2023 Top 100 Financial Advisors Ranked by Barron's (2024)

FAQs

Who is the most trustworthy financial advisor? ›

Advisors and practices who wish to be ranked must fill out a comprehensive application. Our ranking formula features three major categories of calculations: (1) assets (2) revenue (3) quality of practice. In each of those categories, we perform multiple sub-calculations.

Lara Warburton CFP® has been named the FPI Financial Planner of the Year for 2023.

Barron's is one of the country's most trusted financial publications. Readers get weekly articles containing investing ideas, trends and concepts. The articles are well written yet not too complicated. The only drawback may be Barron's relatively high price tage, but the quality more than makes up for the cost.

Among independent advisors, Commonwealth ranks highest in overall satisfaction with a score of 918. Raymond James Financial Services (842) ranks second and Ameriprise (821) ranks third.

Morgan Stanley scored higher in 7 areas: Overall Rating, Culture & Values, Diversity & Inclusion, Senior Management, Compensation & Benefits, Career Opportunities and Recommend to a friend. Edward Jones scored higher in 2 areas: Work-life balance and CEO Approval. Both tied in 1 area: Positive Business Outlook.

Both Fidelity and Fisher Investments have an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), although Fidelity is unaccredited. A+ is the highest possible rating and suggests both companies receive relatively few customer complaints and resolve disputes promptly and appropriately.

What is better than a financial advisor? ›

A financial planner can make more sense if you want a deeper analysis of specific components of your finances or desire a well-rounded, long-term plan. For example, if you want to strategically buy stocks and other assets to help you achieve long-term goals, a financial planner might be better equipped to help.

The top 5 are: 545 Group, Jones Zafari Group, The Polk Wealth Management Group, Hollenbaugh Rukeyser Safro Williams, The Erdmann Group.

Edward Jones serves as an investment advice fiduciary at the plan level and provides educational services at both the plan and participant levels, if applicable.

Most investors today probably recognize Warren Buffett's name as he has long ties to the financial advising industry. His investing style is derived from Benjamin Graham, another famous financial advisor. Other famous media financial advisors include Suze Orman, Jim Cramer, or Dave Ramsey.

The number of different services and areas of expertise advisors provide makes finding the right financial advisor for your situation key — doing so means you won't end up paying for services you don't need, or working with an advisor who isn't a good fit for your financial goals.

There are a few ways you can check if a financial advisor is legitimate. You can check with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) by visiting their BrokerCheck website or calling (800) 289-9999. You can also check the SEC's Investment Advisor Public Disclosure (IAPD) website.