Barron’s announces its inaugural Top 50 Financial Advisers in Australia rankings in partnership with The Australian
(Sydney, July 24, 2017) Barron’s today announced its inaugural ranking of the Top 50 Financial Advisers in Australia, marking the first time the list has been published outside of the U.S., in partnership with The Australian. Scott Carmichael from Escala Partners was named as the leading Australian Financial Adviser with Will Hamilton from Hamilton Wealth Management and Marc Smith from BT Advice also ranked in the top 3.
Published in The Australian’s business magazine, The Deal, the ranking represents an effort to bring further accountability and transparency to the Australian advisory market. The winning adviser was selected by an independent advisory board comprised of asset managers, consultants and executives at banks and independent advisory firms.
“2017 marks the first year of Barron’s Top 50 Financial Advisers ranking in Australia,” said Sterling Shea, Head of Wealth Management Programs for Barron’s. “The wealth management industry globally is entering into a period of rapid evolution and disruption. As a whole, clients are seeking advisers who represent a higher degree of alignment with their interests. Australia has a vibrant advisory community and our intent with this ranking is to shine a light on best practices and transparency in this growing market.”
Australia’s Top 5 Financial Advisers
| Rank | Name | Firm | Location | Years of planning experience | Minimum account size | Size of team | Funds under advisement |
| 1 | Scott Carmichael | Escala Partners | Melbourne | 19 | $1 million | 4 | $900 million |
| 2 | Will Hamilton | Hamilton Wealth Management | Glen Iris, VIC | 32 | $1.5 million | 7 | $400 million |
| 3 | Marc Smith | BT Advice | Brisbane | 18 | $1 milion | 8 | $375 million |
| 4 | Thomas Murphy | Escala Partners | Sydney | 17 | $5 million | 9 | $1.1 billion |
| 5 | Phillip Gillard | Shadforth Financial Group | Sydney | 21 | No minimum | 1 | $297 million |
Barron’s has been rating the top financial advisers in America since 2004, with the U.S. rankings considered as a powerful industry bellwether. Its overall goal in publishing these rankings is to shine a spotlight on the best advisers with an eye towards raising the standards in the industry. This year marks the first time the ranking comes to Australia and it will be looking to replicate this effort in other markets globally.
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 adviser’s returns are dictated largely by the risk tolerance of clients. The quality-of-practice component includes an evaluation of each adviser’s regulatory record. The rankings are based on data provided by individual advisers and their firms. Adviser data is confirmed via regulatory databases, cross-checks with securities firms and conversations with individual advisers.
“The goal of this ranking is to recognize the wealth advisory excellence in the Australian market and bring attention to those advisers whose skill, passion and commitment consistently deliver positive outcomes for their clients. The tremendous level of passion, acumen and expertise they represent is deserving of more recognition,” added Mr. Shea.
The full list is available here.
