Ranking the top financial advisory firms of 2026
- USA TODAY and Statista have ranked the top 1,000 RIAs based on assets under management and recommendations.
- This year's list also features 50 "rising star" firms that have shown significant growth in three years or less.
Investing carries risks, even under the best economic conditions. And with geopolitical events like the war in Iran roiling markets, investing feels more precarious than ever.
In the six weeks since the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran, global markets have plunged to steep losses, then clawed back gains, leaving everyday investors wondering what to do with their 401(k)s. That volatility, along with surging inflation − driven by soaring gas prices − is leaving many Americans overwhelmed by the global issues affecting their daily costs and investments.
So, what can the average investor do amid the uncertainty?
One of the best options is to hire a registered investment adviser (RIA) who fits your financial needs. These advisers are trained to take a holistic approach to your financial life and have a duty to act in your best interests at all times.
To ease your search for the right financial adviser, USA TODAY has partnered with market research firm Statista to create our fourth annual Best Financial Advisory Firms list, which ranks the top 1,000 RIAs in the United States.
To determine this ranking, we looked at firms' assets under management (AUM) over the short and long term. We also looked at the number of recommendations they received from both clients and peers.
Firms are grouped by four asset-size categories: up to $500 million in assets, $500 million to $1 billion in assets, $1 billion to $5 billion in assets, and more than $5 billion in assets.
This year's top three firms − Arax Advisory Partners, Waverly Advisors and Focus Partners − all saw their AUM's long-term growth increase by more than 50%. Each firm's total AUM exceeds $5 billion.
Alongside the fourth edition of this year's list, we are featuring 50 rising stars for the first time.
These are firms that have been in operation as registered investment advisers for three years or less and have already demonstrated significant growth and momentum. To be a rising star, firms had to meet all the same eligibility requirements as our traditional list, but instead of being scored on long-term AUM, they were assessed by their midterm AUM growth from 2023 to 2026.
You can learn more about a firm’s specialties and background on its website as well as from the firm’s Form ADV, which it files with the SEC. You can verify a firm's registration with the SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure tool and check the backgrounds and any disciplinary actions at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (FINRA's) BrokerCheck website.
For further details on the methodology behind the rankings, please visit Statista’s website or contact Andreas Korte at [email protected].