The rules for Investment Advisor's Broker-Dealers of the Year readers' poll remained the same in our 23rd annual contest. Only producing representatives of the independent broker-dealers that appeared in our June 2013 Broker-Dealer Reference Guide were eligible to vote in online balloting on ThinkAdvisor.com from June 1, 2013 through July 1, 2013.
Each voter was vetted by Investment Advisor editorial staff to ensure compliance with the "one person, one vote" principle and that each voter was, in fact, registered with FINRA as an independent contractor registered representative of the broker-dealer for which they voted.
This year there was a total 3,917 valid votes from 50 different broker-dealers. Those BDs that received the highest average rating from their own reps were deemed Broker-Dealers of the Year in four different divisions based on the number of reps. This ensured the BDs in each division competed against similar-sized rivals.
2013 Second Place Winners
