Awards and Rankings Disclosures

Please note: Brighton Jones is unaware of any undisclosed facts that could potentially invalidate the appropriateness of the rankings and awards listed below. By virtue of disclosing these rankings and awards, Brighton Jones is disclosing favorable ratings (to the extent that Brighton Jones is ranked above other advisors) and unfavorable ratings (to the extent that Brighton Jones is ranked below other advisors).

The rankings and/or awards listed may not be representative of any one client’s experience because of the way in which the rankings and awards are calculated. The rankings and awards are independently granted. The rankings and awards are absolutely not indicative of Brighton Jones’ future performance, or any future performance pertaining to its clients’ investments.

These rankings and awards or any other recognition by unaffiliated rating services and/or publications should not be construed as a guarantee that a client will experience a certain level of results or satisfaction if Brighton Jones is engaged, nor should it be construed as a current or past endorsement by any of its clients.

A copy of Brighton Jones’ current written disclosure statement discussing its advisory services and fees remains available upon request.

Top 100 Independent Wealth Advisors – Barron’s (2017)

Barron’s is a registered trademark of Dow Jones & Company, L.P. All rights reserved. Barron’s bases its “America’s Top 100 Independent Financial Advisors” rankings upon data provided by individual advisers and their firms, including submissions by Brighton Jones, LLC (“Brighton Jones”). Barron’s confirms that data via regulatory databases, cross-checks with securities firms and conversations with individual advisers.

The rankings reflect “the volume of assets overseen by the advisors and their teams, revenues generated for the firms and the quality of the advisors’ practices.” The scoring system assigns a top score of 100 and rates the rest by comparing them with the winner. A ranking of “N” denotes an advisor who is new to the list. The formula Barron’s uses to rank advisers is proprietary. It has three major components: assets managed, revenue produced and quality of practice. Investment returns are not a component of the rankings because an advisor’s returns are dictated largely by the risk tolerance of clients. The quality-of-practice component includes an evaluation of each advisor’s regulatory record.

Neither Brighton Jones nor any other participating advisers paid a fee to be eligible for the “America’s Top 100 Independent Financial Advisors” rankings. Barron’s does not publish, nor is Brighton Jones aware of the percentage of other advisers that received the applicable rankings.

Additional information about Barron’s “America’s Top 100 Independent Financial Advisors” is available here.

RIA Ranking – Financial Advisor (2018)

Financial Advisor’s (FA) RIA ranking is based on responses from registered investment advisors who completed an online survey. The criteria used to determine each ranking includes: year-end discretionary and non-discretionary assets under management reported on Form ADV; percent (%) growth in assets in the most recent year; average assets per client; percent (%) growth in assets per client; and percent (%) change in number of client relationships.

To be eligible for inclusion in the rankings, firms need to be independent RIAs who perform financial planning as part of their business services and must have at least fifty million dollars ($50 million) in assets under management. Brighton Jones, LLC (“Brighton Jones”) completed a survey as part of FA’s nationwide evaluation process. In addition to assets under management, the survey included topics such as services offered by the firm, fee structure, anticipated changes to the business over the coming five years, staffing and recruiting, and firm operations and strategy.

Brighton Jones did not pay FA or any other party to participate in the survey. Brighton Jones could have, but has chosen not to, pay FA for electronic use or hard copy reprints of the issued rankings. FA does not publish, nor is Brighton Jones aware of the percentage of other advisers that received the applicable rankings.

Additional information about FA’s “RIA Ranking” is available here.

FT 300: Top Registered Investment Advisers – Financial Times (2018)

Research for the award was conducted on behalf of the Financial Times by Ignites Research, a Financial Times sister publication (collectively, “FT”). An initial pool of candidates was identified by contacting broker-dealers to collect practice information and data on such broker-dealers’ top domestic investment advisers with more than $300 million in assets under management and more than 10 years of experience. By initially contacting broker-dealers, rather than advisory firms, FT attempted to obtain verified data from uninterested sources, rather than relying on self-reporting by advisers.

FT then invited approximately 2,000 qualifying firms, including Brighton Jones, LLC (“Brighton Jones”), to complete a questionnaire to provide further details on the firms’ practices. The responses to these questionnaires were then combined with internal research, including data from regulatory filings.

The criteria used to select firms for inclusion in the final ranking, and to determine each firm’s placement in the final rankings, were: (1) assets under management; (2) growth rate of assets under management; (3) firm years in existence; (4) compliance record and disciplinary history; (5) industry certifications and designations; and (6) online accessibility. Assets under management was weighted to account for approximately 70-75 percent of each adviser’s final score. FT also placed caps on the number of advisers from any particular state, distributed roughly in accordance with the distribution of millionaires across the country.

Neither Brighton Jones nor any other participating advisers paid a fee to be eligible for the Financial Times Top 300 ranking. The FT ranking is comprised of the top 300 advisors out of approximately 2,000 qualified firms and 760 responding firms.

Additional information about the methodology behind the Financial Times Top 300 ranking is available here. The full list is available here.

Governor’s Volunteer Service Award – Serve Washington (2018)

The Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards are issued by Serve Washington, the bipartisan, governor-appointed commission on national and community service. The awards are intended to recognize individual volunteers and volunteer programs through a statewide award program to highlight the importance of volunteerism and community service in the Washington State. Awards are divided into various categories, with Brighton Jones, LLC (“Brighton Jones”) receiving the award in the Employer-Based Program category, designed for corporate programs that promote and support volunteerism.

The awards for each category are selected by a panel of judges comprised of governor-appointed commission members, based on numerous factors including: the nominee’s volunteer efforts, commitment of time, accomplishments, community impact, and enhancement of the lives of others, each of which are described in each nominee’s nomination statement. To be eligible for the award, individuals and/or organizations must: be nominated; focus on volunteer services for the most recent year-end; and serve the community at large (not limited to its own members), among other factors.

Neither Brighton Jones nor any other participating advisers paid a fee to be eligible for the Governor’s Volunteer Service Award.

Additional information is available here.

Washington State’s Largest Wealth Management Firms – Puget Sound Business Journal (2018)

Research for this award was conducted by Puget Sound Business Journal Research Director, Melissa Crowe. The ranking is based on assets under management for firms located in the Washington State. Information was obtained from ADV reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, firm representatives and company websites. Information on the list was supplied by individual companies through questionnaires and was not be independently verified by the Puget Sound Business Journal. Only those that responded to inquiries or had reliable information available elsewhere were listed. In case of ties, companies are listed alphabetically.

Neither Brighton Jones nor any other participating advisers paid a fee to be eligible for the Puget Sound Business Journal‘s rankings of Washington State’s Largest Wealth Management Firms.

Additional information about Puget Sound Business Journal‘s rankings of Washington State’s Largest Wealth Management Firms and an abbreviated version of the ranking list itself is available here (full access is limited to subscribers).

Washington’s Best Workplaces – Puget Sound Business Journal (2018)

Research for the award was conducted on behalf of the Puget Sound Business Journal by research firm Quantum Workplace. Firms are nominated for the award and nominated firms are then contacted by Quantum Workplace to facilitate the completion of an employee survey. Based on the number of full-time employees, firms may be required to have a certain percentage (%) of full-time employees complete the survey in order to be considered for the ranking. In order to be eligible, firms must be at least four (4) years old, with ten (10) or more full-time employees at an office in Washington state that has also been operating for at least four (4) years.

Neither Brighton Jones nor any other participating advisers paid a fee to be eligible for the Puget Sound Business Journal‘s rankings of Washington’s Best Workplaces.

Additional information about Puget Sound Business Journal‘s rankings of Washington’s Best Workplaces is available here. An abbreviated version of the ranking list itself is available here (full access is limited to subscribers).

Top 75 Corporate Philanthropists – Puget Sound Business Journal (2018)

Research for this award was conducted by Puget Sound Business Journal Research Director, Melissa Crowe. Firms are nominated for the award, with nominees split into three categories based on revenue: small companies are those with revenue of $20 million or less, medium companies have revenue between $20 million and $500 million, and large companies have revenue exceeding $500 million.

The rankings are based on total cash giving to Washington State nonprofits. For the purposes of this ranking, cash giving includes only donations made without any commercial incentives and without benefits or advantages received by the donor company. Cash giving does not include sponsorships, table purchases, or any other contribution made in return for access to the commercial potential associated with that organization and/or event. Corporate and foundation cash giving in Washington does not include the value of in-kind gifts, sponsorships or employee contributions. The list includes both companies and company foundations, based on how each company reported its giving. Totals for statewide and companywide giving may be combined cash giving of both the company and its foundation.

Neither Brighton Jones nor any other participating advisers paid a fee to be eligible for the Puget Sound Business Journal‘s rankings of Washington’s Top Corporate Philanthropists.

Additional information about Puget Sound Business Journal‘s rankings of Top 75 Corporate Philanthropists is available here. An abbreviated version of the ranking list itself is available here.

100 Best Companies to Work For – Seattle Business (2018)

Research for the award was conducted on behalf of the Seattle Business magazine by research firm Fieldwork Webwork. Firms are self-nominated for the award and nominated firms are then contacted by Fieldwork Webwork to facilitate the completion of an employee survey. The survey ranks employees’ anonymous responses across ten (10) categories: corporate culture, executive leadership, benefits, communication, hiring/retention, performance standards, responsibility/decision-making, rewards/recognitions, training/education, and workplace environment. The scores in each category are combined to arrive at an average score, which determines a firm’s ranking. Firms are divided into categories based on number of employees and location: small firms, medium firms, large firms, and large firms headquartered outside Washington State. Quotes included in the listed rankings are actual comments from employees of the respective organizations.

Neither Brighton Jones nor any other participating advisers paid a fee to be eligible for the Seattle Business magazine’s rankings of the 100 Best Companies to Work For.

Additional information about the Seattle Business magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For and the ranking itself is available here.

Corporations for Communities – Washington Secretary of State (2017)

The Corporations for Communities awards are issued by the Washington Secretary of State, Kim Wyman. The awards are intended to recognize organizations which have demonstrated one of the following: a commitment to corporate giving, a drive to improve local and/or regional social conditions, or a culture of giving within the organization. Any nonprofit corporation, LLC, or Limited Partnership is eligible for the award.

In order to be nominated, someone must submit an application on behalf of the organization and explain within three hundred (300) words or less why the organization should be recognized. To be eligible, nominees must be registered with the Washington Secretary of State and the contribution for which they are being nominated must have impacted Washington State and/or its residents. Businesses that receive any direct monetary or political gain for their generosity, or those required by court mandate to give back to the community are not eligible for consideration. Businesses may be recognized for ongoing commitments or for single acts. Businesses must declare to be in compliance with all local and federal laws. Previous recipients of this award may be nominated and receive this award. Substantially incomplete nominations may not be considered. One person may nominate multiple businesses for this award.

Neither Brighton Jones nor any other participating advisers paid a fee to be eligible for the Corporations for Communities award.

Additional information is available here.