500 strongest wealth advisors, ranked by the ADVSR Open Score from verified nominations, with lists by state and by channel.
- Ranked by
- ADVSR Open Score: a published 100-point formula, applied only to nominees whose CRD record we verified
- First list
- March 2027, planned
- Source
- Nominations, verified against FINRA BrokerCheck and the SEC's adviser search
- Updated
- Published once a year
Who can be nominated
Financial advisors who are currently registered with FINRA or the SEC (or a state) and whose first registration was at least seven years ago, as shown in their BrokerCheck or Investment Adviser Public Disclosure record. Advisors can nominate themselves, and colleagues or firms can nominate them with their agreement.
The national list names up to 500 advisors. The same scores produce a list for every state and one for each channel: wirehouse, regional and bank, independent broker-dealer, and RIA.
How nominations are verified
Every nomination needs a CRD number. Our editors look it up on FINRA BrokerCheck and the SEC’s adviser search and check that the name and current firm match, that the advisor is currently registered, that their first registration meets the list’s years rule, and whether any disclosures are reported. Each honoree’s entry shows the date we checked and links to the record.
A clean record is a gate, not a score: advisors with customer complaints, regulatory actions or terminations disclosed in the record are not listed. Nominations that do not verify are not considered.
How honorees are ranked
Verified nominees are ranked by the ADVSR Open Score, a 100-point formula published in full on this page: assets served (35 points), growth (15), experience (15), client retention (10), credentials and team (10) and an editors’ review (15). Ties go to the nominee serving more assets.
Figures supplied in a nomination are self-reported, are labeled that way on the list, and are not audited by Financial ADVSR; we check them against public records where one exists, such as a firm’s Form ADV. Investment performance is never scored, because client goals differ and audited advisor returns are rare.
Honorees are told before the list publishes and can decline. We never publish a name that was not nominated and verified, and we never ask for an age or date of birth.
The ADVSR Open Score, in full
- 35 Assets served
- 15 Growth
- 15 Experience
- 10 Client retention
- 10 Credentials and team
- 15 Editors’ review
A clean BrokerCheck record is required to be listed at all. Investment performance is never scored.
| Part | Points | How it is scored |
|---|---|---|
| Assets served | 35 | Team assets the nominee serves. Under $50 million scores 0 and $10 billion or more scores 35, on a log scale in between, so growing from $100 million to $200 million counts as much as $1 billion to $2 billion. |
| Growth | 15 | Net new assets over the last 12 months as a share of assets served, not counting market gains. 0% scores 0 and 20% or more scores 15. |
| Experience | 15 | Years since first registration, from the CRD record. On this list 7 years scores 0 and 25 years or more scores 15. |
| Client retention | 10 | Share of client households kept over the last 12 months. 90% or lower scores 0 and 100% scores 10. |
| Credentials and team | 10 | 3 points per professional designation (CFP, CFA, CPWA, CIMA, ChFC, CPA, CIMC, RMA, CLU, AIF), up to 6, plus up to 4 for team size (one point per person after the first). |
| Editors’ review | 15 | Our editors read the nomination and score service to clients, leadership and contribution to the profession, 0 to 15, with written notes kept on file. |
A part with no figure in the nomination scores zero. A clean record is required to be listed and is not scored.
Independence
No one pays to be considered for or included in an ADVSR ranking. Financial ADVSR does not charge nominees, honorees or their firms, and inclusion is not tied to advertising.
The list measures what this page describes and nothing more. It is not a recommendation of any advisor or firm, says nothing about whether one suits a particular person, and is not based on client reviews or investment performance. See our editorial standards.
Questions
Do advisors or firms pay to be on the The ADVSR Top 500 list?
No one pays to be considered for or included in an ADVSR ranking. Financial ADVSR does not charge nominees, honorees or their firms, and inclusion is not tied to advertising.
How often is the list updated?
Published once a year. The first list's publication date will be announced on the list page.
Can an adviser cite this list in marketing?
Financial ADVSR doesn't give legal or compliance advice. Advisers who cite a third-party ranking under the SEC Marketing Rule generally disclose the ranking's date, the period it covers, who created it and whether compensation was paid. The list page will carry those facts when the list publishes.
How do I correct an entry?
Email the desk through our contact page with the entry and a link to the record that shows the correction. We fix verified errors and note material corrections.