Aspen Financial Adviser Ranked in the Nation’s Best

Barron’s Magazine: Obermeyer Among the “Top Players.”

ASPEN, COLORADO, August 29, 2007 – Wally Obermeyer, President of Obermeyer Asset Management, Aspen, Colorado, has been ranked among the nation’s top 100 independent financial advisers by Barron’s magazine, America’s premier financial weekly.

“I am honored to be included in Barron's Top 100 Independent Advisers,” Obermeyer says. “I’m proud that an Aspen-based firm is being recognized on a nationwide level for delivering world class service and thoughtful investment management.”

Barron’s August 27 issue marked the inaugural appearance of this new listing, also known as “The Indie 100.” Independent financial advisers have been growing more rapidly than traditional brokers in recent years, according to Barron’s, with assets under management having increased “by an annualized 18% over the past 11 years” vs. an 11% increase by brokers over the same period.

Obermeyer, who entered the investment business in 1994 with $1 million under management, grew the asset base to $55 million by 1998, $200 million by 2003, and to over $600 million today.

Assets under management, however, are just one of the criteria used by Barron’s financial-industry consultant, R. J. Shook, in compiling “The Top 100.” Rankings are also based on quality of service, a key element among independent financial advisers. Independents typically differ from traditional brokers by managing investments for a flat fee rather than charging a commission for each transaction.

Nearly 200 miles from Denver, Obermeyer’s firm is the farthest of The Top 100 Independent Advisers from a metropolitan area. Aspen is also the fourth-smallest city in Barron’s ranking, albeit one very often associated with the nation’s highest per-capita wealth. Shook interviewed financial advisers, analyzed their data and reviewed regulatory records to arrive at his rankings, according to Barron’s.

While Barron’s says the scores that produced the listings of top independent financial advisers represent the individuals honored, Obermeyer insists that his success is the result of a group effort.

“I'm greatly appreciative of our clients and the entire Obermeyer team,” he says, “who together have helped us achieve this distinction.”
########