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The InvestmentNews Awards 2026 brought together leading financial advisors, firms, and industry professionals for an evening of recognition at the Edison Ballroom in New York City’s Times Square.
Held on June 25, 2026, the event celebrated excellence across wealth management, with guests swapping spreadsheets for black-tie attire as they walked the red carpet and honored the year’s standout achievements.
Todd Bertucci, EVP of Technology Sales at Orion, whose company received the WealthTech Provider of the Year award, praised both the venue and the atmosphere.
The ceremony coincided with New York’s World Cup festivities, adding to the excitement. David Pickler of Pickler Wealth Advisors, who travelled from Tennessee, was named Advisor of the Year – Southeast.
Hosted by InvestmentNews’ Gregg Greenberg, the evening opened with Clark Capital Management Group receiving the Asset Manager of the Year award. CEO Brendan Clark was also recognized with the Excellence in Philanthropy and Community Service award.
One of the night’s most meaningful moments came as Mary Beth Franklin of RetirePro LLC received the Lifetime Achievement in the Wealth Management Industry award. After more than four decades as a financial journalist, including over 10 years with InvestmentNews, Franklin has become one of the industry’s leading experts on Social Security planning.
Concurrent Investment Advisors CEO Nate Lenz said the recognition reflected the strength of the firm’s people and the advisors they support.
The evening also highlighted professionals driving positive change beyond the workplace. Nathan Munits of Longwave Financial received Advisor of the Year – ESG/Responsible Investing, recognizing his commitment to helping clients align their investments with their values.
The InvestmentNews Awards brought together an exceptional group of professionals who are shaping the future of financial advice in the US. What stood out most throughout the evening was not only the individual achievements being recognized, but also the collective progress of a profession that continues to evolve and strengthen year after year.
The winners and Excellence Awardees featured in these pages reflect a wide spectrum of talent, ideas, and leadership. Their work highlights the many ways financial professionals are driving better outcomes for clients, advancing diversity and inclusion, and finding new solutions in an environment that is more complex than ever.
Equally important was the sense of community in the room. Colleagues and peers came together to recognize excellence, share in each other’s success, and acknowledge the broader purpose we all serve in building trust and supporting financial well-being.
We extend our congratulations to every honoree, and our thanks to the judges, sponsors, and partners who helped make this year’s awards possible. As you look through this guide, I hope you find not just stories of accomplishment, but also a clear picture of where our profession is heading.
Andy Burt
Managing Editor
InvestmentNews
Independent Financial Group (IFG) is a privately held independent broker-dealer and registered investment advisor based in San Diego. Founded in 2003, IFG supports independent financial professionals nationwide with comprehensive business solutions, personalized service, and a culture rooted in community, helping advisors grow successful practices while maintaining independence.
“At Independent Financial Group, empowering financial professionals isn't just a priority. It's our purpose. We are proud to sponsor the InvestmentNews Awards and stand behind the advisors, leaders, and firms who are raising the bar every day. This recognition matters because excellence in wealth management directly impacts the lives of the clients and communities we collectively serve.”
Osaic, Inc. ("Osaic"), a portfolio company of Reverence Capital Partners, is one of the nation's largest providers of wealth management solutions, supporting approximately 11,000 financial professionals. Osaic's mission is to empower entrepreneurial advisors to build thriving businesses and fulfill their clients' dreams.
“Osaic is proud to sponsor the InvestmentNews Industry Awards and celebrate the advisors who create a meaningful impact for clients every day. We’re especially honored to support the next generation of financial advice as sponsor of the NextGen Advisor of the Year category, recognizing the incredible opportunity this profession provides to help enhance lives, legacies, and financial futures. Congratulations to all finalists!”
Since 1971, Nasdaq has led the way in developing innovative, rules-based indexes. Our achievements are built on strong partnerships. We work hand-in-hand with clients, proactively introducing new strategies and collaborating on distinctive, market-driven concepts. Our capabilities span indexes, ETFs, annuities, and beyond, making us a trusted cornerstone of the financial ecosystem and a blueprint of tomorrow.
“Nasdaq is proud to partner with InvestmentNews to elevate the voices shaping the RIA industry. For the past three years, our collaboration on In the Nasdaq with Gregg Greenberg has highlighted innovation and leadership of advisors, allocators, and industry thought leaders. Supporting initiatives like “In The Nasdaq” and the InvestmentNews Awards is essential to recognizing excellence and advancing the RIA community and we’re thrilled to sponsor this award.”
Park Avenue® Wealth Management was established in 1999 as the broker-dealer of Guardian. Today, we’ve evolved into a modern wealth management company delivering holistic solutions across investing, planning, and protection. Park Avenue brings together deep financial expertise to help individuals, families, and small businesses achieve long-term financial well-being.
“As retirement goals evolve and a historic wealth transfer unfolds, we remain committed to empowering clients to plan confidently for the future and supporting our advisors’ success. In this transformative era, sponsoring the InvestmentNews Awards allows us to celebrate those who set new standards of excellence in our industry.”
Prudential Advisors supports the professional growth of more than 2,800 financial advisors and fee-based financial planners, throughout the U.S. Through a combination of dedicated local leadership, centralized expertise, and an advanced technology platform, these professionals are equipped to deliver tailored, comprehensive financial advice to meet each client's unique financial needs, across investments, risk management, and retirement income planning.
“Prudential Advisors is honored to serve as the Event Partner of the 2026 InvestmentNews Awards! We extend our sincere congratulations to this year's nominees, whose leadership, dedication, and commitment to serving advisors and clients exemplify the highest standards of our profession. We also thank InvestmentNews for creating this forum where we can celebrate the individuals and firms advancing excellence and innovation across our industry. Best wishes to all, as this year's winners are recognized.”
Thrivent is a Fortune 500 financial services company that puts generosity at the heart of saving and investing. They help build, grow and protect financial well-being through purpose-driven advice, investments, insurance, banking and generosity programs. Founded more than 120 years ago, Thrivent financial advisors work with their clients to create a financial plan that reflects their values and helps achieve their goals. Thrivent’s unique structure amplifies the generosity of clients, their communities and their workforce. In 2025, Thrivent and its clients raised and donated more than $464 million through Thrivent’s generosity programs while volunteering 17.2 million hours in the communities where they live and work.
“We're proud to sponsor the InvestmentNews Awards and honor outstanding advisors who are shaping our industry's future. Thrivent has thousands of financial advisors who serve individuals and families planning for the future, establishing legacies for their loved ones and making their communities better. We're inspired by all the nominees who continue to bring meaningful impact to their clients and communities.”
The call for nominations was open to all wealth management professionals and organizations – including financial advisors, advisory brokerages, BDMs, fund providers, and service providers – from across the USA.
Nominations were accepted from December 1, 2025, to February 27, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. EST.
To submit a nomination, entrants visited the Nominate page of the website. There was no fee to submit a nomination.
The InvestmentNews Awards team conducted research and drew on knowledge and information gained through InvestmentNews to support and supplement nominations received and to ensure that no one deserving of recognition was missed. Excellence awardees were determined from both pools of information.
Once all nominations were considered and research was complete, excellence awardees were selected in each category (except the Lifetime Achievement category) and notified via e-mail or phone.
All excellence awardees were then invited to complete a detailed submission, providing an opportunity to address the category criteria in more detail. All submissions remained confidential unless otherwise marked and were not shared with any third parties other than the judges.
Excellence Awardees were officially announced in April 2026 on the event website and promoted in InvestmentNews magazine and online channels. Promo packages to leverage these achievements across marketing and promotions were made available for purchase.
All submissions from the excellence awardees were forwarded to the independent judging panel comprising industry leaders and senior representatives. The panel assessed and voted for winners in each category according to the relevant category criteria.
Voting commenced in May 2026, and the judges’ decisions were impartial, balanced, incisive, and fair. Any judge with a conflict of interest in a category recused themselves from judging that category.
Using a simple points system to aggregate judges’ votes, the excellence awardee with the top score in a category was named the winner.
Winners were announced at the awards show on June 24, 2026, and on the event website. They were also promoted in InvestmentNews.
Meet the independent industry leaders and senior representatives who assessed the Excellence Awardee submissions.
