Whether it’s through organic expansion or positive investment performance, growth is the goal for any professional looking to survive and thrive in wealth management. But to advance the industry and raise the bar of client service, the top advisors in the US hold themselves to higher standards.
That’s the resounding takeaway from the 2025 Top Advisors special report by InvestmentNews, which recognizes dozens of elite financial professionals who’ve stood out with exceptional business performance over the course of a 12-month period.
Achieving 19 percent AUM growth and 10 percent client growth on average is remarkable on its own, but those numbers tell just part of the story on how these top-ranking advisors have stepped up for their clients.
To find the top advisors across the USA in 2025, InvestmentNews drew nominations from a spectrum of respondents including advisors, industry professionals, and clients.
Information submitted on the nominees was verified by compliance teams at their respective firms. From there, a final list of top advisors was generated based on a weighted ranking of qualified advisors, which distilled factors including overall AUM, AUM growth, and client growth between August 2023 and August 2024.
Among the outstanding professionals recognized in this year’s list is Wayne McCormick, whose “clients for life" mindset serves as his north star.
“I measure potential clients not necessarily by their assets,” McCormick said. “I tell clients up front, I expect to be working with you for years, if not decades to come.”
Ted Lauzen, whose professional ethos is informed by his experience as a light attack helicopter pilot in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province, fulfills his duty as an advisor by “taking care of people spectacularly well and far exceeding expectations on a day in and day out basis.”
“These aren't knickknacks being sold, these are the hard-earned assets of a lifetime, and often multi-generational lifetimes of effort,” he said. “So, it's a distinct privilege to be able to shepherd growth over time.”
Another top advisor, Jeff Dehaan, strives to make sure the clients of his firm’s private wealth business never become casualties of its success.
“Managing growth is one of the hardest things that any business has to do,” he said, highlighting the importance of “making sure that we can maintain the standard that we expect of ourselves, let alone what our clients expect.”
For the 2025 Top Advisors special report, InvestmentNews is focusing the spotlight on a select circle of leading advisors:
To read InvestmentNews' second annual ranking of top advisors in the USA, click here.
Meanwhile, DPL Financial Partners adds two annuity executives and Prime Capital Financial hires a Mid-Atlantic retirement plan consultant
Andrew Komarow pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Hartford to defrauding three financial services companies of close to $3.3 million.
Elsewhere, Cetera picks up a $210 million Connecticut team from MML, while Wells Fargo FiNet adds a San Diego family practice from LPL
Celebrity endorsements, $500M in claimed assets, and a state regulator stepping in.
“We needed to become a more agile and efficient organization,” said American Express CEO Stephen Squeri.
Knighthead Life entered the market with a competitive MYGA. A strong launch earned advisor confidence and paved the way for FIAs.
As AI makes financial information more accessible than ever, Lana Hock explains why human judgment, trust, and empathy remain the qualities clients value most in a financial advisor
