About the Kiplinger Readers' Choice Awards
As personal finance experts at Kiplinger, we often review products and services based on fees, interest rates, rewards, online tools and other concrete factors that we can evaluate from the outside. Using that information, we pass along recommendations to our readers, sharing our beliefs on which providers stand above the rest. But as readers, you have valuable insights, too. Customers who use credit cards, banks, brokers, insurance companies and other financial services have everyday experiences that we can't replicate when we make our judgments and so, for the fourth year, we asked our readers to have their say in the Kiplinger Readers' Choice Awards 2026.
We are asking readers to tell us about their favorite financial products and services, ranking them on criteria such as their experience with customer service representatives, how likely they are to recommend the providers to others and how satisfied they are overall with the companies or services.
The Readers' Choice Awards 2026 vote is now open. You can make your vote here. The results will be announced on Kiplinger.com and in Kiplinger Personal Finance Magazine later this year.
Kiplinger Readers’ Choice Awards 2026 Categories
Rewards Credit Cards
Rewards credit cards offer cash back, points or miles on purchases, helping you to put extra cash in your pocket or offset the cost of flights, hotels and other travel bookings.
We ask readers to rate their experience with the rewards credit card that they use the most in each of four categories: General travel cards, airline program cards, hotel program cards and cash-back cards. We also ask how readers feel about their rewards card's customer service, how likely they are to recommend the card to others, and their overall satisfaction with the card.
Make your voice heard here.
Banks
Whether you have a relationship with a large, brick-and-mortar bank or an internet bank, we'd like to know about your experience with the institution that you primarily use for your banking needs, including a checking or savings account.
We ask readers to rate their institution on the strength of its customer service, how likely they are to recommend the bank to others, and their overall satisfaction with the bank.
Make your voice heard here.
Brokers
We ask readers about their experience with their primary brokerage firm, including the strength of its customer service, how likely they are to recommend the broker to others, and their overall satisfaction with the broker.
Make your voice heard here.
Wealth Managers
Wealth management firms provide holistic financial planning and advisory services, including retirement, tax and estate planning and investment management.
We ask how readers feel about the quality of the financial advice that their wealth manager offers, their level of trust in the wealth manager to provide sound advice, how likely they are to recommend the wealth manager to others, and their overall satisfaction with the wealth manager.
Make your voice heard here.
Peer-to-Peer Payment Services
Peer-to-peer payment services allow you to send and receive payments with other individuals. We ask readers to rate the ease of use of these services, how likely they are to recommend them to others, and their overall satisfaction with them.
Make your voice heard here.
Tax Software
Tax software helps you prepare and file income tax returns. We are asking readers who have used tax software to prepare their returns, to rate the provider on the ease of use of its program, how likely they are to recommend it to others, and their overall satisfaction with it.
Make your voice heard here.
Insurance Companies
For primary auto and home insurance companies, we want to learn about readers' feelings on the competitiveness of the rates they charge, their experience with the claims process, and how likely they are to recommend the insurance company to others.
Make your voice heard here.
Annuities
We want to understand more about readers' experience with annuities and their overall satisfaction with these products.
Make your voice heard here.
IRA Providers
In a new category for 2026, we're asking for readers' opinions on IRA providers. We'd like to know about readers' experience with the investment choices and customer service, as well as if they would recommend it to others.
Make your voice heard here.
