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These days , it takes a village to manage your financial world . Whether it is managing your assets with a wealth manager , navigating the ever-changing tax landscape , sorting out your estate and succession planning or picking the right life insurance , finding the right team can be a daunting task . In fact , many consumers have a hard time figuring out where to even begin .

Sometimes , a few simple questions can put you off on the right path . Asking a professional what makes working with them a unique experience can help you understand how they work and if their style meshes with your own .

This is a great place to start ! Five Star Professional uses its own proprietary research methodology to name outstanding professionals , then works with publications such as Rhode Island Monthly to spread the word about award winners . Each award candidate undergoes a thorough research process ( detailed here ) before being considered for the final list of award winners . For the complete list of winners , go to www . fivestarprofessional . com .

RESEARCH DISCLOSURES

In order to consider a broad population of high-quality wealth managers and investment professionals , award candidates are identified by one of three sources : firm nomination , peer nomination or prequalification based on industry standing . Self-nominations are not accepted . Rhode Island award candidates were identified using internal and external research data . Candidates do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final lists of Five Star Wealth Managers or Five Star Investment Professionals .

• The Five Star award is not indicative of a professional ’ s future performance .

• Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients ’ assets .

• The inclusion of a professional on the Five Star Wealth Manager list or the Five Star Investment Professional list should not be construed as an endorsement of the professional by Five Star Professional or Rhode Island Monthly .

• Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager , Five Star Investment Professional or any professional is no guarantee as to future investment success , nor is there any guarantee that the selected professionals will be awarded this accomplishment by Five Star Professional in the future .

• Five Star Professional is not an advisory firm and the content of this article should not be considered financial advice . For more information on the Five Star Wealth Manager or Five Star Investment Professional award programs , research and selection criteria , go to fivestarprofessional . com / research .

FIVE STAR WEALTH MANAGER

DETERMINATION OF AWARD WINNERS CRITERIA

Award candidates who satisfied 10 objective eligibility and evaluation criteria were named 2021 Five Star Wealth Managers . Eligibility Criteria – Required : 1 . Credentialed as a registered investment adviser or a registered investment adviser representative . 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 . Fulfilled their firm review based on internal firm standards . 5 . Accepting new clients . Evaluation Criteria – Considered : 6 . Oneyear client retention rate . 7 . Five-year client retention rate . 8 . Non-institutional discretionary and / or non-discretionary client assets administered . 9 . Number of client households served . 10 . Education and professional designations . 624 award candidates in the Rhode Island-area were considered for the Five Star Wealth Manager award . 151 ( approximately 24 % of the award candidates ) were named 2021 Five Star Wealth Managers .

FIVE STAR INVESTMENT PROFESSIONAL

DETERMINATION OF AWARD WINNERS CRITERIA

The investment professional award goes to estate planning attorneys , insurance agents and select others in the financial industry . Eligibility Criteria – Required : 1 . Credentialed with appropriate state or industry licensures . 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 . Accepting new clients . Evaluation Criteria – Considered : 5 . One-year client retention rate . 6 . Five-year client retention rate . 7 . Number of client households served . 8 . Recent personal production and performance ( industry specific criteria ). 9 . Education and professional designations / industry and board certifications . 10 . Pro Bono and community service work . This year , we honored 2 Rhode Island-area investment professionals with the Five Star Investment Professional award .

All award winners are listed in this publication .

LEARN MORE AT FIVESTARPROFESSIONAL . COM — FS-2