Financial teachers: Help USA Today and Statista to determine the winners of our fourth annual survey of the best rated companies, which published in April 2026. You can register to take the investigation here.
Investments still include risks, but between prices, concerns of recession and overall economic uncertainty, the markets have been particularly volatile in recent months.
The markets responded in a historically unprecedented manner to President Donald Trump’s decision to impose and then make the scanning rates back. However, stocks increased, decrease, then increase again is not new. Actions have dropped in reaction to the pandemic, inflation and interest rate changes in the federal reserve, but they have also restored.
More recently, the markets have lost billions of dollars in response to import prices, rebounded, then slipped again. Uncertainty remains.
What is the average investor to do?
Many experts say that the answer is simple: find an advisor in registered placement (RIA) that you like and that corresponds to your financial profile. The RIAs are companies with a trustee obligation to always act in the best interest of their client. They charge costs rather than sales commissions and use representatives of investment advisers (IARS) who are authorized to give financial advice and are increasingly adopting a holistic approach to their customers’ financial life.
Other financial companies, such as brokers, gain commissions for the sale of shares, bonds or common funds and only need appropriate advice. Sometimes they can sell more expensive products that generate more income for them but do not necessarily meet the long -term objectives of a customer.
To rationalize your search for an advisor, USA Today has teamed up with the Statista market research company for the third consecutive year to classify the 500 best RIA in the lists available below.
The classification is based on the growth of assets under business management (AUM) short and long -term and the number of recommendations they have received from customers and peers.
USA Today and Statista included separate groupings according to the amount of assets that RIAS will supervise so that readers can compare companies in similar classes. Small businesses can have fewer customers by advisor and provide more personal services. Large companies may be able to charge lower costs due to volume -based discounts or have more resources for specialized services.
You can also choose a company according to its location, which is included in the ranking.
The best classified company, Facet Wealth, based in Baltimore, saw its assets increase by 86% in one year and 91% over five years. Fifth ranking, Align Impact, based in Santa Monica, was the only company to repress the first five for the second consecutive year after the second row on the 2024 list.
You can find out more about the specialties and history of a company on its website as well as on the ADV company form, which it files with the dry. You can check the registration of a company with the public disclosure tool of the SEC investment advisor and check the history and all disciplinary measures on the Brokercheck website of the Regulatory Authority (Finra).
For more details on the methodology behind the ranking, please visit the Statista website or contact Andreas Kort financationAdisors@statista.com.
