2012 Top Wealth Managers Revealed by AdvisorOne

NEW YORK, Sept. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The independent wealth management industry is bigger, more profitable and marked by new forms of ownership, but its very success is leading to a tipping point that revolves around challenges on productivity and competition.

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Those are the high-level findings of the 12^th annual Top Wealth Managers survey and rankings released today by AdvisorOne, in which more than 280 wealth management firms participated. The 100 participating RIA firms that ranked highest in average assets under management (AUM) per client were named as the 2012 Top Wealth Managers, and are listed on AdvisorOne's Top Wealth Managers home page.  The top-ranking wealth management firms as measured by total AUM, along with key metrics of all participating firms, can also be found on AdvisorOne.com.

As the three-part analysis on AdvisorOne of the findings of the 2012 Top Wealth Managers survey by Philip Palaveev and Jonathan McQuade of The Ensemble Practice reads, "The criteria for being a top firm are rising, the expectations of clients are growing and the competition is intensifying. Our industry is changing, and the top wealth management firms find opportunity in that change."

This is the 12th year that AdvisorOne and Investment Advisor magazine (and its predecessor publications) have surveyed the wealth management industry, defined as registered investment advisory firms that provide wealth management services to individuals. The average participant in the 2012 Top Wealth Manager Survey has $978 million in AUM, employs a team of 52 people and works with a client who has an average $4.7 million in assets. Illustrating how the industry has grown, nine years ago the average participant had $371 million in AUM and a staff of 13.

Information for the 2012 Top Wealth Managers survey was self-reported by the firms online at AdvisorOne this summer, with all data as of Dec. 31, 2011; profiles of the top 10 wealth management firms, along with criteria for inclusion in the rankings can be found on AdvisorOne.

"Our 12^th annual survey not only celebrates independent wealth managers' success, but suggests how the 'Top' wealth managers achieved their status," said James J. Green, editorial director of Summit Business Media's Investment Advisory Group. "Moreover, these firms told us what services they provide clients, what they worry about and what their custodians and other partners can do to help them grow—all valuable information for successful wealth managers and those advisors who want to emulate that success."

About AdvisorOne
AdvisorOne.com is the ultimate online destination for advisors, featuring all the news, in-depth analysis, market data, tools and networking opportunities advisors need to transform their business – and their bottom lines. Responding to the needs of advisors for a single site source of information, the website delivers original content and data assets from Summit Business Media's Investment Advisory Group, combined with contributions from industry experts and relevant content aggregated from across the web.

About Summit Business Media
AdvisorOne is a Summit Business Media property. Summit Business Media is the leading B2B media and information company serving the insurance, financial services, legal and investment advisory markets.  Summit strives to be "The Next Generation of Business Information" for executives and practitioners by providing breaking news and analysis, in-depth practice management strategies, business-building techniques and actionable data.  Summit services the information needs of its customers through numerous channels, including digital, print, and live events.  For more information, please visit www.summitbusinessmedia.com.

SOURCE Summit Business Media