The CNBC FA 100 celebrates the advisory firms that top the list in 2020 when it comes to offering a comprehensive service that helps clients navigate through their financial life.
2020 LIST

FA 100: CNBC ranks the top-rated financial advisory firms of 2020

Key Points
  • A financial advisor can play a major role in helping clients grow and protect their wealth.
  • The key is to find an advisor you can trust.
  • The CNBC FA 100 list celebrates those advisory firms that top the list when it comes to comprehensive planning and financial services that help clients navigate their financial lives.

Finding the right financial advisor to help with your financial needs and goals can be complicated.

There are so many things to consider. Many advisors use a big assets-under-management figure as a selling-point when marketing themselves to investors. However, AUM isn’t the whole story when a potential client is determining which firm is right for them.

To be sure, every financial advisor has his or her own area of expertise. Each will have a different investment strategy and planning approach and offer various services, including tax and insurance planning, debt management, retirement planning, saving for education and charitable giving.

A financial advisor can play a major role in helping clients grow and protect their wealth. The key is to find an advisor you trust, and it’s important to make sure he or she is someone who is a good match for you.

More from FA 100:
Advisor industry seeks to overcome lack of diversity
'New normal': Advisors adapt as pandemic changes client interaction
Technology is helping advisors meet customer challenges amid Covid-19

Many people, it has been said, spend more time planning their summer vacation than they do thinking about their financial situation. That's alarming, when you consider the role money plays in your life. What's more, amid this global pandemic, which has upended the U.S. and world economy, working with an advisor is more important than ever.

That's why it is so important to find a financial advisor you trust.  To do so, it comes down to doing some research, interviewing several advisors and asking the right questions. Here are some questions you should pose to a prospective advisor:

  • How long have you been a financial advisor?
  • Are you a fiduciary?
  • Do you hold any professional certifications or designations?
  • What services do you offer?
  • What’s your investment strategy or style?
  • How are you compensated? And how much will I be charged for your services?
  • When, how and how often do you talk to clients?

The CNBC FA 100 celebrates those advisory firms that top the list when it comes to offering  comprehensive planning and financial services to help clients navigate their financial lives. The advisors at these firms assist in setting realistic financial and personal goals. And they will help a client stay on track to meet changing goals due to personal circumstances, and any life-changing events.

The CNBC FA 100 ranking takes into consideration factors beyond just AUM. The ranking is based on a proprietary methodology developed by CNBC in partnership with data provider AccuPoint Solutions. (View the methodology here.) It was based on data culled from thousands of advisory firms.

Tune in to CNBC's "Halftime Report" at 12p ET today to see David Rea, President of Salem Investment Counselors, which earned the top spot on the CNBC FA 100 list for the second consecutive year.

2020 RANK FirmTOTAL AUM YEARS IN THE BUSINESS ACCOUNTS UNDER MANAGEMENT 2019 RANK 
1Salem Investment Counselors$1.7B+4118551
2Dana Investment Advisors$6.5B4011403
3NewSouth Capital Management$2.3B+352186
4Montag & Caldwell$2.3B+442752
5Brandes Investment Partners$23.7B+327618-
6Cincinnati Asset Management$2.9B+29720435
7Emerald Advisers$2.2B+284460
8Tom Johnson Investment Management$1.4B+3740009
9California Financial Advisors$1.3B+2227857
10Richard C. Young & Co.$1.2B+3168110
11Diversified Management$1.2B+26150919
12Check Capital Management$1.2B+34138052
13Gofen & Glossberg$5.1B+88350015
14North Star Asset Management$1.8B+2423675
15Gamble Jones Investment Counsel$1.6B+64120012
16Parsons Capital Management$1.4B+26160037
17Agincourt Capital Management$6.8B+2135617
18D.F. Dent & Co.$7.6B+45120020
19Woodley Farra$1.1B+25953-
20Sol Capital Management$2.5B3391423
21Everett Harris & Co.$7.9B+5063444
22Ferguson Wellman Capital Management$5.9B+4587828
23Carret Asset Management$2.9B+57220014
24Beacon Capital Management$3.2B+209781-
25Luther King Capital Management$18B41300024
26Gillespie, Robinson & Grimm$1.3B+4670632
27Pzena Investment Management$39.2B+2425234
28Bowen, Hanes & Co.$3B+3917398
29WCM Investment Management$42.6B+449009-
30RNC Genter Capital Management$4.8B514477-
31Eubel Brady & Suttman Asset Management$1.2B+26160836
32Heritage Investment Group$1.3B+27180242
33David Vaughan Investments$3B+26259246
34ZWJ Investment Counsel$2.5B3875039
35Fiduciary Management$23.4B+401303-
36Zemenick & Walker$2B+3321930
37Zevenbergen Capital Investments$4.2B+33158-
38Hahn Capital Management$1.1B3112186
39Equius Partners$1B+361513-
40Edgemoor Investment Advisors$1B+20887-
41Southeast Asset Advisors$2.5B+25106626
42Loring, Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors$9B+20290227
43Guyasuta Investment Advisors$1.5B+37120018
44Foundation Resource Management$1.2B+1842178
45Bradley, Foster & Sargent$4.1B+26151431
46Veritable$17.3B+16346225
47The Burney Company$2B+35423353
48Leavell Investment Management$1.9B+35171238
49Schaper , Benz & Wise Investment Counsel$1B+28797-
50Cadinha & Co.$1.7B+4169356
51Sands Capital Management$44.6B+1443972
52Oak Associates$1.8B+2810948
53H.M. Payson & Co.$4.5B+166452943
54Badgley Phelps Wealth Managers$3.4B5481021
55Clifford Swan Investment Counselors$3.2B+10578658
56Roffman Miller Associates$1.7B+29120629
57RTD Financial Advisors$1.2B+37268668
58Foster & Motley$1.5B+23271951
59Meritage Portfolio Management$1.8B29207549
60BKD Wealth Advisors$3.7B+224775-
61Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors$2.5B31368266
62Sage Financial Group$2B+3165450
63FBB Capital Partners$1.3B33800+69
64Farr, Miller & Washington$1.8B+241248-
65Lee Financial Company$1.1B+4551840
66Beaird Harris$1.1B+242406-
67Pittenger & Anderson$1.8B+25135671
68Segall Bryant & Hamill$19.6B+25439670
69Wilbanks, Smith & Thomas Asset Management$3.5B+294319-
70Caprin Asset Management$1.3B+23105973
71Meyer Capital Group$1B382000-
72Charles D. Hyman & Co.$1.3B+2190394
73C.W. Henderson & Associates$3.8B30140085
74Brown Capital Management$13B+29128-
75Sound Shore Management$4.4B+2655011
76Timucuan Asset Management$2.1B+1950582
77Oak Ridge Investments$1.1B+30167461
78Investment Counselors Of Maryland$2.4B+185783
79Pinnacle Associates$6B374526-
80Henssler Financial$2B+331055-
81Steele Capital Management$2.1B+24358667
82Bridges Trust$6.1B75659-
83Anchor Capital Advisors$3.2B+28419265
84JMG Financial Group$3.4B36320262
85Lee, Danner & Bass$1.2B3280079
86Bailard$3.8B+51197554
87SFMG Wealth Advisors$1.5B+2558957
88Pinnacle Advisory Group$2.1B+27584080
89Summit Financial Strategies$1.3B+21421375
90Palisade Capital Management$3.9B+251083-
91Sullivan , Bruyette, Speros & Blayney$4.5B301110-
92Conrad Siegel Investment Advisors$6.1B+1869174
93Index Fund Advisors$4B+20651976
94Legacy Wealth Management$1.5B+383324-
95Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors$1B+19885-
96Pillar Pacific Capital Management$1.2B+21411-
97Bedel Financial Consulting$1.4B+313950-
98Provident Trust Company$4.3B+21122688
99E. S. Barr & Co.$1.3B28814100
100Mason Investment Advisory Services8.3B+38790-