Awards and Accolades
DALBAR Certification
Meridian is excited to announce that our new partners from HJ Wealth Management has earned the 2017 DALBAR CERTIFICATION ADVISER AWARD for the second consecutive year in a row. In order to earn the certification, we underwent an in-depth evaluation and an assessment of the alignment of our contract and services.
The due diligence is consistent with the guidelines provided by the Unites States Department of Labor for Advisers operating under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA) Section 3(38) and associated regulations.
A Retirement Plan Adviser that has earned the DALBAR Certification provides Individuals, Trustees and Fiduciaries the following benefits:
Independently affirms that our investment process follows a prudent process using generally accepted investment theory and has received high ratings in investment quality and investor success.
Gives comfort that the Adviser has been independently examined, deemed/found to be qualified, and has the written obligation to act in you and your employee’s best interest in a fiduciary capacity.
Allows Trustees and Fiduciaries of a Retirement Plan to use our credentials to comply with the regulation that require fiduciaries to prudently select and monitor all investments used. Rather than conducting their own investigation, they can rely on our credentials which have been independently prepared by a recognized expert.
Confirms that if an Adviser explicitly states in writing that they are serving as the investment fiduciary then any liability for investment losses is transferred from Plan Sponsor to Adviser.
Independently affirms that we have been highly effective in delivering the most important measures of an investment manager in areas of Trust, Performance, Advice and Service.
If you would like us to perform a fiduciary review of your Plan and or would like a full copy of the DALBAR report, feel free to email a request to Brian Kohute at bkohute@meridianwealthpartners.com.
Financial Times 300 Award
Meridian’s new partners were also named to the FINANCIAL TIMES 300 TOP REGISTERED INVESTMENT ADVISERS, as of June 16, 2016. The list recognizes top independent RIA firms from across the U.S.
This is the second annual FT 300 list, produced independently by the FT in collaboration with Ignites Research, a subsidiary of the FT that provides business intelligence on the investment management industry. More than 2,000 elite RIA firms were invited to apply for consideration, based on their assets under management (AUM). The 630 RIA firms that applied were then graded six criteria: AUM; AUM growth rate; years in existence; advanced industry credentials; online accessibility; and compliance records.
The Philadelphia 5 Star Award
Meridian Wealth Partners advisor have been selected as 5 Star Professionals for the 2020 award year published on November 1st 2020. Philadelphia magazine and Five Star Professional partnered to find wealth managers who satisfy 10 objective eligibility and evaluation criteria. Eligibility are based on credential, active employment for a minimum of 5 years, favorable regulatory and complaint history review, fulfillment of firm review based on internal firm standards and acceptance of new clients. Advisors were evaluated on: one year client retention rate, five year client retention rate, non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered, number of client household served and education and professional designations. Among many distinguishing attributes, the average one-year client retention rate for this year’s award winners is more than 96 percent.
In order to consider a broad population of high-quality wealth managers, award candidates are identified by one of three sources: firm nomination, peer nomination or pre-qualification based on industry standing. Self-nominations are not accepted. Philadelphia award candidates were identified using internal and external research data.
