Steve Cassaday receives multiple honors from Barron’s
World-renowned investment publication Barron’s, which is operated by Dow Jones, has ranked alumnus Stephan Cassaday ’76, president and chief executive officer of Cassaday & Company, Inc., the top financial advisor in the state of Virginia on its annual ‘Top 1,200 Financial Advisors: State by State’ list. This is the fourth time in the last five years Cassaday has been honored with the top spot on the ‘State by State’ list, Barron’s largest and most comprehensive ranking that evaluates not only independent advisors but advisors from Wall Street firms as well. Cassaday also received the top ranking in 2014, 2016 and 2017.
Barron’s ‘Top 1,200 Financial Advisors: State by State’ 2018 rankings are based on data provided by more than 4,000 financial advisors nationwide. Advisor evaluations are based on: assets under management, revenue produced for the firm, regulatory record, quality of practice and philanthropic work.
“To be recognized by an industry leader like Barron’s is a testament to the entire Cassaday & Company, Inc. team and their dedication to our clients,” said Cassaday. “Being a fiduciary was our focus before it was an industry buzz word or legal obligation – it’s why we abandoned the traditional Wall Street model and went independent in 1993. We wanted to be able to provide investors with objective, unbiased and impartial advice with no economic incentive to recommend or push particular investments or strategies. We are grateful that our clients recognize our firm’s distinguishing factors and are honored they continue to place their trust in us,” said Cassaday.
Cassaday has also been named to Barron’s ‘2018 Top 100 Financial Advisors’ list. This marks the third consecutive year Cassaday has appeared on the publication’s ‘Top 100’ list, debuting in 2016 at #63 and ranking #47 in 2017.
The ‘2018 Top 100 Financial Advisors’ ranking spotlights advisors at large brokerage firms as well as independent advisory practices. While the formula Barron’s uses to rank advisors is proprietary, there are three major components: assets managed, revenue produced and quality of practice. Barron’s scoring system assigns a top score of 100 and rates the rest by comparing them with the top-ranked advisor. The quality-of-practice component includes an evaluation of each advisor's regulatory record.
“My goal when starting an independent practice nearly 25 years ago has always been to provide clients with the personalized attention of a boutique firm, but to operate at a level consistent with that of a much larger firm,” said Cassaday. “To be ranked in the top third of all advisory firms – not just independents – is an honor because it signals to me that we are staying true to our commitment to providing personalized, top-notch service to our clients. Our success would not be possible without their trust, nor would it be achievable without our highly trained and passionate employees.”
Cassaday created the firm in 1993 to provide objective guidance to investors seeking advice on their financial situations. Today, the firm has grown to more than $2.7 billion in assets under management, serving 1,900 households across the country.