Steward Partners Named Excellence Awardee in Five Categories in 2026 InvestmentNews Awards

, /PRNewswire/ — Steward Partners, a full-service, employee-owned, independent financial services firm celebrates being recognized as an Excellence Awardee across five categories in the 2026 InvestmentNews Awards, including:

RIA of the Year
Broker-Dealer of the Year
Most Innovative Use of Wealth Tech
Back Office Support: Compliance Team of the Year
Back Office Support: CRM & Technology Team of the Year

“Being named an Excellence Awardee in the InvestmentNews Awards, year after year, reflects the kind of firm Steward Partners has become,” said Jim Gold, Co-Founder and CEO of Steward Partners. “From our compliance team to our technology team to the firm as a whole, these nominations speak to the depth of talent we have built and the standard of excellence our partners hold themselves to every single day.”

The InvestmentNews Awards recognize the professionals, teams, and firms redefining the future of wealth management through innovation, integrity, and impact. Open to all wealth management professionals and organizations across the United States, the program identifies Excellence Awardees through a combination of nominations and independent research before forwarding submissions to an independent judging panel of industry leaders who select winners in each category.

View the full list of Excellence Awardees and winners of the 2026 InvestmentNews Awards: https://investmentnewsawards.com/2026-winners-excellence-awardees

Since its launch in 2013, Steward Partners has solidified its place as one of the industry’s fastest-growing and most influential RIA firms. The firm was recently recognized with a #9 ranking on the 2025 Barron’s Top 100 RIA Firms list, up from its #18 ranking in 2024. Additionally, Steward Partners was named a 2025 Thrivent Employer of Choice by InvestmentNews, reflecting the firm’s commitment to fostering a collaborative, partner-driven culture. Several Steward Partners advisors and teams were also honored on Forbes | SHOOK’s 2026 Best-In-State Wealth Advisors and 2026 Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams lists, underscoring the quality of client service delivered across the platform.

About Steward Partners
Representing some of the U.S.’s top advisors, Steward Partners is a full-service, employee-owned, independent financial services firm that offers wealth management solutions for families, businesses, and multigenerational investors. Established in 2013, the firm fosters a positive, transparent culture of camaraderie and excellence that has fueled its substantial growth in a highly competitive industry. With its commitment to exceptional client service and forward-thinking partnerships, the firm was ranked as the #9 RIA in the country in Barron’s Top 100 RIAs for the year 2025. Offering services such as comprehensive wealth planning, private banking, institutional consulting, and business solutions, the firm was responsible for over $50 billion in client assets as of June 2026.

To learn more about Steward Partners, visit www.stewardpartners.com.

About Barron’s Top 100 RIA Firms

2024-2025 – Source: Barrons.com. Barron’s is a registered trademark of Dow Jones & Company, L.P. All rights reserved. Participation in this ranking is by invitation only and limited to firms that meet the minimum eligibility requirements. Barron’s selected firms that manage 2% or more of the total assets of all ranking applicants. This year, that creates a threshold of $70 billion in assets. Participating firms were evaluated and ranked on a wide range of quantitative and qualitative data, including: assets overseen by the firm, revenue generated by the firm, level of technology spending, number of clients, size of staff, diversity across staff, and placement of a succession plan. The ranking may not be representative of any one client’s experience, is not an endorsement, and is not indicative of the advisor’s future performance. Neither Steward Partners nor any of its Financial Advisors pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Barron’s is not affiliated with Steward Partners.

About Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors

2026 – Source: Forbes.com – The ranking was developed by SHOOK Research and is based on in-person, virtual and telephone due diligence meetings to evaluate each advisor qualitatively, a major component of a ranking algorithm that includes: in-person, virtual and telephone due diligence meetings, client impact, industry experience, client retention, review of best practices, credentials, compliance records and firm nominations, as well as quantitative factors including assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Investment performance is not a criterion, as client objectives and risk tolerances vary and advisors rarely have audited performance reports. Rankings are based on the opinions of SHOOK Research, LLC and are not indicative of future performance or representative of any one client’s experience. Neither Steward Partners nor its Wealth Managers pay a fee to Forbes or SHOOK Research in exchange for the ranking. This ranking is based upon the period from 6/30/2024 to 6/30/2025 and published by Forbes (April 7, 2026). For more information, see www.SHOOKresearch.com.

About Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams

2026 – Source: Forbes.com (award given 1/7/2026) – ranking was developed by SHOOK Research and is based on in-person, virtual and telephone due diligence meetings to evaluate each advisor qualitatively, a major component of a ranking algorithm that includes: client retention, industry experience, review of compliance records, firm nominations; and quantitative criteria, including: assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Investment performance is not a criterion because client objectives and risk tolerances vary, and advisors rarely have audited performance reports. Rankings are based on the opinions of SHOOK Research, LLC and are not indicative of future performance or representative of any one client’s experience. Neither Steward Partners Investment Solutions, LLC nor its Wealth Managers pay a fee to Forbes or SHOOK Research in exchange for the ranking. For more information, see www.SHOOKresearch.com. Data for the award as of 3/31/2025.

About InvestmentNews Awards 2026 – Back Office Support: Compliance Team of the Year (Finalist)

About InvestmentNews Awards 2026 – Back Office Support: CRM & Technology Team of the Year (Finalist)

About InvestmentNews Awards 2026 – Broker Dealer of the Year (Finalist)

2026 – The 2026 InvestmentNews Awards methodology involves a structured, five-stage selection process: nominations, internal research, detailed submissions from finalists, independent panel evaluation, and the announcement of final winners. Stage 1 Open Nominations; Stage 2 Internal Research; Stage 3 Excellence Awardees Notified; Stage 4 Judging by independent panel of judges; Stage 5 Winners Announced. For the Broker Dealer of the Year, judges score submissions on the following core pillars: Employee value proposition (business development support, marketing support, education, training, philanthropy); Overall client service and relationship management; Unique business plan to attract and retain advisor talent (i.e. recruitment strategy); Spirit of innovation with use of wealth technology and digital platforms/tools; and Industry reputation. Steward Partners nor its affiliates paid a fee to InvestmentNews in exchange for the ranking. This award was based on data provided for the 12-month period ending 2/27/2026. Award Winners announced 6/24/2026. For more information visit: https://investmentnewsawards.com/2026-winners-excellence-awardees

About InvestmentNews Awards 2026 – Most Innovative Use of Wealth Tech (Finalist)

2026 – The 2026 InvestmentNews Awards methodology involves a structured, five-stage selection process: nominations, internal research, detailed submissions from finalists, independent panel evaluation, and the announcement of final winners. Stage 1 Open Nominations; Stage 2 Internal Research; Stage 3 Excellence Awardees Notified; Stage 4 Judging by independent panel of judges; Stage 5 Winners Announced. For the Most Innovative Use of WealthTech of the Year, is given to the advisory team, firm, office or network that has best harnessed technology and digital solutions to improve their business, aid their advisors, and leverage overall client experience over the past 12 months. Judges score submissions on the following core pillars: Overall use of digital platforms and wealth technology solutions in the past 12 months, demonstrating positive outcomes; Clear narrative demonstrating the needs identification process for implementation of the technology; Alignment of the use of the technology with the organization’s broader goals; Innovation in the types of technology used; and Evidence of return on investment and impact on staff engagement and performance. Steward Partners nor its affiliates paid a fee to InvestmentNews in exchange for the ranking. This award was based on data provided for the 12-month period ending 2/27/2026. Award Winners announced 6/24/2026. For more information visit: https://investmentnewsawards.com/2026-winners-excellence-awardees

About InvestmentNews Awards 2026 – RIA of the Year (10 Advisors or More) (Finalist)

2026 – The 2026 InvestmentNews Awards methodology involves a structured, five-stage selection process: nominations, internal research, detailed submissions from finalists, independent panel evaluation, and the announcement of final winners. Stage 1 Open Nominations; Stage 2 Internal Research; Stage 3 Excellence Awardees Notified; Stage 4 Judging by independent panel of judges; Stage 5 Winners Announced. For the RIA of the Year (10 Advisors or More), recognizes the most outstanding advisory team or office with 10 staff or more (including full-time equivalents, advisors and support staff) that has displayed excellence over the past 12 months. Judges score submissions on the following core pillars: Employee value proposition (business development support, marketing support, education, training, philanthropy); Overall client service and relationship management; Unique business plan and strategies to interact with new and existing clients; Spirit of innovation with use of wealth technology and digital platforms/tools; Industry reputation. This award was based on data provided for the 12-month period ending 2/27/2026. Award Winners announced 6/24/2026. Steward Partners nor its affiliates paid a fee to InvestmentNews in exchange for the ranking. For more information visit: https://investmentnewsawards.com/2026-winners-excellence-awardees

About InvestmentNews: Thrivent Employer of Choice

2025 – The Thrivent Employer of Choice award recognizes a multi-office advisor network, brokerage, or fund provider’s commitment to building a workplace that recognizes excellence and supports career growth for all. This award recognizes the company that has earned the reputation to be called an employer of choice within the wealth management and financial planning industry. Nominations by employees, partners, peers, and clients are welcome. Employers are selected based on objective criteria including: must have more than 50 employees within the U.S. and be in the wealth management industry, demonstrates unique employee value proposition (e.g. business development support, marketing support, education, training, philanthropy), defined workplace brand and culture to foster growth for employees, innovative approach to employee recruitment, retention, talent management, learning & development, mitigating employer-related risks, managing changes within the business (i.e. digitalization, customer expectations, compliance), and exemplary reputation within the industry. Data was compiled from 2024. Award Finalists announced June 24, 2025. Steward Partners nor its affiliates paid a fee to InvestmentNews in exchange for the ranking.

Securities are offered through Steward Partners Investment Solutions, LLC (“SPIS”), registered broker/dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services are offered through Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC (“SPIA”), an SEC-registered investment adviser. SPIS, SPIA, and Steward Partners Global Advisory, LLC are affiliates and collectively referred to as Steward Partners.

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SOURCE Steward Partners