10. Princor Financial Services Corp.
Princor, whose parent is Principal Financial Group, had a lackluster recruiting year in 2012 but managed to stay in the top 10, with 2,049 total advisors.
8. Park Avenue Securities
Park Avenue Securities, owned by the Guardian Life Insurance Company, saw a slight decline in headcount in 2012 to a total of 2,242 advisors.
4. Transamerica Financial Advisors
Transamerica employed 4,565 last year, placing it fourth among its peers.
1. LPL Financial
LPL racked up 11,181 advisors in 2012.
6. Cetera Advisor Networks
Cetera was another firm that made significant gains by employing 2,569 advisors last year, up from 1,930 in 2011.
5. Raymond James Financial Services
Raymond James had 3,212 advisors last year, up by only 19 from 2011.
9. Cambridge Investment Research
Cambridge grew at a nice clip in 2012 and is right on the heels of Park Avenue, with a total of 2,241 advisors.
7. ING Financial Partners
ING had an advisor headcount of 2,335 last year, putting it at number 7.
2. Ameriprise Financial Services
Ameriprise came in second with 7,540 advisors last year.
3. H.D. Vest Investment Securities
H.D. Vest added over 700 advisors to its 2012 roster, coming in third with 4,800 reps last year.
