Hiring a money manager is one of the most important decisions you can make, but doing your due diligence can be difficult. Our industry is rife with opinions and advice from many seemingly well-intentioned people, but how do you know whom to trust? If you’re in the process of reviewing your options, including Fisher Investments, we put this page together to help you with your due diligence process.
Evaluating Money Managers
Understanding the credibility of a potential money manager is critical to making a good decision for your financial future. Your due diligence requires careful investigation and thought. Before you decide to hire any money manager, Fisher Investments recommends asking the following questions as part of your review:
- How can I trust my money manager has my best interests in mind?
- How does my money manager allocate my assets to meet my unique financial goals?
- Will I have a dedicated point of contact who knows me and my financial situation?
- Does my money manager have a verified performance history of successfully navigating various market cycles over time for their clients?
You may also want to:
- Review any filings or disclosures on the company you are considering from federal regulatory agencies (such as the SEC in the United States).
- Consider third-party industry awards and recognition from reliable sources, such as Financial Times, Pensions & Investments, or others.
Things to Know As You Review Fisher Investments
As a Registered Investment Adviser (RIA), Fisher Investments has a fiduciary obligation to always put client’s best interests first. We take the time to get to know each client, their unique financial situations and goals. This allows Fisher Investments to effectively review their existing portfolio and make the changes we believe maximizes the probability of reaching those goals over their investment time horizons. When you work with Fisher Investments, you’ll receive on-going support from a team of experienced Investment Counselors who get to know your unique financial situation. We believe our commitment to unparalleled client service and a flexible investment approach are just some of the features that set us apart.
Don’t just take our word for it. Fisher Investments has been named Best Financial Advisory Firm by USA Today and a top adviser by Financial Times, Equities Manager of the Year by MoneyAge and A Top US Registered Investment Adviser by Investment News primarily based on assets under management. Fisher Investments and our global affiliates are also certified as a Great Place to Work®.
Best Financial Advisory Firms
Fisher Investments was recognized by USA Today and Statista as a 2023 Best Financial Advisory Firm. USA Today and Statista chose winners based on peer and client recommendations collected via an independent survey as well as asset management growth over a five-year period. Recommendations had a weight of 20%, while AUM growth had a weight of 80% to derive the final score. Firms registered with the SEC, having a clean disciplinary record and the highest overall scores were named Best Financial Advisory Firms.
Fisher Investments pays a fee for promotion and logo distribution rights. For more information, visit https://www.statista.com/page/best-financial-advisory-firms-2023#51d188ee29f8d03a6e000009.
A Top Adviser
Fisher Investments was recognized on theFinancial Times’2020 Top 300 investment advisers list for the seventh consecutive year. 2020 also marks the seventh annual FT 300 list, which aims to recognize the industry's elite investment adviser firms in the United States.
The Financial Times Top 300 Registered Investment Advisers list is an independent recognition produced by the Financial Times (June 2014, June 2015, June 2016, June 2017, June 2018, June 2019 and June 2020). The FT 300 is based on data gathered from RIA firms, regulatory disclosures, and the FT’s research. The listing reflected each practice’s performance in six primary areas: assets under management, asset growth, compliance record, years in existence, credentials and online accessibility. 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 The Financial Times in exchange for inclusion in the FT 300.
Advisers were evaluated based on assets under management, asset growth, years in existence, industry certifications of key employees, online accessibility and compliance record.
The Financial Times (FT) invites Registered Investment Advisers that meet certain minimum criteria to apply to be considered for the Top 300 Financial Adviser List. Applicants are graded on six broad factors: assets under management (AUM), asset growth, years in operation, industry certifications of key employees, online accessibility, and compliance record. For more information, please visit:https://www.ft.com/content/6a45556e-6c21-4770-bc94-468fee0de563.
MoneyAge recognized Fisher Investments and its affiliates as their 2023 Equities Manager of the Year at the fifth annual Wealth & Asset Management Awards. This is the first time Fisher Investments has been recognized as Equities Manager of the Year by MoneyAge and follows a 2022 MoneyAge recognition as Active Manager of the Year.
MoneyAge chose winners based on recommendations from an independent panel of expert judges from within the sector considering factors such as customer service and effective portfolio management. Fisher Investments pays a fee for promotion and logo distribution rights. For more information, please visit:https://www.moneyage.co.uk/assetmanagementawards/winners23.php
Citywire 50 Growers Across America
Fisher Investments, one of the world’s largest independent, fee-only investment advisers, was named to Citywire RIA’s 2023, "50 Growers Across America". The list highlights the fastest growing Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) firms in the country, determined by each company’s growth across various factors in 2022. Per Citywire RIA, Fisher Investments had the “highest growth factor score” of any firm on the list.
To be eligible for the Citywire RIA“50 Growers Across America” list, firms must be independent RIAs that file their own Form ADV with the SEC and provide financial planning and related services to clients. Citywire RIAlooked at eligible firms’ growth in 2022 across three categories: percentage growth in assets under management (AUM), monetary growth in AUM and percentage growth in employees. Citywire RIA uses these figures to create a “growth factor” score with companies scoring highest by state being named to the list. No fees or other considerations are required from RIAs to be included in the Citywire RIA ranking. Fisher Investments pays a fee for promotion and logo distribution rights.
A Top US-Based RIA
As of August 2022, Fisher Investments was named one of InvestmentNews’ Top US-based, fee-only Registered Investment Advisers (RIA). Fisher Investments ranks #2 on its RIA List, based on total assets under management.
InvestmentNews is a weekly publication dedicated to delivering news and analysis essential to the business of financial advisers. For its RIA List, InvestmentNews qualified firms headquartered in the United States based on data reported on Form ADV to the Securities and Exchange Commission. To qualify, advisers must be fee-only, based in the United States, independent from any broker/dealer, and meet several other criteria. To access the full list and criteria for consideration, please visit the following link: https://www.investmentnews.com/top-fee-only-rias-in-2022-225666. Fisher Investments pays a fee for promotion and logo distribution rights.
Great Place to Work – Certified ™ - USA
For the sixth year in a row, Fisher Investments has been certified a great workplace by the independent analysts at Great Place to Work®, a recognized global authority on workplace culture and producer of important reviews, including the annual Fortune “100 Best Companies to Work For®” list. Great Place to Work® anonymously surveyed Fisher Investments employees as part of its comprehensive review process. The survey measured several factors including compensation, manager quality, overall workplace atmosphere and the pride that employees feel working for Fisher Investments.
Great Place to Work selects winners of the Best Workplaces lists primarily based on employees' responses to their industry-defining Trust Index© Survey, taken as part of Great Place to Work® Certification. Results from the survey are highly reliable, having a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of 5% or less.
Great Place to Work® is a recognized global authority on workplace culture and producer of important reviews, including the annual Fortune “100 Best Companies to Work For®” list. Great Place to Work® anonymously surveyed Fisher Investments employees as part of its comprehensive review process. The survey measured several factors including compensation, manager quality, overall workplace atmosphere and the pride that employees feel working for Fisher Investments. Fisher Investments and its affiliates pay a participation fee to Great Place to Work®, which covers the cost of administering the survey to employees and the analysis and delivery of survey results. For more information, please visit: Certified Organizations and Our Methodology.
Over 140,000 clients globally have done their due diligence on Fisher Investments and chosen to entrust us with their financial futures. We’re proud of our clients’ continued confidence in us.
Understanding Online Reviews
Fisher Investments knows that researching other people’s experiences with different service providers can be helpful in making purchasing decisions. For example, reading reviews about a hotel or restaurant you might visit. However, we’d caution against making decisions on online reviews alone, particularly when considering your money management options. The internet abounds with unverified users posting reviews of businesses (often paid by third parties to do so) or suspicious “review sites” with hidden conflicts of interest.
Here’s a list of useful tips to consider when you’re trying to sort out the facts from the noise in online reviews:
- Does the review seem like it is from a real person with actual first-hand experience?
- Does the review site verify their users by asking for an email, login, dates of experience with a service provider, etc.? Could anyone leave a review for any reason?
- Does this review cover a period of time showing the adviser throughout a market cycle, or is it simply driven by the short-term performance of the market?
- Is the review overwhelmingly biased toward one view?
Competitor Reviews
In today’s online world, many businesses try to get their websites to appear in search results for competitors in an attempt to win business. One tactic is to provide a “review” of a competitor online. However, this tactic is one-sided, often hides important information (like conflicts of interest), spreads misinformation or—at its best—is based on limited information. It also presents the opportunity to cherry-pick data that may not represent actual, real world client results.
A Holistic Approach
Fisher Investments recommends reviewing an investment professional from multiple perspectives. Along with evaluating awards and recognition, we believe asking the right questions increases the likelihood a money manager can help you meet your goals. If you trust the answers, review available customer experiences from verified sources to help evaluate the firm.
Fisher Investments believes the right fit for you is a firm that understands your goals and has experience helping similar clients with similar goals achieve success. Trusting an adviser with your nest egg is a big step. Fisher Investments recommends thinking critically and holistically about the process so you’re set up for success.
How We’re Different
Fisher Investments is one of the world’s largest independent, fee-only investment advisers. From our founding in 1979, our firm has been structured to help us put your interests first and we believe our time-tested, top-down investment approach is critical to our clients’ investing success.
We provide a tailored approach to investment management and financial planning. This starts with a comprehensive assessment of your financial situation that informs your investment strategy and considers important factors outside of your portfolio.
Fisher Investments reviews market performance and provides continuous education to clients via Investment Counselors and other resources including seminars, webinars and other communications from senior members of the firm’s investments team.
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*As of 9/30/2023
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