Wealth Management IQ and Discovery Data have compiled a list of RIAs that are experiencing outsized growth while keeping sight of their first priority: the client.
The RIA Edge 100: Growing Above and Beyond
Wealth Management IQ and Discovery Data have compiled a list of RIAs that are experiencing outsized growth while keeping sight of their first priority: the client.
“Not just growing for growth’s sake,” is a phrase often uttered by advisors who claim that expansion is essential to providing a superior client experience in today’s world. But some registered investment advisory firms are clearly better than others at maintaining that emphasis on client service and quality of care while at the same time rapidly adding assets.
WealthManagement.com’s RIA Edge 100 list is an attempt to identify those firms that are seeing the most success while continuing to provide high-quality, hands-on service to an expanding client base.
The list was developed by the Wealth Management IQ team in partnership with Discovery Data. Analyzing the ADVs of all SEC-registered investment advisors, WMIQ and Discovery looked at AUM growth, ratio of employees to clients, ratio of advisors to clients, percentage of advisors with CFP certification and average client account size. Qualifying firms were limited to those that provide financial planning services, have high-net-worth individuals as more than half of their client base and manage at least $250 million in assets as of June 30, 2022.
The methodology and weighting were intended to give a clear picture of firm growth as it relates to client service. RIA Edge 100 firms are those with the most impressive growth rates combined with the best client ratios and most CFP certifications.
“We’re not just looking for the firms that are growing the fastest or gathering the most assets,” said Mark Bruno, managing director of the Wealth Management Group at Informa, the parent company of WealthManagement.com. “We developed the RIA Edge 100 to recognize the firms that are among the most successful in the business—while also growing in the right ways. These are the firms that are continuing to put clients first, while they invest in their businesses and their people as they navigate through a period of incredible growth.”
The RIA Edge 100 was intentionally not designed as a ranking; rather, it was developed to highlight a group of firms that are strategically growing and reinvesting in their businesses, and ultimately represent the best-of-the-best in the RIA industry.
RIA Firm Name | 2021 Discretionary AUM (MM) | Number of Employees | Number of Clients | Clients per Employee | Retail Clients per Employee | Number of CFP Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abacus Planning Group Inc | $1,453 | 15 | 282 | 18.8 | 18.4 | 12 |
Aegis Wealth | $638 | 8 | 108 | 13.5 | 13.25 | 5 |
Altfest Personal Wealth Management | $1,485 | 37 | 704 | 19.03 | 18.97 | 14 |
Arlington Partners LLC | $2,315 | 39 | 169 | 4.33 | 3.28 | 3 |
Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc | $752 | 20 | 403 | 20.15 | 19.75 | 8 |
Aspiriant LLC | $13,504 | 203 | 2091 | 10.3 | 9.77 | 39 |
Austin Asset | $1,162 | 22 | 422 | 19.18 | 18.73 | 14 |
Balasa Dinverno Foltz LLC | $5,366 | 47 | 1541 | 32.79 | 32.21 | 36 |
Balentine | $3,162 | 43 | 242 | 5.63 | 5.09 | 2 |
Ballentine Partners | $6,390 | 79 | 278 | 3.52 | 3.47 | 34 |
Blankinship & Foster LLC | $722 | 15 | 298 | 19.87 | 19.4 | 6 |
BlueSky Wealth Advisors LLC | $561 | 17 | 330 | 19.41 | 19.41 | 6 |
Bordeaux Wealth Advisors | $2,853 | 24 | 191 | 7.96 | 7.83 | 14 |
Brandywine Oak Private Wealth LLC | $856 | 9 | 504 | 56 | 56 | 6 |
Brighton Jones LLC | $8,355 | 205 | 2408 | 11.75 | 11.34 | 49 |
Brownson Rehmus & Foxworth Inc | $4,298* | 21 | 226 | 10.76 | 10.48 | 11 |
BSW Wealth Partners | $1,509 | 29 | 390 | 13.45 | 12.79 | 12 |
Budros Ruhlin & Roe | $2,903 | 43 | 817 | 19 | 18.6 | 21 |
Cahaba Wealth Management Inc | $950 | 13 | 575 | 44.23 | 44 | 6 |
Campbell Wealth Management Inc | $749 | 25 | 596 | 23.84 | 23.72 | 8 |
Canal Capital Management LLC | $591 | 10 | 400 | 40 | 37.9 | 3 |
Cerity Partners LLC (Found under HPH Partners LLC) | $13,632 | 358 | 5713 | 15.96 | 14.99 | 75 |
Choreo LLC (Found under RSM US Wealth Management LLC) | $7,455 | 137 | 3641 | 26.58 | 26.17 | 41 |
Circle Wealth Management LLC | $1,369 | 14 | 120 | 8.57 | 7.43 | 2 |
Clintsman Financial Planning | $420 | 13 | 272 | 20.92 | 20.92 | 7 |
CMH Wealth Management LLC | $560 | 7 | 228 | 32.57 | 32.57 | 2 |
Column Capital Advisors LLC | $1,108 | 22 | 389 | 17.68 | 14.77 | 10 |
Cranbrook Wealth Management LLC | $854 | 5 | 249 | 49.8 | 49.8 | 4 |
Crestwood Advisors | $3,884 | 42 | 846 | 20.14 | 19.67 | 12 |
Delta Financial Group Inc | $855 | 10 | 766 | 76.6 | 76.5 | 4 |
Dowling & Yahnke LLC | $5,622 | 56 | 1411 | 25.2 | 24.09 | 18 |
Empirical Wealth Management | $3,038 | 50 | 1532 | 30.64 | 30.3 | 18 |
Ensemble Capital Management LLC | $1,399 | 17 | 295 | 17.35 | 12.82 | 4 |
Evensky & Katz/Foldes Wealth Management | $2,363 | 35 | 1158 | 33.09 | 33.09 | 20 |
F L Putnam Investment Management Co | $3,663 | 63 | 1408 | 22.35 | 19.94 | 15 |
Financial Advisory Corporation | $731 | 12 | 219 | 18.25 | 15.58 | 6 |
Gibson Capital LLC | $1,870 | 15 | 197 | 13.13 | 11.67 | 5 |
Glassman Wealth Services LLC | $1,662 | 15 | 325 | 21.67 | 18.87 | 9 |
Goodman Financial Corporation | $488 | 20 | 232 | 11.6 | 11.05 | 7 |
Great Point Wealth Advisors LLC | $412 | 5 | 299 | 59.8 | 59.8 | 2 |
Halpern Financial Inc | $687 | 11 | 294 | 26.73 | 26 | 4 |
Heritage Wealth Advisors | $2,456 | 26 | 367 | 14.12 | 13.38 | 5 |
HighTower Advisors LLC | $73,602 | 1100 | 101502 | 92.27 | 87.01 | 257 |
Hopwood Financial Services Inc | $452 | 7 | 259 | 37 | 36.29 | 4 |
Integris Wealth Management LLC | $420 | 12 | 216 | 18 | 16.75 | 5 |
ISTO Advisors LLC | $515 | 15 | 300 | 20 | 20 | 7 |
JMG Financial Group Ltd | $3,641 | 56 | 1317 | 23.52 | 23.39 | 31 |
Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC | $6,440 | 90 | 2588 | 28.76 | 26.38 | 20 |
Laird Norton Wealth Management | $2,993 | 90 | 480 | 5.33 | 5.23 | 15 |
Lake Street Advisors | $982 | 35 | 67 | 1.91 | 1.89 | 10 |
Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC | $719 | 8 | 445 | 55.63 | 55 | 7 |
Madison Wealth Management | $1,041 | 29 | 537 | 18.52 | 16.93 | 6 |
MAI Capital Management LLC | $8,683 | 246 | 5776 | 23.48 | 22.91 | 55 |
Mason Investment Advisory Services Inc | $9,153 | 72 | 787 | 10.93 | 9.96 | 17 |
Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC | $7,469 | 37 | 414 | 11.19 | 8.3 | 8 |
Modera Wealth Management LLC | $4,930 | 87 | 2293 | 26.36 | 25.33 | 43 |
Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC | $818 | 18 | 730 | 40.56 | 40.28 | 7 |
Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC | $13,836 | 395 | 6368 | 16.12 | 15.29 | 122 |
Monograph Wealth Advisors LLC | $1,492 | 11 | 165 | 15 | 14.45 | 3 |
Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC | $2,221 | 62 | 1194 | 19.26 | 18.32 | 17 |
New England Private Wealth Advisors LLC | $1,762 | 18 | 327 | 18.17 | 17.5 | 7 |
NorthRock Partners LLC | $3,133 | 143 | 1564 | 10.94 | 10.85 | 9 |
Oakmont Corporation | $2,522 | 36 | 80 | 2.22 | 1.61 | 0 |
Oxford Financial Group Ltd | $6,339 | 133 | 695 | 5.23 | 4.32 | 17 |
Pathstone (Found under Pathstone Federal Street) | $13,511 | 239 | 1021 | 4.27 | 3.95 | 34 |
Plancorp LLC | $4,843 | 68 | 1540 | 22.65 | 21.1 | 18 |
Plante Moran Financial Advisors | $9,938 | 137 | 3291 | 24.02 | 23.67 | 75 |
PrairieView Partners LLC | $740 | 16 | 402 | 25.13 | 25.13 | 8 |
Radnor Financial Advisors LLC | $2,316 | 23 | 633 | 27.52 | 27.52 | 9 |
RMB Capital Management | $7,322 | 146 | 2461 | 16.86 | 16.43 | 32 |
Roble Belko and Company Inc | $761 | 8 | 189 | 23.63 | 22 | 4 |
Round Table Wealth Management | $1,374 | 23 | 320 | 13.91 | 13.57 | 8 |
RZH Advisors LLC | $1,475 | 10 | 372 | 37.2 | 37.2 | 5 |
Sand Hill Global Advisors LLC | $3,017 | 31 | 433 | 13.97 | 13.35 | 9 |
Schechter Investment Advisors LLC | $1,325 | 28 | 594 | 21.21 | 20.79 | 5 |
Sensible Financial Planning and Management LLC | $568 | 16 | 298 | 18.63 | 18.5 | 6 |
SignatureFD LLC | $4,163 | 89 | 1553 | 17.45 | 17.26 | 29 |
SilverOak Wealth Management LLC | $1,010 | 17 | 358 | 21.06 | 20.94 | 5 |
Simon Quick Advisors LLC (Found under Massey Quick Simon & Co LLC | $3,089 | 58 | 462 | 7.97 | 7.22 | 13 |
Stepp & Rothwell Inc | $804 | 22 | 291 | 13.23 | 13.23 | 4 |
Tarbox Family Office Inc | $841 | 11 | 218 | 19.82 | 18.73 | 4 |
The Advisory Group of San Francisco LLC | $944 | 9 | 159 | 17.67 | 14.11 | 4 |
The Clarius Group LLC | $1,631 | 32 | 183 | 5.72 | 5.38 | 3 |
The Colony Group LLC | $11,165 | 320 | 4522 | 14.13 | 13.78 | 52 |
The Harbor Group Inc | $1,309 | 15 | 634 | 42.27 | 42.27 | 8 |
The Mather Group LLC | $6,966 | 128 | 3048 | 23.81 | 23.64 | 61 |
Tobias Financial Advisors | $493 | 16 | 293 | 18.31 | 17.94 | 7 |
Tolleson Private Wealth Management | $6,605 | 96 | 224 | 2.33 | 2.15 | 21 |
True North Advisors LLC | $2,317 | 37 | 604 | 16.32 | 15.54 | 8 |
Truepoint Inc | $3,854 | 75 | 1601 | 21.35 | 20.57 | 26 |
Valeo Financial Advisors LLC | $4,869 | 120 | 2215 | 18.46 | 18.33 | 71 |
Vigilant Wealth Management | $1,746 | 28 | 461 | 16.46 | 16.25 | 6 |
Vista Capital Partners Inc | $1,882 | 31 | 525 | 16.94 | 16.26 | 11 |
Waldron Private Wealth | $3,447 | 35 | 346 | 9.89 | 9.89 | 24 |
Waypoint Wealth Partners | $630 | 13 | 167 | 12.85 | 12.85 | 6 |
Wealthspire Advisors (Found under Private Ocean) | $2,427 | 41 | 943 | 23 | 22.76 | 15 |
Wealthspire Advisors (parent company) | $12,149 | 214 | 6407 | 29.94 | 29.53 | 15 |
Wealthstream Advisors Inc | $969 | 24 | 406 | 16.92 | 15.58 | 11 |
Weatherly Asset Management | $1,141 | 14 | 372 | 26.57 | 25.71 | 6 |
West Coast Financial LLC | $1,265 | 33 | 675 | 20.45 | 19.61 | 11 |
Woodward Financial Advisors Inc | $471 | 11 | 180 | 16.36 | 16.36 | 7 |
*non-discretionary AUM |