About the Kiplinger Readers’ Choice Awards
The Kiplinger Readers’ Choice Awards aim to recognize and celebrate the best products and services in the personal finance arena. We asked you, our Kiplinger community, to help us name the products and services you think have delivered excellent value in the past year.
The survey results, which we’re sharing here in our second annual Readers’ Choice Awards, offer valuable insight into which providers shine when it comes to your everyday interactions and experiences with them. Our Awards recognize excellence in everything from credit cards, banks and brokers to insurers, tax software and financial apps. For each category, we’ve listed an overall winner that earned the highest score. We’ve also highlighted other products and services that earned above-average scores for various criteria we asked readers to assess.
By voting, our community has helped us form our guide to the very best financial products. These are the products and companies that you think stand out from the crowd.
Kiplinger Readers' Choice Awards: Wealth Managers
These firms take a holistic look at your finances. Beyond assisting with investment strategies, their advisers will help you manage savings, estate and tax planning, and more. Readers rated wealth managers based on the quality of financial advice they received, the trustworthiness of the advisers, how likely they would be to recommend the firm to others and their overall satisfaction with the wealth manager.
OVERALL WINNER: J.P. Morgan Wealth Management
Outstanding for:
- Quality of advice
- Most recommended
- Overall satisfaction
J.P. Morgan Wealth Management takes the crown among wealth management firms, with an especially high score for overall satisfaction helping to push it to the top. The company characterizes its approach as “disciplined, holistic and personalized” and offers a couple of advisory options.
With J.P. Morgan Personal Advisors, you can get financial guidance by video or phone from a team of advisers. Those who qualify for Private Client Advisor can work in-person with a dedicated adviser to build a custom strategy.
Edward Jones
Outstanding for:
- Trustworthy advisers
- Quality of advice
- Most recommended
- Overall satisfaction
Edward Jones has nearly 19,000 dedicated financial advisers who provide clients one-on-one guidance, with a philosophy centered on investing for the long term. The firm offers the full spectrum of other planning services, too, from tax strategies to investment management to insurance and annuities.
“I feel my Edward Jones adviser is looking after my interests,” says one reader. “They get to know you, your family, your needs and your goals,” says another.
Morgan Stanley
Outstanding for:
- Trustworthy advisers
- Quality of advice
- Most recommended
- Overall satisfaction
Morgan Stanley Wealth Management offers advisory services in two forms. You can work with an adviser virtually, phoning in for advice whenever you need it, or you can collaborate with an adviser in-person.
With both options, your adviser will make a personalized plan in such areas as retirement and college savings, tax efficiency, generational wealth, and philanthropy. “I’ve done very well financially under their advisement. I feel my adviser has me well positioned for the future,” says one reader.
Fisher Investments
Outstanding for:
- Quality of advice
- Overall satisfaction
Clients of Fisher Investments work with a dedicated adviser who gets to know their unique goals, finances, health, family and lifestyle. Readers express satisfaction with the treatment they receive from Fisher as well as its educational resources.
“Fisher provides great customer service. Periodic in-person lunches and dinners with presentations and Q&A sessions are exceptionally well done. Market outlooks take a realistic and different view from the madding crowd and are usually right,” says one reader. “Fisher is unique in that they actually educate me about investing and the stock market,” says another.
Raymond James
Outstanding for:
- Trustworthy advisers
Wealth management services from Raymond James include insurance solutions; assistance with estate planning, charitable giving and trust services; retirement planning; and investment management.
“I’ve been with my wealth management group for over 30 years and am treated like family,” says one reader. For more on Raymond James, see the section on brokers.
UBS
Outstanding for:
- Most recommended
To create a financial plan, UBS applies a framework that it calls the “UBS Wealth Way.” You start by answering several core questions — What do you want to accomplish in your life? What do you want your legacy to be? — then UBS helps you organize your finances with three strategies: wealth for now, wealth for later and wealth for others. “The personal attention is superb,” one reader says.
To learn more about UBS, see the section on brokers.
Bank of America/Merrill Wealth Management
Outstanding for:
- Trustworthy advisers
Bank of America and Merrill, which is BofA’s brokerage affiliate, offer wealth management through various avenues. One is Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, through which you work with a dedicated adviser. “I have been with Merrill for over 20 years. My adviser is responsive and aware of my needs,” says one reader. High-net-worth clients can get help with the complexities of managing their assets through Bank of America Private Bank.
