Cassaday & Company, Inc., has been ranked #34 on the Forbes ranking of America’s Top Registered Investment Advisory (RIA) Firms for 2023. Our team is honored to receive this recognition from Forbes for the second year in a row.

Compiled by SHOOK Research, Forbes’ Top RIA ranking highlights 250 advisory firms nationwide with cumulative assets of $1.1 trillion. According to SHOOK, this list is meant to help those looking for an independent advisor.

Registered investment advisory (RIA) firms remain one of the fastest-growing segments in the wealth management business. RIAs are legally bound by a fiduciary standard, and as such are committed to working in a client’s best interest. This fiduciary standard led Cassaday & Co. Founder, Chairman & CEO Steve Cassaday to create a firm-wide cultural based on the principal to always do the right thing. Steve abandoned the traditional Wall Street model in 1993 because he knew there was a better way to serve clients.

“I knew that having a one-stop-shop providing objective guidance that comprehensively addressed financial, investment, tax, retirement, insurance, and estate planning, coordinated by in-house professionals would be attractive to clients. When these professionals sit around a table and have conversations about a client’s situation, the result is an integrated plan that addresses all their issues initially and on an ongoing basis.  The capstone of our process is life and transition coaching that focuses on the emotional and psychological dimension of retirement and other transitions that, if not properly addressed, can derail an otherwise excellent financial plan.”

“I’m fortunate to be surrounded by colleagues who are not only intelligent and excellent at what they do, but also abide by our mandate to always do the right thing for clients and treat them as they would their own family members,” Cassaday concluded.

About this award

Research for all Forbes advisor rankings is conducted by SHOOK Research. SHOOK scours the financial services industry for nominations. SHOOK accepts advisors who meet pre-determined minimum thresholds and acceptable compliance records. For this ranking, SHOOK received nearly 36,535 nominations for advisors who meet SHOOK’s thresholds. Of this group:

• 42,643 nominations received, based on thresholds
• 23,100 invited to complete online survey
• 18,417 telephone interviews
• 4,281 in-person interviews at advisors’ location
• 1,487 virtual interviews

To compile their final list, SHOOK uses an algorithm designed to fairly compare the business practices this large group of firms based on quantitative and qualitative elements. While there is focus on quantitative data, SHOOK focuses primarily on qualitative data, skewing their recommendations towards firms in which they can thoroughly understand how each client is actually treated. In doing so, they measure aspects like processes that are inherent in each client relationship, what is the team’s purpose, and what is the underlying culture that can be seen throughout all levels of employees.

For more on SHOOK’s methodology, click here.

Ranking History

Cassaday was also named a Top RIA by Forbes in 2022 on the ranking’s inaugural list.

To see the complete list of Forbes 2023 Top RIA Firms, click here.