Frequently asked questions

An independent directory that ranks financial advisors and advisory firms city by city in six specialties, from financial planners to stockbrokers, using one published score. It is free to use and covers the United States and Canada outside Quebec. It is not an advisor and does not give investment advice.

Each firm gets an RFA Score from 0 to 100 from public signals: its Google rating and review count, how recent its reviews are, how clearly it offers the specialty, how close it is, whether it has claimed its profile and whether it shows our badge. The same weights apply in every city. The full method is on the How we rank page.

No. We do not see client accounts or returns, and nothing on this site predicts how an advisor will do for you. Reviews describe service and communication. Past results, where a firm advertises them, never guarantee future ones.

No. Paid placements are labelled Sponsored, sit in a separate block outside the ranked list, are limited to three per page and never change a score or rank. Each sponsored card shows the firm’s real rank.

Not necessarily. In the US, registered investment advisers owe clients a fiduciary duty under the Investment Advisers Act. Broker-dealer representatives must act in a retail customer’s best interest when they recommend a security (Regulation Best Interest), which is a different standard. Many people are both. Ask in writing which role applies to your account, and read the firm’s Form CRS.

In the US, search the person and the firm on Investor.gov (the SEC’s adviser search) and FINRA BrokerCheck; both are free and show registrations and any disciplinary history. To confirm a CFP® professional, use the CFP Board’s verify tool. In Canada, use the CSA National Registration Search and CIRO AdvisorReport.

Common models are a yearly percentage of the assets they manage, a flat fee for a plan, an hourly rate, a monthly or yearly retainer, and commissions on products they sell. Some combine several. A firm’s Form ADV Part 2A brochure and Form CRS describe its fees and the conflicts of interest they create.

To be ranked a firm needs a confident match to the specialty and at least 3 Google reviews or a claimed profile. We leave out banks, credit unions, insurance agencies, tax preparers and lenders unless their own listing shows they give financial advice. Firms that serve the city but are not ranked appear in the “Also serving” table.

Scores are recalculated weekly, oldest cities first. Each list shows the date it was last scored.

Yes, with our free badge. A ranking is a third-party rating under the SEC Marketing Rule, so the badge prints the rating date, the period, who calculated it and our compensation statement right under it. Your compliance team decides whether and how you use it, including any FINRA review and any disclosure of payments you made to Ranked Financial Advisors.

Find your profile and choose the claim option, or start from List your firm. A free claimed profile lets you correct your address, specialties, hours, fee structure and meeting options.

Listing and claiming are free. Pro adds photos, a website link and profile statistics for a monthly or yearly fee. Sponsored slots are priced by specialty and city size; there are three equal slots per specialty and city, rotated daily. Prices are on the List your firm page.

No. Paid status is never read by the score. The factors you can improve are your profile details, recent Google reviews collected in line with your compliance policies, and, once registration matching is live, records that match your firm’s public registration.

Claim your profile to edit it, or email hello@rankedfinancialadvisors.com with the page link and the correction. Verified fixes go live with the next weekly update.