Aspiriant Makes FT Top 300 Again

Aspiriant, for the sixth year in a row, was chosen by Financial Times for its FT 300: Top Registered Investment Advisors list for 2019.

Financial Times, a global financial news organization, has recognized Aspiriant every year since it launched its list of elite RIA firms in the U.S.

“The competition to enter this year’s FT 300 list was fierce,” Financial Times reported.

FT and Ignites Research invited 2000 qualifying firms with $300 million or more assets under management (AUM), and 740 applied. They independently graded firms on several factors including AUM (Aspiriant manages approximately $11.5 billion), compliance record and industry certifications (such as CFP and CFA).

It said to stand out from the pack, some RIAs rely on specialization, such as philanthropy, and focusing on a particular audience, like entrepreneurs — two areas of expertise Aspiriant offers clients.

“Rather than making money from trades or sales commissions, advisers in the RIA model get paid by charging for advice, which includes managing a portfolio of investments,” FT said. “But the job is more than being a simple investment manager, often calling for the adviser to be more of a risk analyst and even a life coach.”

Read the FT article and see the list.

Disclosure: Neither Aspiriant nor its employees paid a fee in exchange for inclusion in this award. An RIA firm must submit an application in order to be considered for the ranking. Applicants are run through award proprietary scoring methodology where they are graded on the 6 factors below. AUM accounts for an average of 70 to 75 percent of each adviser’s score. Also, asset growth accounted for an average of 15 percent. Judging factors include: AUM, AUM growth rate, companies’ years in existence, compliance record, industry certifications (CFA, CFP, etc) of staff and online accessibility.