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Wealth Management Insights from America's Best Financial Advisors

By R.J. Shook
Foreword by James P. Gorman, Merrill Lynch Global Private Client Group
...with an intro by Peter Jones, President, Franklin Templeton Distributors

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Acclaim for The Winner's Circle

"The Winner's Circle serves as a reminder that there are many financial professionals out there doing great work on behalf of their clients. We are pleased to see a book that, by sharing numerous examples, promotes some of the industry's best practices."
Tom Matthews, President and CEO--Private Client Group
Smith Barney

"Our industry is lucky to have the superb professionals profiled here, and we're lucky to have R.J. Shook to chronicle their excellence. He raises the bar for all of us."
Dan Sontag, SVP, Advisory Division
Merrill Lynch

"Shook's Winner's Circle is the official gateway to the industry's most elite wealth advisors - and a roadmap to those who aspire to join its ranks." Mark Goldberg CEO Royal Alliance "An excellent resource for Wealth Advisors who want to provide the highest quality advice and service."
James W. Brinkley, Chairman
Legg Mason Wood Walker, Inc.

"Any advisor that cares about doing the best job possible for their clients should read this book."
Jim Donley, President, Private Client Group
Wachovia Securities


The Winner's Circle III:
How 30 Financial Advisors Became the Best in the Business


By R.J. Shook
Foreword by Launny Steffens

More Information


"A one-of-a-kind resource based on insights from America's top advisors...Shook shares these ideas and strategies in a practical, useful and enjoyable format."
Jim Putnam, Managing Director
National Sales LPL Financial Services

"The Winner's Circle gives readers an up-close look at the best practices of some of the most successful advisors in the business."
Brian Heath, General Manager
American Express Financial Advisors

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Information about The Winner's Circle

World-class advice from the best financial advisors in the business to investors and financial professionals

Wealth management is a burgeoning field that is rapidly evolving. One thing is for sure: there is not one right approach. Just as there are many types of investors-ranging from a multitude of demographics to complex situations-there are a myriad of approaches. Who's to say which approach is correct? The answer lies in each investor's ability to reach his or her needs, goals, objectives, and dreams.

The Winner's Circle is designed to document the best practices of the industry's most outstanding wealth advisors. Each has developed their own techniques that they have fine-tuned for their particular clients. Because these advisors tend to focus on the "right" clients-that is, those investors for whom their practice caters-they have developed their team of specialists, systems and investment strategies to tailor to their particular client types.

Industry professionals will gain valuable insight into the most successful wealth management teams in the industry. For these professionals, I recommend picking and choosing those techniques that are right for you and your practice. You'll also benefit from learning best practices from the best in the business, from prospecting different demographics and building a referral system among a clientele to building a world-class team and offering superior advice and service.

Investors have the opportunity to learn wealth management techniques that are typically reserved for elite investors. If you are working with a wealth advisor, compare the levels of advice and service the team is providing you with these outstanding advisors, and obtain valuable ideas that you can share with the team that is serving you.

Each of the wealth advisors in this book is a dedicated professional who is well qualified to serve as a role model to others in the investment field. I hope that many existing and future advisors will pattern themselves after one or more of the people profiled in this book. If so, my writing will have made a valuable contribution to the investment community around the world.

Featured in annual Barron's Magazine cover stories, the Winner's Circle book series reveal wealth management insights from America's best wealth advisors. Typically reserved for elite and institutional investors these advisors share wealth management secrets and investing strategies that these advisors recommend to their clients.

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From the Publisher

A team of America's most successful financial advisors offer their advice to private investors and financial professionals in this insightful guide. These advisors, who typically reserve their advice for elite and institutional investors, share their private wealth management and investing strategy secrets, including how they provide extraordinary advice and service, how they have built their businesses, which direction their businesses are taking for the future, and how they have set themselves apart from the vast majority of Wall Street professionals. Providing ideas and guidance for a variety of financial situations, this guide is an answer to securing prosperity for the future.

R. J. Shook is the author of eight books, including The Winner's Circle: How 30 Financial Advisors Became the Best in the Business and The Winner's Circle II: How Ten Stockbrokers Became the Best in the Business, and the web site, www.winnerscirclenet.com. He is the founder of the Winner's Circle, an organization dedicated to recognizing the most outstanding financial advisors in the business. He lives in Boca Raton, Florida.

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Contents of Book

Since I've written the first two Winner's Circle books, I've had the opportunity to speak at hundreds of industry engagements, ranging from training classes and incentive trips to seminars and conferences. After talking individually to thousands of brokers, I decided to change the format of my third edition of The Winner's Circle. First, instead of ten, I profiled 30 financial advisors in order to provide broader perspectives. Second, I segmented the book thematically by dividing the book into 14 sections, with each financial advisor profiled in at least one chapter within one or more sections. Hence, each individual appears in a section that best represents his or her strengths. The obvious benefit of organizing the book in this format is that a reader who is interested in becoming more involved in his or her community, for example, will find Deborah Frazier's approach to building a book of business to be of particular interest. This Merrill broker began her career by educating and offering financial advice to lower-income families and church groups. Proving Greenberg's theory, in what seems to defy logic, Frazier became successful by giving to the community first. Following are The Winner's Circle sections.

      1. Team building
      2. Building a fee-based business
      3. Prospecting and Marketing
      4. Wealth Management
      5. Going Independent
      6. Building Relationships and Loyalty
      7. Customer Service
      8. Building a Billion Dollar Book
      9. Getting to the Next Level
      10. Investment Philosophies
      11. Differentiation
      12. Corporate Plan Business
      13. Community Involvement
      14. Building a Brand

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Criteria for Financial Advisors

In searching for America's most successful financial advisors, I developed a system deemed fair and suitable by the industry's securities firms. First, I narrowed a lengthy list of firms to a top 100; I qualified these entities based on acceptable compliance track records. Following discussions about identifying their top advisors, my list was reduced to 46 firms. At each of these firms, my research process dictated that I speak with several representatives in multiple departments, including public relations, national sales, divisional and regional managers, compliance/legal departments, and oftentimes CEOs and Presidents. Each firm provided me with their recommendations that they considered their most outstanding financial advisors. At this point, my list had approximately 300 candidates, each of whom was viewed as a strong role model for all industry professionals and an excellent financial advisor to represent his or her firm. My selections were based on the following weighted criteria:

Qualitative Criteria

Acceptable compliance and legal records. Only FAs with the highest ethical standards and integrity are considered. Leeway for pending actions or minor disputes is given by the FA's firm. (Weighting: affirmative or denial)

Client Satisfaction. As determined by the FA's firm (with input from Management and Client-Satisfaction reports) and random client interviews. (Weighting: )

Community involvement. Based on previous Winner's Circle evaluations, it is almost a given that these top achievers are involved in their communities and the industry, most of them active role models. FAs are assigned a rating of 1-10 for community involvement. (Criterion weighting: )

Other: Professional designations, team, platform, etc.

Quantitative Criteria

Consistently high revenue numbers. Gross revenue levels for retail (individual, high net worth and ultra high net worth) accounts over the past three years are considered, with a heavier weighting for revenue in most current calendar year. For partnerships, FAs will be considered on their percent ownership of revenue. (Criterion weighting: )

Assets under management. Total assets that the FA advises at the firm are considered. Also, a qualitative rating is given to the types of assets. (Criterion weighting: )

Outside Assets under management. Assets that the FA has under management but not custodied at his or her firm will be considered. so, a qualitative rating is given to the types of assets. (Criterion weighting: )

Over the course of two months, I pre-interviewed these top financial advisors. My ultimate decisions were primarily based on my objective approach in utilizing my criteria, as well as a lighter-weighted subjective approach, consisting of identifying individuals from a diversity of firms, and a cross-section of the country. In the end, I was able to select financial advisors from diverse securities firms, and I felt comfortable that as a composite, they are indeed among the most outstanding in the business.

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