About Chicago Partners
Serving clients as trusted advisors since 2008

Top 300 Registered Investment Advisors (RIA)
2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, & 2020
Financial Times Award Disclosure
“FT” and “Financial Times” are trademarks of The Financial Times Ltd. (“FT”). The Financial Times “300 Top Registered Investment Advisers” is an independent listing (“The FT 300”) that is produced annually. FT is not affiliated with Firm. The FT 300 is presented as “an elite group,” not a competitive ranking of one to 300. Chicago Partners (the “Firm”) applied for consideration, and the resulting award was independently granted. The results are not based upon information or opinions of participating Registered Investment Advisers’ (“RIA”) clients. Therefore, inclusion on The FT 300 is not representative of any participating RIA’s client’s experiences and should not be construed as a current or past endorsement of the Firm by any of its clients.
Applicants are graded on six factors: assets under management (“AUM”); AUM growth rate; company’s years in existence; compliance record; industry certifications; and online accessibility. By considering the “compliance record,” eligibility to appear on The FT 300, FT seeks to ensure that a participating RIA has an established and significant history and record free from regulatory sanctions. As of 2019, FT and “Ignites Distribution Research,” a subsidiary of FT that provides business intelligence on the asset management industry, invited more than 2,000 RIAs to apply for consideration. 740 RIA companies applied and 300 made the final list across 37 states. The Firm has received The FT 300 Award from 2014-2020. The selection results and date for each year is as follows: 2014 there were over 2,000 firms included; 2015 there were over 1,500 firms included; 2016 there were over 1,500 firms included and 520 RIA companies applied, 2017 there were over 2,000 firms included and 525 RIA companies applied, 2018 there were over 2,000 firms included and 760 RIA companies applied, 2019 there were over 2,000 firms included and 740 RIA companies applied, 2020 there were over 2,000 firms included and 760 RIA companies applied. In each calendar year, The FT 300 will select 300 RIAs to receive the award based on their criteria outlined below. Additionally, The FT 300 caps the number of advisory companies from any one state. The cap is roughly based on the distribution of millionaires across the United States. The FT 300 is based on data gathered from RIAs, regulatory disclosures, FT’s research, and/or research conducted on FT’s behalf by Ignites Distribution Research.
As of 2019, The FT 300 formula used to grade advisers is based on six broad factors and calculates a numeric score for each adviser. Areas of consideration include AUM, asset growth, the company’s age, industry classifications of key employees, SEC compliance record and online accessibility. The reasons these were chosen are as follows:
- AUM signals experience managing money and client trust.
- AUM growth rate can be a proxy for performance, as well as for asset retention and the ability to generate new business. We assessed companies on three-year growth rate.
- Companies’ years in existence indicates reliability and experience of managing assets through different market environments.
- Compliance Record provides evidence of past client disputes; a string of complaints can signal potential problems.
- Industry certifications (CFA, CFP, etc) shows the company’s staff has industry knowledge and a professional commitment to investment skills.
- Online accessibility shows a desire to provide easy access and transparent contact information.
Among the top factors in scoring, AUM accounted for an average of 72 percent of each adviser’s score. Their growth rate accounted for an average of 15 percent. The FT places a cap on the number of advisers from any one state, corresponding to the distribution of millionaires across the US.
Neither the participating RIAs nor their employees pay a fee to FT in exchange for inclusion in The FT 300. However, the Firm may pay a fee to FT, an affiliate, or an unaffiliated third party in exchange for plaques or article reprints commemorating the designation. While the Firm would pay this fee after receiving the designation and not as a condition precedent to receiving it, the fact that the Firm pays any fee with respect to its receipt of the designation should be considered if such designation is a factor in a client or prospective client’s evaluation of whether to initially to engage or continue to engage the Firm for investment advisory services. There are no facts that would call into question the validity of the inclusion on The FT 300 or the appropriateness of the Firm’s advertising the same. The Firm’s receipt of this award designation is not indicative of the Firm’s ’s future performance, or any future performance pertaining to its clients’ investments; should not be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that they will experience a certain level of results if the Firm is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services.
About Chicago Partners
Serving clients as trusted advisors since 2008

Top 300 Registered Investment Advisors (RIA)
2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, & 2020
Our focus is on optimizing our clients' wealth.
When Jim Hagedorn and Anthony Halpin founded Chicago Partners, they began with a vision of serving as the go-to financial resource for clients.
We help our distinguished clients plan for each step on their road to long-term financial success - from investment questions to planning for next-generation wealth transfers and everything in-between.
Our focus is on optimizing our clients' wealth.
When Jim Hagedorn and Anthony Halpin founded Chicago Partners, they began with a vision of serving as the go-to financial resource for clients.
We help our distinguished clients plan for each step on their road to long-term financial success - from investment questions to planning for next-generation wealth transfers and everything in-between.
The Chicago Partners Story
In 2002, Managing Partner Jim Hagedorn was recruited by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to lead their wealth management program for the Midwest region. There, he and Partner Anthony Halpin worked together to create excellent portfolios for their executive teams, leveraging their knowledge of portfolio creation and strategic tax planning.
In 2007, PwC took steps to better meet the standards of Sarbanes-Oxley (requiring auditor independence from their investment management), leading them to exit the wealth management business. Jim and Anthony spoke with the PwC leadership team, arranging an amicable agreement where they would spin-off from inside PwC.
In 2008, Chicago Partners Wealth Advisors was born. Jim and Anthony, using their knowledge and experience in creating excellent tax-efficient portfolios, started Chicago Partners Wealth Advisors with the mission of serving their clients with distinction. Starting with 100 clients and $300 million dollars under management, the founders entered the wealth management space as a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA).
Now, Chicago Partners has grown to manage over $1.8 billion dollars for over 600 clients and has been recognized as a Top 300 Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) by the Financial Times in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. Chicago Partners still follows its original mission of serving clients with distinction, adding tax preparation and complete financial planning to create a one-stop wealth management solution for their distinguished clients.
The Chicago Partners Story
In 2002, Managing Partner Jim Hagedorn was recruited by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to lead their wealth management program for the Midwest region. There, he and Partner Anthony Halpin worked together to create excellent portfolios for their executive teams, leveraging their knowledge of portfolio creation and strategic tax planning.
In 2007, PwC took steps to better meet the standards of Sarbanes-Oxley (requiring auditor independence from their investment management), leading them to exit the wealth management business. Jim and Anthony spoke with the PwC leadership team, arranging an amicable agreement where they would spin-off from inside PwC.
In 2008, Chicago Partners Wealth Advisors was born. Jim and Anthony, using their knowledge and experience in creating excellent tax-efficient portfolios, started Chicago Partners Wealth Advisors with the mission of serving their clients with distinction. Starting with 100 clients and $300 million dollars under management, the founders entered the wealth management space as a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA).
Now, Chicago Partners has grown to manage over $2.5 billion dollars for over 1,000 clients and has been recognized as a Top 300 Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) by the Financial Times in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. Chicago Partners still follows its original mission of serving clients with distinction, adding tax preparation and complete financial planning to create a one-stop wealth management solution for their distinguished clients.
An Experienced Team of Advisors
Our team is comprised of highly qualified and experienced individuals. The team covers a wide range of expertise in order to successfully optimize each aspect of your wealth.
The team is comprised of:
- Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Certified Advisors
- Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) Certified Advisors
- Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Certified Advisors
- Licensed Attorneys (J.D.)
- Certified Public Accountants (CPA)
To learn more about each member of the team, you can use the button below.
The Chicago Partners Team
The Chicago Partners' team is comprised of highly qualified and experienced individuals. The team covers a wide range of expertise in order to successfully optimize each aspect of your wealth.
The team is comprised of:
- 6 Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Certified Advisors
- 3 Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Certified Advisors
- 1 Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Certified Advisors
- 3 Licensed Attorneys (J.D.)
- 3 Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
To learn more about each member of the team, you can use the button below.
The Portfolio X-Ray
The first step of our 5-Step Process is Investment Consulting, where your portfolio is analyzed for diversification, expense ratio, and asset allocation.
Chicago Partners provides a complementary Portfolio X-Ray and proposed portfolio to those interested.
One important note: some portfolios are already fully optimized, and a Portfolio X-Ray may not reveal an opportunity for Chicago Partners to further optimize the portfolio. If that's the case, you'll hear this from us directly.
Contact us to receive a ShareFile link for secure file uploading and to set a time to discuss the results.
The Portfolio X-Ray
The first step of our 5-Step Process is Investment Consulting, where your portfolio is analyzed for diversification, expense ratio, and asset allocation.
Chicago Partners provides a complementary Portfolio X-Ray and proposed portfolio to those interested.
One important note: some portfolios are already fully optimized, and a Portfolio X-Ray may not reveal an opportunity for Chicago Partners to further optimize the portfolio. If that's the case, you'll hear this from us directly.
Contact us to receive a ShareFile link for secure file uploading and to set a time to discuss the results.