Bailard Named to CNBC’s FA 100

By Michael J. Faust, CFA, Director of Bailard Wealth Management.

We were honored to learn we were included on CNBC’s FA 100, a ranking of the 100 top-rated financial advisory firms of 2019. According to CNBC, these rankings take into account a variety of data, including disclosures, years in business, average account size, total accounts under management, number of investment advisors and more. We were ranked #54, from an initial list of 35,511 RIA firms.

CNBC has also written that, in an increasingly automated wealth management environment, the CNBC FA 100 recognizes those advisory firms that continue to find ways to work closely with clients to help them mitigate risk and meet their financial goals. To lend some analysis in my own words, this ranking is about compassion and our accountability to clients.

Our financial planning practice likely differentiated us from other firms in the running—same with our institutional practice and rich, 50-year history. As the third-oldest firm on the list, we’ve counseled our clients through numerous economic cycles and multiple decades. And though these details didn’t go into the ranking itself (find the full methodology below and here), I’m pleased that CNBC captured them in our ranking profile: we embody a “right-by-our-clients” ethos and value loyalty and accountability to one another and to our clients. The profile also highlights our diversity: as of September 30, 2019, we had employees from over 10 countries, and 44% of our team is female.

Pictured above is a photo booth opportunity of our CEO Peter Hill and Director of Institutional Client Services Diana Dessonville, who celebrated the 2019 FA 100 list in New York City with other FA 100 recipients.

While the recognition is exceptional, very little of what differentiates us is new. We started as a financial planning firm and evolved over the years to manage client assets and build an institutional practice—but only in areas where we think we can add substantive value. We have a diverse team because we’ve always sought the right people, regardless of their ethnicity or gender. And we have strong advisor-to-client ratios because we care about our clients and always have; in many instances, we have been working with families for multiple generations.

All that said, I’m thrilled to see that modern lists like this recognize traits that we’ve valued for decades. We agree with CNBC: AUM is not the sole measure of a firm, and there are many other attributes to consider. Congratulations to all the other RIAs on this list and those among the original 35,511 that embody similar character. And many thanks to our clients for trusting us and recognizing that we’re a valuable partner because of our differentiators, not in spite of them. We look forward to continued, compassionate partnership.

FA 100 Methodology

CNBC enlisted data provider AccuPoint Solutions to assist with delivering the CNBC FA 100 ranking of registered investment advisors. The methodology consisted of first analyzing a variety of core data points from AccuPoint’s database of financial services firms. This analysis started with an initial list of 35,511 RIA firms. AccuPoint then applied weighted categories to further refine and rank the firms, ultimately creating the list of the top 100. The primary data points used in the analysis were reviewed, either as a minimum baseline or within a range, eliminating those firms that did not meet our requirements. Once the initial list was compiled, weightings were also applied accordingly. These data points included:

• Disclosures
• Number of years in the business
• Number of employees
• Number of investment advisors registered with the firm
• The ratio of investment advisors to total number of employees
• Total assets under management
• Percentage of discretionary assets under management
• Total accounts under management
• Number of states where the RIA is registered
• Country of domicile

This award does not evaluate the quality of services provided to clients and is not indicative of the practice’s future performance. Neither the RIA firms nor their employees pay a fee to CNBC in exchange for inclusion in the FA 100.

All investments involve a risk of loss. There is no guarantee any strategy will achieve its objectives. Bailard will not offer advice in any jurisdiction where it is prohibited from doing so.