Awards & Recognitions
Top Retirement Plan Adviser - 2023
Kristi Baker and Kelli Davis were both named a 2023 Top Retirement Plan Adviser by PLANADVISER Magazine. Kristi Baker, Managing Partner of CSi Advisory Services qualified by Total Retirement Plans Under Advisement and Total Retirement Plan Assets Under Advisement. Kristi was also recognized within the categories of Top 401(k) Plans, Top 403(b) Plans Top SIMPLE Plans, and Women Advisers. Kelli Davis, VP of Retirement Plan Consulting at CSi Advisory Services qualified by Top Retirement Plan Assets Under Advisement. Kelli was also recognized within the categories of Top 403(b) Plans and Women Advisers.
The 2023 PLANADVISER Top Retirement Plan Advisers recognition is based solely on self-reported quantitative data about an adviser’s practice. To be included in this year’s list, advisers had to have a minimum of 50 plan clients or retirement plan assets under advisement of $400 million or more, as of year-end 2022. After meeting the minimum plan or asset count, advisers are also highlighted if they meet the following categories: have 150 or more 401(k) plan clients; have 10 or more 403(b), 457, nonqualified, DB, cash balance, SEP, SIMPLE or MEP/PEP plan clients; are female; or are younger than 40 years of age. As this recognition is based solely on quantitative figures, there is no judging or subjective measurement, and it is not indicative of any adviser’s future performance. Neither advisory firms nor their employees pay a fee in exchange for this recognition.
Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year Finalist - Closing the Coverage Gap - 2023
CSi Advisory Services, a division of HUB International was named a 2023 Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year Finalist in the Closing the Coverage Gap Category by PLANADVISER. Finalists in this category stand out for their dedication to helping more Americans, especially those who work for small businesses or who are members of underrepresented communities, save for retirement in the workplace.
The 2023 PLANADVISER Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year awards are based on a mixture of qualitative and quantitative measures, including tenure in the business, focus on retirement plan business as a percentage of practice revenue, willingness to serve in a fiduciary role to client plans, and a review of essay answers. Nominations were collected online in December 2022 through January 2023. In 2023, there were a total of 71 nominations and 30 finalists were named. Winners will be announced in May 2023. The PLANADVISER Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year awards are not indicative of the investment adviser's future performance and no adviser pays, or is paid a fee, to take part in the program.
Top DC Advisor Teams – 2017-2022
CSi Advisory Services, a division of HUB International was recognized as a 2022 NAPA Top DC Advisor Team.
Established in 2017, nominees had to be individual advisor team/offices with a defined contribution book of business, in a single physical location. To be considered, firms had to submit responses to an application form, including information about their practices, notably their defined contribution (DC) assets under advisement. The list is created and conducted by the National Association of Plan Advisors, an affiliate organization of the American Retirement Association, a non-profit association. No fee is charged to participate. This award is not indicative of the advisor’s future performance. A fee was not paid by the advisor or advisor’s parent company for this award.
Top Retirement Plan Advisers - 2022
Kristi Baker and Kelli Davis were both named a 2022 Top Retirement Plan Adviser by PLANADVISER Magazine. Kristi Baker, Managing Partner of CSi Advisory Services qualified by Total Retirement Plans Under Advisement and Total Retirement Plan Assets Under Advisement. Kristi was also recognized within the categories of Top 10 401(k) Plans, Top SIMPLE Plans, and Women Advisers. Kelli Davis, VP of Retirement Plan Consulting at CSi Advisory Services qualified by Top Retirement Plan Assets Under Advisement. Kelli was also recognized within the categories of Top 403(b) Plans and Women Advisers.
The 2022 PLANADVISER Top Retirement Plan Advisers rating recognizes the top defined contribution and defined benefit plan advisers across the U.S. in terms of assets or the number of plans under advisement, or a particular concentration of a specific retirement plan type as client (such as 403(b), 457, nonqualified, SEP, SIMPLE or cash balance plans). In 2022, 321 submissions were received to be considered for this recognition; 240 were considered eligible. Of those, 155 were named to the list. The PLANADVISER Top Retirement Plan Advisers rating, created and conducted by PLANADVISER, is not indicative of an investment adviser's future performance and no adviser pays, or is paid a fee, to take part in the program.
Five Star Wealth Manager Award – 2012 to 2022
For the 11th year in a row, Kristi Baker was named a Five Star Wealth Manager for 2022. Kelli Davis was named a Five Star Wealth Manager for 2019. The Five Star Wealth Manager Award is given annually to wealth mangers who satisfy 10 objective evaluation and eligibility criteria associated with providing excellent service.
This award was issued on 09/1/2022 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 12/27/2021 through 06/24/2022. Self-completed questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 1673 Indianapolis-area wealth managers were considered for the award; 131 (8% of candidates) were named 2022 Five Star Wealth Managers. 2021: 1716 considered, 128 winners (7%);2020: 1786 considered, 143 winners (8%); 2019: 1659 considered, 153 winners (9%); 2018: 1588 considered, 149 winners (9%);2017: 1164 considered, 182 winners (16%); 2016: 1083 considered, 332 winners (31%); 2015: 1743 considered, 348 winners(20%); 2014: 2009 considered, 360 winners (18%); 2013: 1624 considered, 413 winners (25%); 2012: 1375 considered, 387 winners (28%) Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria – required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a registered investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by FSP, the wealth manager has not; A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fi ne; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed, or denied complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP’s consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP’s consumer complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client’s experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated from a financial services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria – considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. The award is not indicative of the wealth manager’s future performance. Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients’ assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future. Visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.
Top 100 Retirement Plan Advisers – 2017, 2018, 2020 & 2021
CSi Advisory Services is pleased to announce it has been named one of the 2021 PLANADVISER Top 100 Retirement Plan Advisers.
The PLANADVISER Top 100 Retirement Plan Advisers 2021 list is compiled from responses to the PLANADVISER Retirement Plan Adviser Survey. The list is drawn solely from a set of quantitative variables and information in the survey supplied by the advisers themselves. For an adviser to be eligible for recognition in this year’s Top 100, s/he had to submit a completed entry to our 2021 Retirement Plan Adviser Survey, which was fielded this past September. The Top 100 Retirement Plan Advisers is segmented into four groups based on the number of advisers and number of total employees including support staff: individual adviser, meaning one adviser with support staff; small team, a group of two or more advisers and support staff, the total not exceeding 10; large team, a group of 11 to 35 advisers and support staff; and mega teams, 36 or more team members. To qualify for a particular segment, individuals needed to advise a minimum of 110 plans or $900 million in retirement plan AUA; small teams had to advise at least $1.8 billion in retirement plan assets or 130 plans; large teams needed $4 billion or more in retirement plan AUA or 175 or more plans; and mega teams had to oversee at least $12 billion in retirement plan AUA or 250 plans.
In 2019, 321 nominations were received, and from that 100 (31%) were named to the list. The rating is not indicative of the investment adviser's future performance; and a fee was not paid to participate in the survey. In 2018, 341 survey responses were collected for the PLANADVISER Retirement Plan Adviser Survey, from which the list is generated. Of those, 100 (29%) were named to the list. In 2017, 613 survey responses were collected for the PLANADVISER Retirement Plan Adviser Survey, from which the list is generated. Of those, 100 (16%) were named to the list.
This award is not indicative of the advisor’s future performance. A fee was not paid by the advisor or advisor’s parent company for this award.
Top Women Advisors - 2017-2021
Kristi Baker was selected by the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) as a 2021 Top Woman Advisor- Captain for the 5th year in a row.
Bri Ikerd was selected by the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) as a 2021 Top Woman Advisor- Rising Star.
Established in 2015, nominations from the list were provided by NAPA Broker-Dealer/RIA Firm Partners. Nominees had to be women, had to be retirement plan advisors with their own book of business. Nominees were required to submit responses to an application comprised of a series of quantitative and qualitative questions about their experience, size and composition of their practice, awards and recognitions, and industry contributions, which were then reviewed by a panel of senior advisor industry experts, who, based on those criteria, and following a broker-check review, selected the top women advisors. Within the group of top women advisors, those who were principals, owners or team captains of their organizations were designated as “Captains.”
The list is created and conducted by the National Association of Plan Advisors, an affiliate organization of the American Retirement Association, a non-profit association. No fee is charged to participate. The rating is not indicative of the nominee’s future performance.
In 2021, 600 nominations were received. 51 Captains, 50 All-Stars, and 34 Rising Stars were selected. In 2020, 556 nominations were received, and 258 were considered. 50 Captains, 50 All-Stars, and 25 Rising Stars were selected. In 2019, 502 nominations were received, and 209 were considered. 50 Captains, 50 All-Stars, and 19 Rising Stars were selected. In 2018, about 500 nominations were received and 221 were considered. 50 Captains, 50 All-Stars and 15 Rising Stars were selected. In 2017, 587 nominations were received and 201 were considered. 50 Captains, 50 All-Stars and 10 Rising Stars were selected.
Financial Advisor IQ Leadership Council
In November 2021, Kristi Baker and Kelli Davis were chosen to join the Financial Advisor IQ Leadership Council.
The council is a select community of advisors focused on growing their clientele and sharing input that fuels research to help professionals strengthen their practices. This new initiative is backed by FA-IQ’s advisor-focused coverage and the prestige of the FT brand. More than 300 advisors from over 40 states have joined, representing broker-dealers, independent RIAs and DC plan specialists alike.
Advisors applied to FA-IQ to join the Leadership Council. To qualify, advisors have to meet certain basic qualifications: they must manage or advise on at least $50 million in assets, have three or more years of experience as a financial advisor/broker, maintain an excellent compliance record, and express a desire to engage with industry issues. Neither the advisors nor their parent firms pay any fees to the Financial Times or its FT Specialist subsidiary in exchange for inclusion in this community.
NAPA Young Guns Top Plan Advisors Under 40 – 2016, 2018 & 2020
Kelli Davis, an independent financial advisory at CSi Advisory Services, LLC has been recognized as a 2016, 2018 and 2020 Top Retirement Plan Advisory under 40 by NAPA Net, the editorial arm of NAPA.
Nominations from the list were provided by NAPA Broker-Dealer/RIA Firm Partners. Nominees had to be retirement plan advisors with their own book of business, and had to be less than 40 years of age. Nominees are required to submit responses to an application comprised of a series of quantitative and qualitative questions about their experience, size and composition of their practice, awards and recognitions, and industry contributions, which were then reviewed by a panel of senior advisor industry experts, who, based on those criteria, and following a broker-check review, selected the top young advisors. In 2019, 684 nominations were received, and from that 292 completed an application. From that 100 winners were selected. In 2018, 588 nominations were received. 75 were ultimately selected. (born after January 1, 1977.) In 2016, 515 nominations were received. 50 were ultimately selected. (born after January 1, 1977.) This award is not indicative of the advisor’s future performance. A fee was not paid by the advisor or advisor’s parent company for this award.
WiPN Leadership Fellow
Kelli Davis has been named as a 2019 Women in Pensions Network (WiPN) Leadership Fellow. This opportunity was open to all WiPN members and winners were selected using the following criteria:
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High achiever having substantial organizational impact
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Senior level manager ready to take her career to the next level
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Advisor or TPA business owner with a proven track record of accomplishment
This award is not indicative of the advisor’s future performance. A fee was not paid by the advisor or advisor’s parent company for this award.
Top Retirement Plan Advisers – 2016 to 2019
In 2019, Kristi Baker & Kelli Davis were each individual selected as one of the Financial Times 401 Top Retirement Plan Advisers.
The Financial Times 401 Top Retirement Advisors is an independent listing produced annually by the Financial Times (October 2019). The FT 401 is based on data gathered from advisors, regulatory disclosures, and the FT’s research. The listing reflects each advisor’s status in six primary areas: DC plan assets under management (AUM), DC AUM growth rate, specialization in DC plans, years of experience, advanced industry credentials and compliance record. This honor is not indicative of the advisor’s future performance. Neither the advisors nor their parent firms pay a fee to the Financial Times in exchange for inclusion in the FT 401.
In 2018, Kristi was selected as one of the Financial Times 401 Top Retirement Advisors is an independent listing produced annually by the Financial Times (September 2018). The FT 401 is based on data gathered from advisors, regulatory disclosures, and the FT’s research. The listing reflects each advisor’s status in six primary areas: DC plan assets under management, DC plan growth rate, specialization in DC plans, years of experience, advanced industry credentials, and compliance record. Out of 678 applications; about 59% of which (401) received the award.
In 2017, Kristi was selected as one of the Financial Times 401 Top Retirement Plan Advisors is an independent listing produced annually by the Financial Times (September 2017). The FT 401 is based on data gathered from advisors, regulatory disclosures, and the FT’s research. The listing reflects each advisor’s status in seven primary areas: DC plan assets under management (AUM), DC AUM growth rate, specialization in DC plans, years of experience, advanced industry credentials, compliance record and DC plan participation rate. This honor is not indicative of the advisor’s future performance. Neither the advisors nor their parent firms pay a fee to the Financial Times in exchange for inclusion in the FT 401. For the 2017 FT 401 ranking, the FT received about 550 applications. Only advisors who complete an application can be considered for the ranking. Please also note, only advisors who meet a minimum set of criteria are invited to apply: manage at least $50 million in assets under management in DC plans (as of 12/31/16); and have DC plan assets account for at least 20% of total AUM. 401 advisors are selected to the list, which is approximately 73% of applicants.
In 2016, Kristi was selected as one of the Financial Times 401 Top Retirement Plan Advisors is an independent listing produced by the Financial Times (September 2016). To qualify as a candidate for the FT 401, an advisor must: manage at least $75 million in assets under management in DC plans; and have DC plan assets account for at least 20% of total AUM. Once an advisor applies, The Financial Times score search applicant on seven different factors to arrive at the final list. Those factors are: DC assets under management (AUM); Growth in DC plan business; Specialization in DC business; Years of experience; Industry certifications; Participation rate in DC plans; Compliance record. The FT 401 is based on data gathered from financial advisors, regulatory disclosures, and the FT’s research. The FT 401 ranking highlights the top defined contribution (DC) plan advisors across the U.S. In 2016, The Financial Times had over 540 pre-qualified advisors apply; 401 (74%) were named to the final list. This award does not evaluate the quality of services provided to clients and is not indicative of this advisor’s future performance. Neither the advisors nor their parent firms pay a fee to Financial Times in exchange for inclusion in the FT 401. The FT 401 ranking is produced by the Financial Times and Ignites Research, a subsidiary of the FT.
This award is not indicative of the advisor’s future performance. A fee was not paid by the advisor or advisor’s parent company for this award.