Methodology
Plant-A Insights Group and Newsweek have partnered to identify America's Top Financial Advisory Firms 2025. We analyzed over 15,000 financial advisories registered with the SEC and applied the following methodology to identify the top firms.
We began by shortlisting firms with more than $20 million in assets under management (AUM), a minimum of 3 wealth advisors, at least 5 individual clients, and at least two years of SEC registration. Firms were also screened for clean disciplinary records and availability of portfolio management services to individual investors.
These shortlisted firms were then analyzed and scored based on the following factors:
- Asset Performance: Growth in assets under management indicates both financial performance and the health of a firm's client base. Both short-term (Sept 2024 vs Sept 2023) and long-term (CAGR Sept 2019 to Sept 2024) measures were included.
- Client Performance: Firms were evaluated on their ability to retain and attract clients using both short-term and long-term client growth metrics.
- Adviser Expertise and Client Ratio: Measures capturing the credentialed expertise of each firm and their client-to-adviser ratio.
- Breadth of Service Offerings: Consideration of additional wealth advisory services such as financial planning and pension consulting.
- Conflicts of Interest: Firms with potential conflicts of interest were penalized in the scoring model.
A score was calculated for each firm, and the top 750 firms were recognized as America's Top Financial Advisory Firms 2025. The performance of firms not included in the ranking is not disputed.
Disclaimer
Rankings Placement
Placement in the rankings is a positive recognition based on publicly available data sources from the time period evaluated. Newsweek and Plant-A Insights make no claim to the completeness of the firms examined.
Intellectual Property Rights
All content within the rankings is the exclusive property of Plant-A Insights Group LLC. This work, including all data, analyses, and derived rankings, is protected under U.S. and international copyright laws. Unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution is strictly prohibited.
Nature of the Rankings
The rankings reflect editorial content based on secondary market research, including publicly available data and data provided directly to Plant-A. They should not be considered definitive financial or business guidance.
Data Accuracy and Periodicity
The rankings are based on Investment Adviser Information Reports data from September 2024 and reflect historical information. They may not include subsequent developments or additional data and should not be relied upon as the sole source for decision-making.
No Endorsement or Quality Assurance
Plant-A does not endorse or validate the business practices of ranked firms. Inclusion or exclusion from the rankings should not be used as the sole basis for financial or business decisions.
Disclaimer of Liability
Plant-A and its affiliates disclaim all liability for errors, omissions, or actions taken based on the rankings. Neither Plant-A nor Newsweek guarantees the completeness or accuracy of the information.
By accessing or using the rankings, you waive all claims against Plant-A related to any potential infringement of rights, including intellectual property or privacy rights.
This disclaimer is intended to be as broad as permitted by law. If any portion is deemed invalid, the remaining provisions shall remain in full effect.