WealthManagement.com celebrated the winners of the 2022 WealthManagement.com Industry Awards (the “Wealthies”) Thursday night during a black-tie awards gala at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City.
This year, 105 awards were presented to 84 companies and executives from a pool of 225 finalists for stellar achievements in supporting financial advisor success.
“A record-breaking number of nominations was submitted in 2022, with nearly 1,000 entries received from more than 350 companies,” said Bill O’Conor, managing director of WealthManagement.com. “The Industry Awards program has grown considerably in scope in the eight years since it began, but the mission statement remains the same: To recognize and celebrate the best initiatives from companies and individuals that help financial advisors succeed in their businesses and create better outcomes for their clients. This year’s winners represent many different types of firms, but they all have one thing in common: They are creating the programs, tools and platforms that financial advisors use to build their businesses, better serve their clients, and improve the financial prospects—and quality of life—for millions of people.”
A panel of independent judges made up of top names in the industry and led by WealthManagement.com Editor-in-Chief David Armstrong determined the winners. The best in each category were selected based on quantitative measures of their initiatives—such as scope, scale, adoption and feature set—along with qualitative measures, such as innovation, creativity and new methods of delivery.
The awards expanded in 2022 to recognize organizations that are pioneering innovation in retirement planning and charitable giving, as well as progressive companies that are advancing the integration and implementation of digital assets. And for the first time, individual awards paid tribute to up-and-comers at RIA firms.
Armstrong (who, as always, was the evening’s master of ceremonies, alongside Managing Editor Diana Britton; WMRE Publisher Marianne Rivera; and Mark Bruno, managing director, Wealth Management at Informa Connect) stressed how this awards ceremony is unique by recognizing those companies and individuals that help advisors better support clients.
“The different types of firms that participate—asset managers, technology companies, custodians, broker/dealers and consultants—all share a common goal: creating the programs, tools and platforms that advisors use to improve the financial prospects of millions of Americans,” he said.
The 2022 event program kicked off with senior executives at finalist companies participating in daytime CEO and CTO panel sessions, followed by technology roundtable discussions and networking at the InterContinental Times Square. The live evening reception and awards ceremony was attended by about 650 industry executives from leading asset management firms, RIAs, b/ds, custodians, technology providers and other industry-related companies.
The big winners this year were Carson Group, earning four awards, and Orion, which walked away with three. Other multiple winners included Adhesion Wealth, Andes Wealth Technologies, Beacon Pointe Advisors, Cambridge Investment Research, Fiduciary Trust Company, FMG Suite, Janney Montgomery Scott, LPL Financial, Mercer Advisors, Nationwide, Prospera Financial Services, Raymond James, Russell Investments, Schwab, SMArtX Advisory Solutions and SS&C Black Diamond. Awards were also handed out recognizing individual CEOs, CMOs, CTOs, Innovators, M&A Leaders, Thought Leaders and Rising Stars.
The Wealthies also recognized the good work being done by the Foundation for Financial Planning in bringing quality pro bono financial advice to people in crisis or need—particularly military veterans and victims of domestic abuse—and for its Pro Bono for Cancer initiative.
Each of the 2022 Industry Awards finalist initiatives and company profiles can be found on the WealthiesCircle.com content platform, which will also provide a gateway to the upcoming 2022 Wealthies Podcast Digital Forums paneled by senior executives at finalist and award-winning firms.