FT 401: Complete List of the Top US Retirement Advisers

FT 401: Complete List of the Top US Retirement Advisers

The fifth annual line-up of elite advisers on defined contribution plans by state.

The FT 401 aims to provide a list of elite professionals who specialize in advising US employers on their defined contribution plans. The advisers were assessed according to quantifiable data, using the following methodology.

The Financial Times and Ignites Research, the FT's sister company, contacted large US brokerages, independent advisers and other wealth managers to identify qualified applicants.

Our research partner, Broadridge Financial Solutions, provided data that helped to identify advisers specializing in serving companies sponsoring DC plans, including 401(k) plans and other DC accounts.

Applicants for this listing were required to advise at least $75m in DC plan assets and have at least 20 per cent of their client assets in DC plans.

The qualifying advisers completed a questionnaire about the details of their practice and we added that information to our own research.

The formula the FT uses to grade advisers is based on six broad factors and calculates a numeric score for each adviser.

The factors were:

DC assets under management (AUM). This signals experience and success in managing money in 401(k) programmes and other DC plans.

Growth rate in DC plan business. Measured by changes in both DC plan clients and assets, growth is a proxy for performance, client retention and ability to draw new clients.

Specialization in the DC business. This is measured by what percentage of the overall assets managed by the adviser are in DC plans and how that concentration has changed.

Experience advising on DC plans. This tracks years spent managing DC plan assets through different economic and market environments.

Industry certifications. These show technical knowledge that is particularly important in the complicated DC plan industry.

Compliance record. A string of client complaints can signal potential problems.

Among the top factors in our scoring, DC plan assets accounted for roughly 60 to 65 per cent of each adviser's score, on average.

Another 12 to 18 per cent of the score derived from the growth in the adviser's DC business (as measured in both DC assets and number of DC plans advised).

This year, to emphasize long-term client satisfaction, we used a three-year growth rate instead of the one- and two-year growth rates we used in the past.

We present the FT 401 as a list rather than a ranking, because each adviser takes different approaches to their practices and so ranking these advisers from 1 to 401 would be misleading.

California:

Bonvechio, Brian Bryson, Trent Casillas, Karen Chambers, Jon Chang, Kevin Clark, John Delp, Mark Farrell, Curtis

Merrill Lynch Breyson Wealth Management / LPL Captrust SageView Advisory Group Genovese Burford & Brothers Heffernan Retirement Services / LPL Your Wealth Effect / Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Management Network

Los Angeles Long Beach Westlake Village Orinda Sacramento Walnut Creek Irvine Mission Viejo

Freismuth, Thom Garcia, Rob Gregory III, Paul Gunn, James Gwilliam, Austin Hall, Erin Handler, Gary Hocking, Steven Igel, Douglas Ketchem, Daniel Laughton, Mark Ma, Marlynn Mammini, Mike McCrary, Jamie Palladino, John Patrick, Jason Patton, Robert Raney, Kris Roggenkamp, Marc Soto, Christopher Spinner, Harlan Stover, Ryan Tappin, Erik Thibault, Blake Wagner, Edward Werner, Marte White, Nate Wiese, Brian Wilkinson, Steven

HUB International Garcia Wealth Management Merrill Lynch Morgan Stanley GRP Financial Strategic Retirement Partners Raymond James UBS Financial Services Beacon Pointe Advisors Raymond James Quintes Merrill Lynch Mammini Company SageView Advisory Group 401k & 403b Fiduciary Advisors Fiduciary Advisors, LLC SageView Advisory Group Wells Fargo Advisors Graystone Consulting Wells Fargo Advisors UBS Financial Services Merrill Lynch Morgan Stanley Heffernan Retirement Services / LPL SageView Advisory Group NWK Group Teros Advisors Morgan Stanley Monarch Plan Advisors

San Diego Templeton Carmel San Jose San Juan Capistrano Palos Verdes Beverly Hills Irvine Newport Beach Santa Ana Salinas Pasadena San Diego Irvine San Mateo Newport Beach Woodside El Segundo Beverly Hills Irvine Los Angeles Mill Valley Carlsbad Walnut Creek Irvine San Francisco Lafayette Los Angeles Simi Valley

The Financial Times 401 Retirement Advisers rankings are based on data provided by financial advisors and financial services firms. The applicants were then graded on six criteria: DC assets under management (AUM); DC AUM growth rate; specialization in DC plans; years of experience; advanced industry credentials; and compliance record. Investment performance is not an explicit component.

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download