How RIAs Can Enter 2026 Best RIAs to Work For

The Best RIAs to Work For program is open for entries. SEC-registered RIAs with at least 10 U.S. employees can enter by having staff complete the program’s online survey, and recognized firms will be announced this fall.

To be eligible, a firm must be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, have a physical facility in the United States and have been in business for at least one year. Both for-profit and not-for-profit advisory firms may participate.

Firms must employ at least 10 full-time or part-time staff working in the United States. Entry into the list is determined by employee responses to the survey rather than employer-submitted materials.

Individual employees must finish their questionnaires by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Aug. 28, 2026, for their employer to be considered. Firms should register on the program’s website and encourage staff to complete the survey before the deadline.

The program organizer runs a separate Best Workplaces in Money Management survey for firms operating in investment management; that survey is not part of the RIA program and requires its own participation.

Last year’s program produced a ranked list of firms and identified top workplaces across the advisory industry. Firms have about three months from the announcement to register and mobilize employee participation ahead of the late-August cutoff.