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Awards Disclosures

General Disclosure 

*Please Note: Limitations. Neither rankings nor recognitions by unaffiliated rating services, publications, media, or other organizations,  nor the achievement of any professional designation, certification, degree, or license, membership in any professional organization, or any amount of prior experience or success, should be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that the client will experience a certain level of results if the investment professional or Halpern Financial, Inc. is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. No compensation was paid, directly or indirectly, by either the investment professional or Halpern Financial, Inc to receive, use or post the ranking. The ranking is based upon specific criteria and methodology (see ranking criteria/methodology). No ranking or recognition should be construed as an endorsement by any past or current client of the investment professional or the Halpern Financial, Inc. ANY QUESTIONS: Halpern Financial, Inc’s Chief Compliance Officer, Melissa Sotudeh, remains available to address any questions regarding rankings and/or recognitions, including the criteria used for any reflected ranking.

Awards, rankings, and other forms of recognition are not indicative of Halpern Financials' or its advisors’ future performance.

  • Washingtonian - Top Wealth Adviser Hall of Fame 2023 - Washingtonian began publishing a Top Financial Advisers list in 2009. Each time, hundreds of financial professionals are surveyed in the region and industry experts are consulted, asking them whom they’d trust with their own money. Those recommended the most make the roster. What follows are more than 100 financial advisers, tax accountants, insurance professionals, and estate attorneys who have repeatedly been named a top wealth adviser in our pages. These professionals—all still practicing—have been on a Top Financial Advisers list at least eight of the past 14 years, including three of the most recent five. Click here for more information on Washingtonian's Top Wealth Adviser Hall of Fame Award.
  • Wealthmanagement.com - 2022 - RIA Edge 100 list - The list was developed by the Wealth Management IQ team in partnership with Discovery Data. Analyzing the ADVs of all SEC-registered investment advisors, WMIQ and Discovery looked at AUM growth, ratio of employees to clients, ratio of advisors to clients, percentage of advisors with CFP certification and average client account size. Qualifying firms were limited to those that provide financial planning services, have high-net-worth individuals as more than half of their client base and manage at least $250 million in assets as of June 30, 2022.The methodology and weighting were intended to give a clear picture of firm growth as it relates to client service. RIA Edge 100 firms are those with the most impressive growth rates combined with the best client ratios and most CFP certifications. Click here for more information on Wealthmanagement.com's RIA Edge 100 list.
  • Washingtonian – 2018, 2021, 2022 – To arrive at the names of the area’s 375 top financial advisers—the fee-only financial planners, fee-based advisers, estate attorneys, tax accountants, and insurance advisers marked with a “Top Financial Advisor” tag—we distributed surveys to hundreds of people who work in the local financial industry. We asked them whom they would trust with their own money. We also did our own research, consulting industry experts and publications. The “Top Financial Advisor” names on this list are the people who received the strongest recommendations. Most of the 375 “Top Financial Advisors” are at smaller, independent firms. There was no charge to be included on this list. Click here for more information from Washingtonian Magazine.
  • Financial Times – Top 300 RIAs 2019, 2020 – The Financial Times 300 Top Registered Investment Advisers is an independent listing produced annually by Ignites Research, a division of Money-Media, Inc., on behalf of the Financial Times (July 2020). The FT 300 is based on data gathered from RIA firms, regulatory disclosures, and the FT’s research. The listing reflected each practice’s performance in six primary areas: assets under management, asset growth, compliance record, years in existence, credentials and online accessibility. Over 750 qualified firms applied for the award, 300 of which were selected (40%). This award does not evaluate the quality of services provided to clients and is not indicative of the practice’s future performance. Neither the RIA firms nor their employees pay a fee to The Financial Times in exchange for inclusion in the FT 300. Click here for more information on this award from Financial Times.
  • NorthernVirginia Magazine - 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 - To compile the Top Financial Professionals listing, we sent surveys to all Northern Virginia financial professionals, asking them to recommend other financial professionals whom they would refer to friends and family. Those on the listing received the most nominations. Although some Top Financial Professionals winners choose to advertise in the magazine, they cannot pay to be included on the list. This listing and the advertising section are separate entities. Click here for more information on this award from NorthernVirginia Magazine.
  • Financial Advisor Magazine - 2019-2023 Top Registered Investment Advisor – Survey Methodology: to be eligible, firms must be independent registered investment advisors and file their own ADV statement with the SEC, and provide financial planning and related services to individual clients. Firms complete and submit a survey on their firm’s behalf and each is represented in the final survey ranking. The annual ranking is based on the previous year’s assets for discretionary and nondiscretionary assets reported on Form ADV.
  • Washington Business Journal - 2021, 2022, 2023 - Firms applied for consideration, and the Washington Business Journal evaluated them based on a survey of quantitative factors such as AUM and number of employees, as well as qualitative information about the firms' services. 
  • Advisory HQ - 2018-2021 Best Financial Advisors in the Tri-State Area – To generate a more reflective ranking of the best rated financial advisory and wealth management firms, AdvisoryHQ went beyond just analyzing AUM, revenue, and the size of an advisory firm. AdvisoryHQ developed a breakthrough “Top-Down Advisor Selection Methodology” that is based on a wide range of filters including fiduciary duty, independence, transparency, level of customized service, history of innovation, fee structure, quality of services provided, team excellence, and wealth of experience. Please click here for a detailed review of AdvisoryHQ’s selection methodologies.
  • Investor.com - 2022 Top 100 Financial Advisor Firms in Maryland. Investor.com enables Americans to quickly research and compare the backgrounds of more than 650,000 individuals and 17,000 Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) from across the country. The 100 best firms, with at least one office in Maryland, were selected using our rigorous Trust Algorithm, which sorts through more than 28 million data points from the SEC and FINRA. Our analysis contains data as of November 16, 2022, and the specific qualifiers for the Top Financial Advisor Firms (RIAs) in Maryland are as followed: must be Trusted by investor.com. and must have an office location in Maryland.  Please click here for a detailed review of investor.com selection methodologies.
  • AdvisorHub- 2023 - The 2023 AdvisorHub “Advisors to Watch” award was announced in June 2023. Data as of 12/31/2021 and 12/31/2022 was provided and considered for this award. The ranking recognizes advisors across the country for their quality of practice, professionalism, character and community involvement. Criteria considered included: assets under management, production/revenue, team size and more. The financial advisor does not pay a fee to be considered for or to receive this award. This award does not evaluate the quality of services provided to clients. This is not indicative of this financial advisor’s future performance.
  • Five Star Professional - 2023 - Five Star Wealth Managers are selected using an in-depth research methodology that includes ten objective criteria. Five Star Professional’s independent research team evaluates candidates from across major markets annually. Award winners must demonstrate a nonwavering commitment to clients and strong industry credentials, and are evaluated on the quality of their practice. Please click here for a detailed review of Five Star's selection methodology.
  • RIA Edge 100 - 2023 - The list was developed by the Wealth Management IQ team in partnership with Discovery Data. Analyzing the ADVs of all SEC-registered investment advisors, WMIQ and Discovery looked at AUM growth, ratio of employees to clients, ratio of advisors to clients, percentage of advisors with CFP certification and average client account size. Qualifying firms were limited to those that provide financial planning services, have high-net-worth individuals as more than half of their client base and manage at least $250 million in assets as of June 30, 2022.  Please click here for a detailed review of RIA Edge's selection methodology.
  • InvestmentNews 2023 Hot List - 2023 - Wealth professionals from across the country were invited to nominate their most exceptional leaders for the inaugural Hot List. After receiving hundreds of nominations, InvestmentNews narrowed the list down to 100 movers and shakers whose contributions have helped shape the wealth industry over the past 12 months. From innovators at the forefront of change to leaders who are transforming the way the industry does business, this year’s Hot List represents the best the industry has to offer. Please click here for a detailed review of InvestmentNews methodology.


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