2025 Newsweek’s Top Financial Advisory Firms list is based upon an independent survey of Plant-A Insights Group, LLC ("PAI") including the analysis of 2020-2024 data for 15,000 SEC-registered firms (sourced in September 2024). In order to use the Intellectual Property and badge of this third-party rating, Heritage Financial, LLC ("HF") paid PAI seventy-five hundred dollars for its use for two years. The list was published on November 19, 2024.

2025 Washingtonian Magazine, DC’s Top Financial Advisors list is based upon a survey of local financial industry peers and was published on 2/13/2025. Washingtonian Magazine currently grants its Washington, DCs Best Financial Advisers: Fee-Only Financial Planners designation based upon other participating investment advisors responses to the following question about their peers: Whom would you trust with your own money? The specific question that Washingtonian promulgates in this respect may vary from year-to-year. Washingtonian also indicates that before granting the award/designation, it: conducted its own research and consulted industry publications; and that the professionals listed received the strongest recommendations from all sources. 

Aaron Clarke, CFP®, AIF® was also named a Washingtonian Magazine, DC’s Top Financial Advisor in 2022 (published on 3/22/2022) and 2024 (published 1/15/2024).

2025 Five Star Professional (FSP) Five Star Wealth Manager’s award was issued on 10/15/2025 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 01/15/2025 through 08/01/2025. A twenty-five hundred dollar fee was paid for use of marketing materials. Self-completed questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 3,811 Washington D.C.-area wealth managers were considered for the award; 156 (4% of candidates) were named 2025 Five Star Wealth Managers.

2025 Northern Virginia Magazine Top Financial Professionals in NoVA list is based upon a survey of all Northern Virginia Financial Professionals and was published on 8/29/2025.  Northern Virginia Magazine (NOVA) currently grants its Top Financial Planners designation based upon other participating investment advisors responses to the following question about their peers: “If you had a close friend or relative who needed financial planning advice, and you could not handle the case yourself, to whom would you refer them?” The specific question that NOVA promulgates in this respect may vary from year-to-year. 

David K. Morton, III, CEPA® was also named Northern Virginia Magazine Top Financial Professional in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.

Aaron Clarke, CFP®, AIF® was named Northern Virginia Magazine Top Financial Professional in 2023.

2024 Money’s Best Financial Planners list is a collaboration between Money magazine and the Financial Planning Association (FPA), a trade association and membership organization that represents more than 17,000 financial planners across the United States. Each planner answered a 35-question survey. The responses were scored using the methodology outlined here: https://money.com/best-financial-planners/methodology/. The list was published on 9/19/2024.