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Long dominated by older professionals, the wealth management industry now faces a looming succession crisis. The average age of financial advisors in 2025 remains near 56 and research from Cerulli Associates reveals that nearly 40% of advisors are poised to retire within the next ten years. Yet there is cause for optimism as new talent continues to enter the industry: Last year, 57% of new CFP certificants were under 35, accompanied by record gains in gender and ethnic diversity. Enter this year’s Forbes | SHOOK list of Top Next-Gen Advisors Best-In-State, which spotlights emerging professionals from around the country, all of whom were born in 1986 or later.
Data provided by SHOOK® Research, LLC. Data as of 3/31/25. Forbes America’s Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors 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 the ranking algorithm that includes: client impact, industry experience, credentials, review of compliance records, firm nominations; and quantitative criteria, such as: assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. SHOOK considered advisors born in 1986 or later with a minimum 4 years as an advisor. Advisors have: built their own practices and lead their teams; joined teams and are viewed as future leadership; or a combination of both. Investment performance is not a criterion because client objectives and risk tolerances vary, and advisors rarely have audited performance reports. SHOOK’s research and rankings provide opinions intended to help investors choose the right financial advisor and are not indicative of future performance or representative of any one client’s experience. Past performance is not an indication of future results. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK Research receive compensation in exchange for placement on the ranking. For more information, please see www.SHOOKresearch.com. SHOOK is a registered trademark of SHOOK Research, LLC.
