Forbes Top Advisor Selection Process

 

Forbes
Image: Forbes.com

An experienced Certified Financial Planner professional, Keefe Gorman is managing director of investments at a Merrill Lynch-affiliated firm based in New York. In 2018, Keefe Gorman of Merrill Lynch was recognized by Forbes as one of the best wealth advisors in New York State.

A total of 50 financial advisors were listed as best in-state advisors outside of New York City and Mr. Gorman, who operates out of Ithaca, ranked 14th. The Forbes Best-In State Wealth Advisors list highlights financial advisors with strong reputations in all 50 states and is curated through extensive research conducted by SHOOK Research. In creating the list, the firm looks for advisors whom they would recommend to a family member or friend, and that determination is made through face-to-face or telephone interviews as well as quantitative data such as assets under management, industry experience, and revenue trends. To qualify, wealth advisors must have a minimum of seven years experience.

SHOOK only considers advisors with acceptable compliance records who meet predetermined minimum thresholds and were nominated by their respective firms. It received 21,138 nominations for the 2018 list and conducted 5,264 telephone interviews and 1,157 face-to-face interviews at advisors’ places of business.

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Inside Barron’s America’s Top Advisor Rankings

Barron’s
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A managing director and advisor for Merrill Lynch, Keefe Gorman possesses over 29 years of experience and is a certified financial planner with the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. Keefe Gorman’s work with Merrill Lynch and in the financial industry led him to receive a ranking among Barron’s 2013 and 2014 Top Advisors in New York.

Every year, Barron’s releases a revised listing of its America’s Top Advisor Rankings based on data provided by more than 4,000 top productive advisors around the world. It incorporates a number of factors into its rankings, including revenue produced for the firm, assets under management, and regulatory record. Additionally, the ranking examines the individual’s quality of work and philanthropic activities. Due to the unpredictable variables affecting investment success, Barron’s does not incorporate investment results as an explicit component in its rankings.

Barron’s lists individuals according to state and each list consists of exactly 100 advisors. In addition to providing each advisor’s rank for the current year, the list also displays his or her ranking during the previous year for comparison. Those marked with an N instead of a ranking did not make the previous year’s ranking.