For the 13th annual ranking of CPA firms by assets under management, Accounting Today received submissions from over 200 firms. Such a large number of firms means, among other things, wide diversity in practice structure and in the information submitted.

• In most cases, firm names are those of the financial planning subsidiary, not the affiliated CPA firm.
• Firms have reported either their overall chief executive, or the leader of the planning practice. For simplicity’s sake, we have listed both under “chief executive,” though many bear different titles. In cases where a leader was not identified, we identified the leader of the planning practice from public sources (usually the firm’s website).
• Many firms gave a date for the AUM figure they submitted; these varied widely, from the date of submission to a recent quarter-end, but in no case was it earlier than year-end 2018.
• In cases where a planning firm is a subsidiary or affiliate of a larger CPA firm, reporting practice varies: Some report staff and office figures for just the subsidiary, some just for the overall CPA firm, and some for both. In cases where we had a choice, we published figures from just the planning subsidiary. In addition, while most of the chief executives listed lead the planning practice, in some cases firms reported the managing partner of the larger CPA firm.

Ones to Watch

In addition to this year’s Wealth Magnets (click the “View Table” link below), the 2019 survey turned up a number of firms that are right on the edge of joining the list of top firms by AUM, the 2019 Ones to Watch:

• Klane Wealth Management (Minneapolis)
• S.C. Thomas Associates (Medina, Ohio)
• Mark L. Westerman CPA (Victoria, Texas)
• Poinciana Advisors Group (Palm Beach, Fla.)
• Riverstone Asset Management (Louisville, Ky.)
• Steele Financial Services (Bellingham, Wash.)
• BST Wealth Management (Albany, N.Y.)
• Strategic Investment Advisors (Cape Girardeau, Mo.)
• Peak Investment Solutions (Roseville, Calif.)
• Edelstein Wealth Management (Boston)