Investment Advisor Reveals 2010 Broker/Dealers of the Year

DENVER, Aug. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Marking another milestone in its 30th year as The Voice of Independents, Investment Advisor today announced the results of its 20th annual readers' poll in which the representatives of independent broker/dealers chose the 2010 Broker/Dealers of the Year.

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Following years of economic uncertainty and market volatility in which many independent broker/dealers' margins were squeezed and their cultures challenged, nearly 5,000 voters in this annual balloting confirmed their choices of affiliation by giving high ratings to their own independent B/Ds.

In voting overseen each year since 1991 by Investment Advisor's editorial staff, credentialed voters are asked to rate their own broker/dealers in 15 different categories; those B/Ds that receive the highest average rating from their reps are named Broker/Dealers of the Year in four divisions based on their number of producing reps. In addition, the leaders of the four winning B/Ds constitute a special broker/dealer advisory board at Investment Advisor for the year and are featured in an extensive cover story in the September 2010 issue of the magazine, which in 2010 marks its 30th year of serving independent and independent-minded advisors.

The 2010 Broker/Dealers of the year are:

Division IV (more than 1,000 representatives): Cambridge Investment Research. Led by Chairman Eric Schwartz, Cambridge prevailed in the largest division, which it last won in 2008, by scoring particularly high ratings among its advisors for its communication with the home office, management and its product list.

Division III (500 to 999 reps): The Capital Financial Group/H. Beck. Led by president and CEO Eric G. Meyers, Capital Financial/H. Beck returns to the winner's circle in 2010; it last won in 2007. This year, its representatives lauded the firm for its commissions, communication with the home office and its product list.

Division II (200 to 499 reps): Geneos Financial. Led by President Russell Diachok and founded in 2002, Geneos is a three-time winner. Its reps lauded the firm for its back office support, technology support and communication with the home office.

Division I (up to 199 representatives): Prospera Financial. Led by President David Stringer, Prospera won for the second year in a row. It scored high marks across the board from its voting reps, but especially for its compliance, due diligence and back office support.

About Investment Advisor

With a print circulation of 110,000 and a vibrant Web site at InvestmentAdvisor.com, Investment Advisor is a key publication in the Investment Advisor Group of Summit Business Media, a B2B media and information company for the insurance, investment, and professional services markets -- offers information and analysis on wealth management, retirement planning, investment strategies, practice management, compliance and regulatory issues, and insurance and tax planning, all designed to help registered investment advisors and independent broker/dealer representatives become more successful. For more information, visit InvestmentAdvisor.com and SummitBusinessMedia.com.

About Summit Business Media

Summit Business Media is the leading B2B media company serving the insurance and investment markets. Through its Media and Reference Divisions, SBM publishes 16 magazines, more than 30 targeted industry websites, and 150 reference titles. The Events Division hosts a dozen conferences supporting these brands. SBM's Data Division is the leading provider of group benefits and retirement prospecting tools and insurance industry financial data. For more information, visit sbmedia.com.

SOURCE Investment Advisor