RWM News

We’re excited to announce that Destiny Wealth Partners was named “RIA Team of the Year (10 Advisors or More)” in the prestigious InvestmentNews 2024 Awards of Excellence. Winners were announced at a black-tie, red-carpet gala held June 20 at the elegant 583 Park Avenue in New York City.

Destiny Wealth Partners, which does business as Destiny Family Office, Ruggie Wealth Management and Nichols Wealth Partners, currently manages approximately $1.1B in assets, and helps wealth creators, wealth inheritors and their families better navigate the complexity in their financial lives so they can have more time to focus on what they are most passionate about.

“The one word that comes to mind is, ‘Gratitude’,” said Tom Ruggie, ChFC®, CFP®, Founder and CEO of Destiny Wealth Partners. “I am so grateful for the clients who put their trust and confidence in us, to our team who shows an unwavering commitment to those we serve and to our dedication to never being complacent, which continually challenges us to do more and at ever-higher levels of excellence. We are truly honored to stand alongside a stellar group of peers.”

Our firm is focused on challenging the status quo in wealth and investment management, seeking to enable clients to achieve their destiny as a result. The InvestmentNews Awards honor the remarkable contributions and outstanding achievements of financial advisors and brokerages who have demonstrated steadfast dedication, exceptional professionalism, and unwavering commitment to their clients’ success.

Judging for the Awards was conducted by an expert panel of industry leaders and senior representatives. The category “Team of the Year” recognizes the significant work and achievements of the nation’s most outstanding advisory team for their excellence over the past 12-months in areas including client service and innovation. Finalists are selected based on their response to questions across a range of qualitative and quantitative criteria and performance metrics. The judging process is independent and rigorous.

Investment advisory services offered through Destiny Wealth Partners, LLC, an SEC Registered Investment Advisor. Destiny Wealth Partners also conducts business as Destiny Family Office, Ruggie Wealth Management and Nichols Wealth Management. Rankings and/or recognition by unaffiliated rating services and/or publications should not be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if Destiny Wealth Partners is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services, nor should it be construed as a current or past endorsement of Destiny Wealth Partners by any of its clients. Rankings published by magazines, and others, may base their selections on information prepared and/or submitted by the recognized adviser. Additional disclosures and other important information at https://www.destinyfamilyoffice.com/disclosures.

Tom Ruggie Ranked No. 1 in North Florida
by Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors 2024

7th time for independent RIA and Family Office Founder – every year since recognition’s inception

We’re excited to announce that Tom Ruggie, ChFC®, CFP®, founder and CEO of Ruggie Wealth Management and Destiny Family Office, both Destiny Wealth Partners firms, has earned the No. 1 spot in North Florida in the Forbes/SHOOK 2024 Best-in-State Wealth Advisors ranking. Ruggie has been included in this prestigious list of the nation’s top advisors for seven consecutive years—every year since the ranking’s inception. In 2023, Destiny Wealth Partners, which surpassed $1B in managed assets, was also recognized among Forbes 250 Fastest-Growing RIA Firms.

“We are honored to be recognized by industry leaders such as Forbes and SHOOK Research alongside an exceptional group of industry peers and professional colleagues,” said Tom. “Our rise to the top of the list of North Florida’ leading firms, is both humbling and a result of the dedication and commitment of our entire team. I couldn’t be prouder of them. I believe our ongoing presence in this annual ranking speaks to the depth and breadth of our capabilities, to our refusal to be complacent and to strive for the continuous self-improvement of our team, our services, our infrastructure and technology, and to our unwavering focus on putting our clients first in everything we do.”

Ruggie is an entrepreneur who enjoys spending his time helping clients solve problems inherent in their financial and business situations, and giving them back the time and peace of mind they need to pursue the things they are most passionate about.

He began his career in 1991, and subsequently founded Ruggie Wealth Management. In 2016, he founded Destiny Family Office to bring high-impact “single-family” office capabilities and services to his ultra-high-net-worth client families, helping these wealth creators, wealth inheritors and their families overcome the challenges that come from managing significant resources.

Destiny Family Office provides access to sophisticated traditional, alternative, direct, and co-investment management solutions. An avid collector, Ruggie has earned deepening prominence in the collectibles space, helping other top-tier collectors incorporate their collections in every part of their financial, tax and wealth transfer planning.

In 2023, Boca Raton-based Nichols Wealth Partners also joined Destiny Wealth Partners.

About Forbes and SHOOK Research: Forbes/SHOOK Research Best-in-State Wealth Advisors are selected based on quantitative and qualitative data, and are assessed on a variety of criteria, including interviews, years of experience, client retention, compliance records and assets under management. SHOOK “scours the financial services industry—advisory firms, banks, brokerages, custodians, insurance companies, and clearing houses, among others—for nominations”. To date, 44,990 nominations have been received. Of these, 23,876 advisors were invited to complete the online survey, 20,412 telephone interviews were conducted, 4,926 in-person interviews took place at advisors’ offices, and 1,507 virtual interviews were scheduled. Portfolio performance is not a criterion due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK Research receives a fee in exchange for rankings.

Recognitions are specific to Tom Ruggie, ChFC®, CFP®. Listing in any publication is not a guarantee of future investment success. These recognitions should not be construed as an endorsement of the advisor by any client. The Forbes ranking of Best-In-State Wealth Advisors, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on an algorithm of qualitative criteria, mostly gained through telephone and in-person due diligence interviews, and quantitative data. Those advisors that are considered have a minimum of seven years’ experience, and the algorithm weights factors like revenue trends, assets under management, compliance records, industry experience and those that encompass best practices in their practices and approach to working with clients. Portfolio performance is not a criterion due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Neither Forbes or SHOOK receive a fee in exchange for rankings. Barron’s rankings are based on factors including assets under management, revenue produced for the firm, regulatory record, quality of practice and philanthropic work.

Additional disclosures and important information at www.ruggiewealth.com/disclosures.

Ruggie Wealth Management announced that Founder and CEO Thomas H. Ruggie, ChFC^®, CFP^®, has been named to Barron’s list of America’s Top 1,200 Advisors: 2024, the 12th time Ruggie has earned this distinction, and the 10th straight year.

As Barron’s explains, they publish their annual Top 1200 Advisors by State compilation to recognize advisors demonstrating exceptional professionalism, client service and community involvement. Among the factors the “Barron’s Top 1,200 Advisors” ranking takes into consideration are quality of practice, assets under management, revenues, and philanthropic work.

“It is an honor to again be ranked among our nation’s top financial advisors by one of the most respected names in the financial industry,” said Ruggie of the ranking which recognizes both an elite group of independent financial professionals and large wirehouses.

“I believe our clients turn to us because of our dedication to placing their interests above ours, for the strength of our processes and collective wisdom of our team, and for our unwavering focus on helping them achieve the financial goals they’ve been dreaming of and working for their whole lives. To once again be named among Barron’s Top Advisors is an honor that reinforces that what we are doing on our clients’ behalf brings real value to our relationship with them.”

Ruggie Wealth Management provides services to individual and corporate clients, as well as to a select group of endowments and foundations. As one of the flagship companies of Destiny Wealth Partners, Ruggie Wealth Management offers a broad range of services and products to help clients achieve their financial goals.

The firm has offices in Tavares, Winter Park and The Villages^®, FL. Destiny Wealth Partners also conducts business under the name KCG Investment Advisory Services in Savannah, GA, and Nichols Wealth Partners in Boca Raton, FL.

The Barron’s Top 1200 Financial Advisors is a select group of individuals who are screened on a number of different criteria. Rankings are based on data provided by over 6,000 advisers from across the nation. Factors included in the rankings: assets under management, revenue produced for the firm, regulatory record, quality of practice and philanthropic work. Portfolio performance is not a factor. Please see www.barrons.com for more information. Ruggie Wealth Management has not paid a fee to be eligible for this award. Barron’s does not require membership or payment in order for award participants and/or applicants to be considered for an award designation.

Investment advisory services offered through Destiny Wealth Partners, LLC, an SEC Registered Investment Advisor.

We’re excited to announce that our independent RIA Destiny Wealth Partners has been ranked among the 2023 75 Fastest-Growing Fee-Only RIAs.

According to Investment News, “these firms are being celebrated for the growth they’ve achieved and assets they’ve attracted since July 2020. While all 75 winners are trusted and reliable partners for their clients, each firm has its own unique strategy and operating methods.”

Destiny Wealth Partners is our independent RIA founded by 30+ year financial veteran Tom Ruggie, ChFC, CFP, which also  conducts business as Ruggie Wealth Management, Nichols Wealth Partners, and Destiny Family Office. Ruggie founded the family office in 2016 to meet the unanswered needs of the ultra-high-net-worth, as they were seeking to better navigate the challenges and opportunities at the intersection of their family, wealth, and aspirations.

The firm’s culture is rooted in a shared vision to continually innovate, working collaboratively as a closely integrated team with third parties to create solutions that empower individuals, families, and foundations.

As of July 2023, Destiny Wealth Partners had $1 billion in AUM. The firm’s success has been driven by targeting three key areas:

1. presenting a compelling sphere of investments through the Destiny Alternative Fund and access to direct and co-investment opportunities for UHNW families seeking opportunities for greater returns
2. creating a niche focus on high-end collectors: Tom Ruggie’s unique insights and perspectives, based on his own lifelong passion for collecting, have resulted in his expertise and thought leadership on this subject, as well as on alternative investments as a whole
3. private trust capabilities: becoming a trust representative office for the nation’s largest trust company
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This prestigious ranking, announced April 26, was the first of its kind awarded by USA Today and Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry-ranking provider.

USA Today and Statista selected the Best Financial Advisory Firms 2023 based on two dimensions: recommendations by clients and peers and a firm’s growth of Assets under Management (AUM). The recommendations were collected via an independent survey sent to over 20,000 individuals. The development of AUM was analyzed both short and long-term based on publicly available data. In the consideration for the top 500 RIA firms, recommendations had a weight of 20% while development of AUM had a weight of 80% (short-term and long-term growth were equally weighted) to derive the final score.

We’re excited to announce the addition of Nichols Wealth Partners, a Boca Raton-based RIA led by Managing Partner and Senior Wealth Advisor Chris Nichols, to our Destiny Wealth Partners Family. Destiny Wealth Partners also does business under as Ruggie Wealth Management, Destiny Family Office, and KCG Investment Advisory Services, in Savannah, GA.

All four firms bring well-respected brands to the partnership and Nichols Wealth Partners will continue to operate as an independent firm. Chris will remain in charge of his business decisions and operations while adding resources, people, infrastructure, and technology to help the firm in its next phase of growth.

“Destiny Wealth Partners is excited to add such a high-caliber, well-respected team to our growing family,” said Tom Ruggie, ChFC®, CFP®, Founder and CEO of Destiny Wealth Partners. “Over the past two decades, Chris has earned a reputation as a caring, hardworking, passionate advisor who wants to see people win. Most of his clients are highly successful, and he works hard to help them preserve that success. He recognized the growth/balance/time constraint many advisors face as they build their businesses and found that joining Destiny Wealth Partners was a solution that allows him to do even more for his firm, his clients, and others.”

“After going through our planning process and mapping out our long-term growth, we knew we wanted to align with a like-minded group of leading innovators who shared a deep industry knowledge, vast network of specialized services, demonstrated investment strategies and abiding passion for serving clients,” said Chris. Greater efficiency will give me and my team more quality time to be present with our clients and to continue to build a sustainable, multi-generational firm with even greater access to investment options, improved high net-worth planning and succession strategies. That will be a positive for us and will translate to an even better experience for the clients we serve.”

“The marketplace is clamoring for high value, no matter the industry or profession,” said Chris. “Investors are demanding more and more from advisors. The Destiny Wealth Partners team recognized this shift taking place and has made some extraordinary leaps to prepare for the future growth of their firm. I know my clients will see the immediate effects of our partnership by having increased access to a broad sphere of investments including alternative investments for accredited investors and direct investments and co-investments for our qualified purchasers.”

“Tom has earned national recognition as an innovative and forward-looking advisor from some of the most respected names in the industry,” said Chris. “We are extremely excited for what our partnership together will bring to the table, both for our firm and our clients.” To schedule an appointment or second opinion with Nichols Wealth Partners, visit nicholswealth.com or call 561.939.8323. To reach Destiny Wealth Partners, visit RuggieWealth.com or call 352.343.2700.

Investment Advisory services offered through Destiny Wealth Partners, LLC an SEC Registered Investment Advisor. Recognitions are specific to Tom Ruggie, ChFC®, CFP®. Listing in any publication is not a guarantee of future investment success. These recognitions should not be construed as an endorsement of the advisor by any client. Barron’s rankings are based on factors including assets under management, revenue produced for the firm, regulatory record, quality of practice and philanthropic work. Forbes rankings are based on quality of practice, telephone and in-person interviews, client retention, industry experience, review of compliance records, firm nominations and quantitative criteria. *Additional disclosures and important information at ruggiewealth.com/disclosures.

Tom was invited to join other national thought leaders and change-makers in a panel discussion of “Fee-Based Everything”. In this live event, held November 7-8, 2022 in Boston, they discussed why there are now more options than ever, including alternative investments, for RIAs looking to deliver best-in-class solutions for clients. Tom has written an article about the prominence of alternative investments, recently published on Forbes.com.