Daley Named to 2020 Financial Times 401 Top Retirement Advisers

Multnomah Group is proud to share that our managing principal, Erik Daley, has been named to the 2020 edition of the Financial Times 401 Top Retirement Advisers (FT 401), according to a list released today by the Financial Times. This is the sixth consecutive year the firm has been included on the list.

The Financial Times and Ignites Research, the FT’s sister company, contacted large U.S. brokerages, independent advisers, and other wealth managers to identify qualified applicants. Their research partner, Broadridge Financial Solutions, provided data that helped to identify advisers specializing in serving DC plans, including 401(k) plans and other DC accounts.

Applicants were required to advise at least $75 million in DC plan assets and have at least 20% of their client assets in DC plans. The qualifying advisers completed a questionnaire about their practice, and the Financial Times added that information to their research.  The formula the FT uses to grade advisers is based on six broad factors and calculates a numeric score for each adviser.

The factors were:

  • DC assets under management (AUM). This signals experience and success in managing money in 401(k) programmes and other DC plans.
  • Growth rate in DC plan business. Measured by changes in both DC plan clients and in assets, growth is a proxy for performance, client retention and ability to draw new clients.
  • Specialization in the DC business. This is measured by what percentage of the overall assets managed by the adviser are in DC plans and how that concentration has changed.
  • Experience advising DC plans. This tracks years spent managing DC plan assets through different economic and market environments.
  • Industry certifications (CFP, AIF, etc). These show technical knowledge that is particularly important in the complicated DC plan industry.
  • Compliance record. A string of client complaints can signal potential problems.

Among the top factors in our scoring, DC plan assets accounted for roughly 60 to 65 per cent of each adviser’s score, on average. Another 14 to 20 per cent of the score derived from the growth in the adviser’s DC business (as measured in both DC assets and number of DC plans advised).  

This is the sixth annual FT 401 list, produced independently by the Financial Times in collaboration with Ignites Research.

The complete list of advisors can be viewed on the Financial Times website, available here.


Multnomah Group is a registered investment adviser, registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any information contained herein or on Multnomah Group’s website is provided for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and, unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Multnomah Group does not provide legal or tax advice.

Comment On This Article