Mr. Fournier was ranked No. 21 among 138 wealth advisors in Southern California. In total, more than 2,000 advisors throughout the country were named to the Forbes list and subsequently ranked based on an algorithm of criteria such as industry experience, in-person interviews, community involvement, and client retention data. For instance, advisors must have at least seven years of experience to qualify for the list. They must also be nominated by their respective firms.
Follow-up research is conducted by SHOOK Research, which ranks advisors based on the likelihood of recommendation to a friend or family member. A large portion of the advisors are based in larger markets such as California and New York, but the research also uncovers successful advisors in smaller markets such as Oklahoma and South Carolina. More than 21,138 wealth advisors were nominated for the 2018 list, while 5,089 were invited to complete an online survey and 1,157 were interviewed face-to-face.