Apriem Advisors Awards & Recognitions
Recent recognition for Apriem Advisors and our team includes honors from CNBC, Forbes, USA TODAY, InvestmentNews, Financial Advisor Magazine, AdvisorHub, the Los Angeles Business Stuidios, and more.
RECENT FIRM AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
An InvestmentNews Leading RIA in Irvine, CA (2026)
Apriem Advisors was named as an InvestmentNews’ 2026 Leading RIA firm ranking for Irvine, CA. InvestmentNews ranked qualifying firms in each city by total regulatory AUM reported on Form ADV, using filings dated on or after January 1, 2025.
Best Fiduciary Wealth Management Firm – California (2026)
Apriem Advisors was named Best Fiduciary Wealth Management Firm 2026 in California in Wealth & Finance International’s Investment Excellence Awards. Winners are selected by the publisher’s research team & a senior judge.
Best Financial Advisors in Irvine, CA (2026)
Apriem Advisors was named one of the Best Financial Advisors in Irvine, CA by Expertise.com, which evaluates local providers on availability, qualifications and reputation.
USA TODAY Best Financial Advisory Firms – $1b – $5b (2026)
Apriem Advisors was named to the 2026 USA TODAY Best Financial Advisory Firms list, $1 billion to $5 billion category. The ranking is based on client and peer recommendations, AUM growth and firm quality.
Financial Advisor Magazine RIA Ranking (2026 & 2025)
Apriem Advisors was included in Financial Advisor Magazine’s national RIA Ranking in the July/August 2026 & 2025 editions. The ranking orders independent RIAs by AUM reported through a voluntary survey (data as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2025).
CNBC Financial Advisor 100 (2025)
Apriem Advisors was named to the 2025 CNBC FA 100 list. CNBC’s methodology evaluates firms on years in business, compliance record, number of advisors and assets under management, using 2024 data.
InvestmentNews RIA Team of the Year – 10 Advisors or more (2025)
Apriem Advisors was named RIA Team of the Year (10 advisors or more) by InvestmentNews, which evaluates nominees business strategies, client services, overall industry reputation, and more.
Civic 50 Orange County (2025)
Apriem Advisors was named to the 2025 Civic 50 Orange County, its 4th time on the list. Presented by the Orange County Business Journal with OneOC, the program recognizes the 50 most community minded companies in Orange County.
RECENT TEAM MEMBER AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Chris Whitaker, CFP®, AIF®: Forbes Best-In-State Next-Gen Wealth Advisors, California (2026)
Chris Whitaker, Chief Wealth Manager at Apriem Advisors, was named to the Forbes Best-In-State Next-Gen Wealth Advisors ranking for California. The ranking recognizes advisors born in 1987 or later based on due diligence interviews, client retention, compliance records, credentials and quantitative factors.
Rhonda Ducote, AIF® and Harmon Kong, CFP®: LA Times Studios Banking and Finance Visionaries (2026)
Rhonda Ducote, President and CEO of Apriem Advisors, and Harmon Kong, Founding Director of Apriem Advisors were named 2026 Banking and Finance Visionaries by LA Times Studios. Honorees are selected by an executive committee for recent accomplishments, leadership, industry impact and community involvement in Southern California.
Rhonda Ducote, AIF®: AdvisorHub 50 Women RIAs to Watch 250 RIAs to Watch (2026)
Rhonda Ducote was ranked #16 on AdvisorHub’s 2026 50 Women RIAs to Watch and #102 on its 250 RIAs to Watch, published in April 2026. AdvisorHub scores applicants on a 100 point scale across scale, growth and professionalism, and requires a clean regulatory record.
Harmon Kong, CFP®: AdvisorHub 250 Advisors to Watch, Over $1B (2026)
Harmon Kong was ranked #111 on AdvisorHub’s 2026 250 Advisors to Watch list in the over $1 billion category, published in April 2026. Rankings use the same 100 point scale across scale, growth and professionalism.
Lindsay Duran: Orange County Business Journal Indispensables (2026)
Lindsay Duran, Client Services Manager here at Apriem Advisors, was named to the Orange County Business Journal’s The Indispensables 2026, which honors professionals outside the C suite whose leadership and daily contributions are essential to their organizations. Honorees were selected through nomination and editorial review.
Harmon Kong, CFP®, AIF®: InvestmentNews Advisor of the Year, West Region (2025)
Harmon Kong was named Advisor of the Year, West Region, in the 2025 InvestmentNews Excellence Awards, based on 2024 activity including business development, client retention, mentorship, pro bono work and outreach to underserved communities.
Harmon Kong, CFP®: InvestmentNews Top Financial Professionals in the US, Hot List (2025)
Harmon Kong was named to the 2025 InvestmentNews Hot List of 100 financial professionals whose contributions shaped the wealth industry over the prior 12 months.
Harmon Kong, CFP®: ThinkAdvisor Luminaries Thought Leader of the Year Finalist (2025)
Harmon Kong was named a finalist for Thought Leader of the Year in ThinkAdvisor’s 2025 Luminaries Awards, based on 2024 contributions. Finalists are selected by ThinkAdvisor’s editorial staff and advisory board, and winners by independent industry judges.
Rhonda Ducote, AIF®: LA Times Studios Inspirational Women Honoree, Finance (2025)
Rhonda Ducote was named a 2025 Inspirational Women Honoree in Finance by LA Times Studios, recognizing female business leaders in Southern California for recent accomplishments, leadership and community involvement.
FAQs
Apriem Advisors has received national and regional recognition from USA TODAY, CNBC, InvestmentNews, Financial Advisor Magazine and the Orange County Business Journal, among others.
In 2026, Apriem was named to the USA TODAY Best Financial Advisory Firms list in the $1 billion to $5 billion category, InvestmentNews’ Leading RIA list for Irvine, and Financial Advisor Magazine’s RIA Ranking. The firm was also named Best Fiduciary Wealth Management Firm in California by Wealth & Finance International and one of the Best Financial Advisors in Irvine, CA by Expertise.com.
In 2025, Apriem was named InvestmentNews RIA Team of the Year (10 Advisors or More) and was included in the CNBC FA 100 and Financial Advisor Magazine’s RIA Ranking. LA Times Studios named Apriem one of the 25 Fastest Growing Private Companies in Orange County, and the firm was named to the Civic 50 Orange County for the fourth time.
Earlier recognition includes the Financial Times FT 300 Top Registered Investment Advisers (2017, 2018 and 2019), the Orange County Business Journal’s Best Places to Work in Orange County (2022 and 2023), InvestmentNews’ Best Places to Work for Financial Advisers (2022), and Outstanding Small Business at National Philanthropy Day Orange County (2019).
Members of the Apriem team have also been individually recognized by Forbes, AdvisorHub, InvestmentNews, ThinkAdvisor and LA Times Studios. Full methodology for each award is on the Award Disclosures page.
Yes, numerous individual employees at Apriem have won awards. Some of the more recent one’s include: Chris Whitaker was named to the Forbes 2026 Best-In-State Next-Gen Wealth Advisors list for California. Harmon Kong was named InvestmentNews Advisor of the Year, West Region, in 2025. Rhonda Ducote, President and CEO, was ranked #16 on AdvisorHub’s 2026 50 Women RIAs to Watch. Jennifer Olson was the winner of the prestigious InvestmentNews 40 Under 40 in 2020.
Apriem did not pay a fee to be considered for any recognition listed on this page. For some recognitions, Apriem paid for inclusion in a special report, logo licenses, marketing materials or event sponsorships after learning it had been selected. More details related to each award are listed on the Award Disclosures page.
Apriem Advisors is headquartered at 19200 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 1050, in Irvine, California, and works with individuals and families throughout Orange County and beyond.
No. Awards and rankings reflect each issuing organization’s own criteria and are not indicative of future performance. They may not be representative of any one client’s experience.
Disclosures
To view a full list of our awards and recognitions, including methodology, please visit our disclosures page.