List of Awards and Recognitions :

Years: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

The Five Star Wealth Manager award, administered by Crescendo Business Services, LLC (dba Five Star Professional), selects award recipients based on the following 10 objective eligibility and evaluation criteria: (1) credentialed as a registered investment advisory representative or registered investment adviser; (2) actively employed as a credentialed professional in the financial services industry for a minimum of five years; (3) favorable regulatory and complaint history review; (4) fulfillment of their firm review based on internal firm standards; (5) currently accepting new clients; (6) and (7) client retention rates for one-year and five-year periods; (8) non-institutional client assets administered; (9) number of client households served; and (10) education and professional designations. Five Star Professional determines the final list of Five Star Wealth Manager award winners.

  • 3,923 candidates in the Boston area were considered for the 2023 award, with 578 of these candidates (15%) named 2023 Five Star Wealth Managers.
    • In 2022, 4,090 candidates were considered, of which there were 513 (13%) award recipients.
    • In 2021, 4,069 candidates were considered, of which there were 480 (12%) award recipients.
    • In 2020, 3,580 candidates were considered, of which there were 463 (13%) award recipients.
    • In 2019, 3,619 candidates were considered, of which there were 566 (16%) award recipients.
    • In 2018, 2,819 candidates were considered, of which there were 532 (19%) award recipients.
    • In 2017, 2,467 candidates were considered, of which there were 623 (25%) award recipients.
    • In 2016, 2,530 candidates were considered, of which there were 632 (26%) award recipients.
    • In 2015, 3,542 candidates were considered, of which there were 801 (23%) award recipients.
    • In 2014, 1,707 candidates were considered, of which there were 655 (38%) award recipients.
    • In 2013, 2,362 candidates were considered, of which there were 713 (30%) award recipients.
    • In 2012, 2,591 candidates were considered, of which there were 454 (17%) award recipients.
  • Wealth managers and/or their firms do not pay a fee to be considered for or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers.
  • The award does not evaluate the quality of services provided to clients and it is possible that the recipient may have received unfavorable ratings from those surveyed.
  • The Five Star Wealth Manager award is not indicative of the wealth manager’s future performance or investment success.
  • The inclusion of a wealth manager on the list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by Five Star Professional or any clients of the wealth manager.
  • Five Star Professional defines a “favorable regulatory complaint history” as a wealth manager who has not been subject to a regulatory action resulting in payment of a fine or a license being suspended or revoked; has not had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or denied complaints with any regulatory authority or Five Star Professional’s consumer complaint process; has not individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; has not been terminated from a wealth management or financial services firm; has not filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; and has not been convicted of a felony.

Years: 2020

Recipients: Liz Kesselman

The 2020 Forbes Top Women Wealth Advisors selection process was conducted by SHOOK Research. Candidates were evaluated with an algorithm based on the individuals’ revenue production for their firms, client retention data, assets under management by the individuals’ teams, review of the individuals’ compliance records, fee structure, breadth of services offered, professional credentials, years of service, community involvement and an interview (telephone or in person) with the award evaluators. Minimum eligibility criteria included: (1) at least seven years as a financial adviser; (2) working for current firm for at least one year; (3) individual is recommended by her firm; (4) completion of an online survey; (5) 50% of revenue production attributable to the individual; and (6) an acceptable compliance record as determined by the award’s evaluators. In total, 32,000 participants were nominated for this award; 14,190 were invited to complete the survey and partake in an interview, and 1,000 (7% of participants) were named to the final list. The award does not consider portfolio performance. Inclusion on the list of Top Women Wealth Advisors does not mean that the individual does not have any negative history on their regulatory compliance record.

Years: 2022, 2023

Recipients: Liz Kesselman

The 2023 Forbes Top Women Wealth Advisors Best-In-State selection process was conducted by SHOOK research. Candidates were evaluated through an algorithm based on the individual’s revenue production for their firm, client retention data, assets under management by the individual/individual’s team, review of the individual’s compliance record, fee structure, breadth of services offered, professional credentials, years of service, community involvement and an interview (telephone or in-person) with the award evaluators. Minimum eligibility criteria included: (1) at least seven years as a financial adviser; (2) working for current firm for at least one year; (3) individual is recommended by her firm; (4) completion of an online survey; (5) business that is conducted with individuals is evaluated; and (6) an acceptable compliance record as determined by the award’s evaluators. 38,314 nominations were received (10,250 women) 22,106 were invited to complete the survey and partake in an interview, and 1,697 were named to the list of which 54 professionals were named to the Massachusetts list. The award does not consider portfolio performance. Inclusion on the list of Top Women Wealth Advisors does not mean that the individual does not have any negative history on their regulatory compliance record. The award is not indicative of client experience or future investment performance. Adviser Investments did not pay a fee to participate in this award. For more information on this award—including eligibility and evaluation criteria, information on the algorithm used to compare and rank participants, and compliance record review methodology—visit: Top Women Wealth Advisors Best-In-State 2023 (forbes.com)

This webpage describes the criteria for each industry award or recognition received by our employees and may appear on our websites or in other marketing materials used by our firm. In addition to the specific descriptions and criteria described for each award, please keep in mind that unless otherwise specifically stated, the following provisions apply to all awards and recognitions:

  • Awards and recognitions do not evaluate client experience and are not indicative of such.
  • Awards and recognitions do not evaluate investment performance of client portfolios and are not to be construed as indicative of such.
  • Awards and recognitions are not indicative of future investment performance of client portfolios.
  • Awards and recognitions generally only consider and recognize participants that choose to participate.
  • Awards and recognitions are often based on information supplied by the participants—such information should not be assumed to be verified by the sponsor of the award.
  • Adviser Investments does not pay any fees to participate in any of the awards or recognitions listed below.

Award/recognition criteria presented reflects the criteria applicable to the most recently received version noted in the line titled “Years.”