Steward Partners Named to AdvisorHub's Inaugural 'RIA Firms to Watch in 2026' List
AdvisorHub cites Steward Partners' innovative ownership structure and strong growth momentum as drivers shaping the future of RIAs
STAMFORD, Conn., Sept. 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Steward Partners, an employee-owned independent financial services firm specializing in comprehensive wealth management solutions, has been named to AdvisorHub's inaugural RIA Firms to Watch in 2026 list. The new ranking highlights five RIAs with distinct business models, strong growth momentum, and the potential to influence the future direction of the industry.
Founded in 2013, Steward Partners has grown to oversee $43 billion in client assets by exemplifying the qualities AdvisorHub set out to recognize. The firm's progress is driven by its employee ownership model, which gives every partner a direct stake in the firm's success. Steward Partners has also advanced its growth through a measured approach to M&A and advisor succession that prioritizes cultural alignment and long-term continuity. This foundation is strengthened by sustained investment in mentorship, professional development, and transparency, all of which continue to attract and retain top advisory teams.
"This honor is a testament to the power of our model and the people who make it work," said Jim Gold, CEO of Steward Partners. "By giving every partner true ownership, we've built a culture where advisors are empowered to grow, clients come first, and long-term value is created at every level. Being recognized as a firm shaping the future of wealth management is both a milestone and a motivation to keep raising the bar."
The selection of Steward Partners as one of the first firms featured on AdvisorHub's RIA Firms to Watch list underscores the strength of its ownership structure, commitment to advisor development, and ability to sustain growth while preserving culture. It highlights the firm's role as a model for how independent RIAs can thrive in a competitive and rapidly evolving industry.
For the full list of AdvisorHub's RIAs to Watch in 2026, visit: https://www.advisorhub.com/resources/238912-2/
Since its launch in 2013, Steward Partners has solidified its place as one of the industry's fastest-growing and most influential RIA firms. The firm was recently recognized with a #9 ranking on the 2025 Barron's Top 100 RIA Firms list, up from its #18 ranking in 2024. Additionally, the firm earned a spot on Inc. 5000's list of fastest-growing private companies for the fifth time. Additionally, the firm was recently listed 28th on Financial Advisor Magazine's 2025 Top RIA and RIA Discretionary and Non-Discretionary AUM Rankings and was named as a 2025 Excellence Awardee for InvestmentNews' Thrivent Employer of Choice, as well as recognized on Washington Business Journal's 2025 Best Places to Work List and USA TODAY's Best Financial Advisory Firms 2025 list. Furthermore, in 2025 several Steward Partners advisors and teams were honored on Forbes | SHOOK's 2025 Best-In-State Next-Gen Wealth Advisors, 2025 Best-In-State Wealth Advisors and Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams lists, underscoring the firm's commitment to delivering exceptional client outcomes through collaborative, team-based service. Additionally, many advisors earned a spot on InvestmentNews' Top Financial Advisors in the USA list. These achievements reflect Steward Partners' continued momentum, client-first culture, and dedication to excellence in wealth management.
About Steward Partners
Representing some of the U.S.'s top advisors, Steward Partners is a full-service, employee-owned, independent financial services firm that offers wealth management solutions for families, businesses, and multigenerational investors. Established in 2013, the firm fosters a positive, transparent culture of camaraderie and excellence that has fueled its substantial growth in a highly competitive industry. With its commitment to exceptional client service and forward-thinking partnerships, the firm was ranked as the #18 RIA in the country in Barron's Top 100 RIAs for the year 2024. Offering services such as comprehensive wealth planning, private banking, institutional consulting, and business solutions, the firm was responsible for over $43 billion in client assets as of July 2025.
To learn more about Steward Partners, visit www.stewardpartners.com.
About AdvisorHub: RIAs to Watch in 2026
2025 - For our inaugural RIA Firms to Watch list, we spotlight firms that are thriving in this new environment. Each firm on the list has a distinct niche—and unique challenges to sustain momentum. Several firms on the list are focusing on quality over scale, preferring to pursue M&A cautiously and acquiring firms that are culture fit. Some firms are trying to build out support networks complete with to rival their larger peers. Several firms are focusing on making an advisor-first culture with profit-sharing and employee ownership. Each one of these tracts has provided the firms on the list with exceptional growth across the board, but it remains to see how each will fare in the current environment. The frenzy of M&A triggered by the pandemic has only gathered steam. Firms face stiff competition from rivals in recruiting. Also, firms face rising compliance costs, technology integration demands and margin pressure, all while meeting evolving client expectations and preserving the culture that has driven their growth. Steward Partners nor its affiliates paid a fee to AdvisorHub in exchange for the ranking. For more information, see www.AdvisorHub.com.
About Barron's Top 100 RIA Firms
Steward Partners has been recognized from 2020-2025.
Barron's is a registered trademark of Dow Jones & Company, L.P. All rights reserved.
2020 – 2023 - Source: Barrons.com. Barron's is a registered trademark of Dow Jones & Company, L.P. All rights reserved. Participation in this ranking is by invitation only and limited to firms that meet the minimum eligibility requirements. About 200 firms were nominated, with 100 being ranked. Participating firms were evaluated and ranked on a wide range of quantitative and qualitative data, including: assets overseen by the firm, revenue generated by the firm, level of technology spending, number of clients, size of staff, diversity across staff, and placement of a succession plan. The ranking may not be representative of any one client's experience, is not an endorsement, and is not indicative of the advisor's future performance. Neither Steward Partners nor any of its Financial Advisors pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Barron's is not affiliated with Steward Partners.
2024 - 2025 - Source: Barrons.com. Barron's is a registered trademark of Dow Jones & Company, L.P. All rights reserved. Participation in this ranking is by invitation only and limited to firms that meet the minimum eligibility requirements. Barron's selected firms that manage 2% or more of the total assets of all ranking applicants. This year, that creates a threshold of $70 billion in assets. Participating firms were evaluated and ranked on a wide range of quantitative and qualitative data, including: assets overseen by the firm, revenue generated by the firm, level of technology spending, number of clients, size of staff, diversity across staff, and placement of a succession plan. The ranking may not be representative of any one client's experience, is not an endorsement, and is not indicative of the advisor's future performance. Neither Steward Partners nor any of its Financial Advisors pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Barron's is not affiliated with Steward Partners.
About Inc. and the Inc. 5000
About Inc. Media
The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. For more information, visit www.inc.com.
Inc. 5000 Methodology
2025: Companies on the 2025 Inc. 5000 list are ranked according to their percentage revenue growth over three years, from 2021 to 2024. To qualify, companies must be privately held, for-profit, based in the U.S., and independent (not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies) as of December 31, 2024. Since then, some companies on the list may have gone public or been acquired. Companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2021. The minimum revenue requirement is $100,000 for 2021 and $2 million for 2024. All honorees must pass Inc.'s editorial review. Steward Partners nor its affiliates paid a fee to Inc. Magazine in exchange for the ranking.
2024: Companies on the 2024 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2020 to 2023. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2020. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2023. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2020 is $100,000; the minimum for 2023 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to four decimal places. Steward Partners nor its affiliates paid a fee to Inc. Magazine in exchange for the ranking.
2020: The 2020 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2019. The minimum revenue required for 2016 is $100,000; the minimum for 2019 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Steward Partners nor its affiliates paid a fee to Inc. Magazine in exchange for the ranking.
2019: Companies on the 2019 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2015 to 2018. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2015. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independent--not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies--as of December 31, 2018. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2015 is $100,000; the minimum for 2018 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to three decimal places. There were 12 ties on this year's Inc. 5000. Steward Partners nor its affiliates paid a fee to Inc. Magazine in exchange for the ranking.
2018: The Inc. 5000 2018 methodology ranked companies by their percentage revenue growth between 2014 and 2017. To qualify, companies needed to be founded by March 31, 2014, be U.S.-based, for-profit, and privately held and independent as of December 31, 2017. Minimum revenue for 2014 was $100,000, and for 2017, it was $2 million. Companies also underwent background checks and interviews by Inc.'s research department, with a final vetting process by the editorial team to ensure ethical standards were met. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Steward Partners nor its affiliates paid a fee to Inc. Magazine in exchange for the ranking.
About Forbes | SHOOK
Forbes Next-Gen Wealth Advisors Best-In-State
2025 - Source: Forbes.com - SHOOK considered advisors that are 40 years old or younger with a minimum 4 years as an advisor. Advisors have: built their own practices and lead their teams; joined teams and are viewed as future leadership; or a combination of both. Ranking algorithm is based on qualitative measures: telephone and in-person interviews, client retention, industry experience, credentials, review of compliance records, firm nominations; and quantitative criteria, such as: assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Investment performance is not a criterion because client objectives and risk tolerances vary, and advisors rarely have audited performance reports. Rankings are based on the opinions of SHOOK Research, LLC, and are not indicative of future performance or representative of any one client's experience. Neither Steward Partners Investment Solutions, LLC nor its Wealth Managers pay a fee to Forbes or SHOOK Research in exchange for the ranking. For more information, see www.SHOOKresearch.com.
About Forbes | SHOOK
2025 Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors
2025 - Source: Forbes.com - ranking was developed by SHOOK Research and is based on in-person, virtual and telephone due diligence meetings to evaluate each advisor qualitatively, a major component of a ranking algorithm that includes: client retention, industry experience, review of compliance records, firm nominations; and quantitative criteria, including: assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Investment performance is not a criterion because client objectives and risk tolerances vary, and advisors rarely have audited performance reports. Rankings are based on the opinions of SHOOK Research, LLC and are not indicative of future performance or representative of any one client's experience. Neither Steward Partners Investment Solutions, LLC nor its Wealth Managers pay a fee to Forbes or SHOOK Research in exchange for the ranking. For more information, see www.SHOOKresearch.com.
About Forbes | SHOOK
2025 Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams
2025 - Source: Forbes.com -ranking was developed by SHOOK Research and is based on in-person, virtual and telephone due diligence meetings to evaluate each advisor qualitatively, a major component of a ranking algorithm that includes: client retention, industry experience, review of compliance records, firm nominations; and quantitative criteria, including: assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Investment performance is not a criterion because client objectives and risk tolerances vary, and advisors rarely have audited performance reports. Rankings are based on the opinions of SHOOK Research, LLC and are not indicative of future performance or representative of any one client's experience. Neither Steward Partners Investment Solutions, LLC nor its Wealth Managers pay a fee to Forbes or SHOOK Research in exchange for the ranking. For more information, see www.SHOOKresearch.com.
About Financial Advisor Magazine's 2025 Top RIA and RIA Discretionary and Non-Discretionary AUM Rankings
The Financial Advisor Magazine 2025 RIA Ranking recognizes independent registered investment advisory firms that demonstrate growth, scale, and consistent service delivery across a range of metrics. Rankings are based on year-end data collected through a voluntary survey, focusing on firm size, service offerings, and operational trends. Key indicators include increases in discretionary and nondiscretionary assets under management, client relationships, and assets under advisement not captured on a firm's ADV. Additional factors such as staffing levels, multi-custodial capabilities, and business model evolution also inform the ranking. Steward Partners nor its affiliates paid a fee to Washington Business Journal in exchange for the ranking.
About the Washington Business Journal's Best Places to Work
The Washington Business Journal's Best Places to Work program honors the top employers in the Greater Washington area that are creating exceptional workplace cultures. Rankings are determined exclusively by employee feedback gathered through an independent survey conducted by Quantum Market Research. The survey measures employee engagement and satisfaction across key areas such as leadership, culture, communication, and benefits. Companies that make the list are recognized for their ability to foster a work environment where people feel valued, supported, and motivated to succeed. This award is not awarded based on investment advisory services rendered. This ranking is not indicative of any advisor's future performance, is not an endorsement, and may not be representative of individual clients' experience. Steward Partners nor its affiliates paid a fee to Washington Business Journal in exchange for the ranking.
About USA Today and Statista Best Financial Advisory Firms
2025 - USA Today and Statista selected the Best Financial Advisory Firms in 2025 based on two dimensions: recommendations by clients and peers and a firm's growth of Assets under Management (AUM). The recommendations were collected via an independent survey sent to over 30,000 individuals. The development of AUM was analyzed in both the short- and long-term based on publicly available data (Short-term AUM development was calculated over a twelve-month period from January 2024 to January 2025, while long-term development spanned a five-year period from 2020 to 2025). In the consideration for the top 500 RIA firms, recommendations had a weight of 20% while the development of AUM had a weight of 80% (short-term and long-term growth were weighted 30/70) to derive the final score. Steward Partners nor its affiliates paid a fee to USA Today or Statista in exchange for the ranking.
About InvestmentNews' Top Financial Advisors in the USA
2025 - To compile the second annual Top Advisors list, InvestmentNews first solicited nominations from advisors, industry professionals, and clients. Only advisors nominated were eligible for the list. All information on the nominees had to be verified by their compliance team before it could be accepted. The final list was determined based on each advisor's weighted ranking in overall AUM, AUM growth, and client growth (between August 2023 and August 2024). The InvestmentNews team assigned a ranking to each advisor in each category and then calculated a combined score to determine the advisor's final placement on the 2025 Top Advisors list. Steward Partners, its affiliates, nor its Wealth Managers pay a fee to InvestmentNews in exchange for the ranking.
Securities are offered through Steward Partners Investment Solutions, LLC ("SPIS"), registered broker/dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services are offered through Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC ("SPIA"), an SEC-registered investment adviser. SPIS, SPIA, and Steward Partners Global Advisory, LLC are affiliates and collectively referred to as Steward Partners.
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