Jump to Winners | Jump to Methodology
InvestmentNews’ 2023 Hot List recognizes the best and brightest in the business. While the featured professionals in this year’s roundup have all found success in their respective fields due to their outstanding abilities, they share a common interest in supporting underserved groups and the next generation of wealth professionals.
From developing financial aid scholarships to promoting access to public education and sports, the executives included in this prestigious group are not only excelling professionally but also making a tangible difference within their communities and farther afield.
For true leaders, success goes beyond revenue; for them, it’s about establishing a legacy.
Hurst founded Impel in 2017, and the firm serves individuals across the US by providing customized financial guidance.
“When I started Impel, I could have just focused on the clients I had and made a very nice living,” he says. “But we have the opportunity to build systems that are scalable and replicable, and with the right people, we can build something that will last for future generations.”
With plans to triple his current client base, Hurst has lofty ambitions of expansion and has taken onboard capital to supercharge that process.
“I partnered with Merchant Investment by selling a minority interest in my practice to this nationally known private equity firm that is focused on helping advisors grow their practice both organically and through acquisitions,” he says.
To date, Hurst oversees $300 million in investments for 150 families, many of whom have sought his expert insight and been with him for over two decades.
He says, “It’s very rewarding because you know [clients’] families; you know their grandkids. You get to walk with these clients on their life journey.”
Hurst, who prides himself on establishing relationships that go beyond the traditional advisor-client dynamic, was named Notable Wealth Manager by Crain’s Cleveland Business in 2021 for providing ethical financial management services. He credits much of his success to two guiding principles:
Doing good: “Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar used to say, ‘You can get everything you want if you help enough people get what they want,’ and I’ve built my career on that.”
Building a team: “You can teach smart people [about] job duties and software, but you can’t teach somebody to care; you can’t teach somebody to be empathetic. Those kinds of traits you have to hire for.”
Under Hurst’s direction, Impel also prioritizes having a diverse workforce, something he admits is an ongoing challenge within the finance industry.
To ensure that future boardrooms reflect an increasingly globalized world, Hurst, in collaboration with Cetera Financial Group, created The Diversity in Financial Planning Scholarship. Currently offered at 10 universities across the country, the bursary promotes diversity and inclusion in the financial planning profession.
Over the last 30 years of his career, Hurst has also served on 14 boards and chaired nine of them. From his involvement at Weathervane Playhouse, a local organization that runs after-school programming for at-risk youth, to chairing the International Soap Box Derby, Hurst has long been committed to providing opportunities for young people.
“Putting on a play is fine, and so is racing down a hill, but helping kids stay off the streets and learn new skills – those are things I can get behind,” he says.
Data can be interpreted in a variety of ways, but some statistics speak volumes.
Meyer has steered Highline over the past four years, achieving:
35 percent growth in AUM
increase in the firm’s value to $375 million
For Meyer, much of his success is made possible by his ability to build and solidify client relations.
“The more you communicate with your end clients, or the people you’re servicing, the more that raises the chances of success in building a long-term relationship,” he says. “That’s always something I’ve done throughout my career.”
Leveraging social media is one of the strategies Hugh uses to promote his professional services and share his expertise. The advisor frequently blogs on LinkedIn about demystifying retirement for professionals, and his content is well received, experiencing over 5,800 percent growth in engagement over the past 12 months.
“People want social proof that you can speak intelligently about the work that you do,” he says. “My main goal is to reach as many people as I can and try to bring stability and a sense of wellness to their lives.”
Meyer, who has been an investment advisor for over 20 years, also takes pride in giving back to underserved youth. As a board member of the American Youth Soccer Organization, he helps facilitate the growth and development of over a thousand young soccer players.
He says, “Not enough people who are in positions to help other people do that enough. I’ve been able to build my network and craft it in a way where it’s really centered on building businesses and helping other people.”
And earlier this year, Meyer co-founded his non-profit organization, Sport of Dreams, which focuses on collecting and donating sports equipment to underprivileged children in the Los Angeles area.“
Soccer has always had a special place in my heart. I’ve watched my kids grow up in the community by playing. It’s a huge opportunity that, fortunately, my kids have, but not everyone can do it,” he says.
Crafting bespoke financial solutions is a proven track to the top.
After spending years working for larger firms, Davidse formed Presilium in 2022, driven by the impetus of offering a high degree of personalization to clients. It’s been a startling success, with the firm already having over $400 million in AUM.
“I wanted to give clients the best possible experience; I wanted full control of owning our own RIA,” he says. “I wanted to be able to design everything from scratch, from the investment platform to financial planning to the way that we communicate with clients.”
For Davidse, simplicity is the most efficient pathway to prosperity. Reflecting on his firm’s investment strategies, the CEO says, “Clients are much more likely to stick with [investment plans] if they believe in the strategy. I have found that more complicated investment strategies tend to underperform, are more expensive, and are more difficult to implement. We use a basic index strategy, and it’s worked well for our clients.”
While Davidse keeps his investment strategies straightforward, as a seasoned marathon runner, he never backs away from a challenge.
“When you get to race day, that’s typically the easy part. It’s all the long runs you did by yourself that no one sees [that are] difficult. And it’s the same as for Presilium,” he says. “It’s a lot of the behind-the-scenes things that we do every day for clients that make a really big difference.”
Davidse’s hard work and vision have paid off, as he was recognized:
as one of the Top Wealth Advisors in Pennsylvania by Forbes (2021–22)
as an RIA to Watch by AdvisorHub (2023)
As a testament to his commitment to the wider industry, Davidse creates a weekly educational video on the firm’s YouTube channel to share his unique skill of making complex financial planning and investment topics easy to understand.
In addition to providing wealth management services for retired corporate executives and other successful individuals, he recognizes the importance of using his influence to positively affect the next generation of young professionals, both at home and abroad.
As an active board member of KIPP Philadelphia, a non-profit charter school, Davidse helps prepare local students in educationally underserved communities for success through college. After taking a trip to Cambodia with Habitat for Humanity, he became inspired to work with the Cambodian Rural Students Trust. Since then, the CEO has worked to ensure that students across the country’s Siem Reap region gain access to free education.
In August 2023, InvestmentNews invited wealth professionals from across the country to nominate their most exceptional leaders for the inaugural Hot List. After receiving hundreds of nominations, InvestmentNews narrowed the list down to 100 movers and shakers whose contributions have helped shape the wealth industry over the past 12 months. From innovators at the forefront of change to leaders who are transforming the way the industry does business, this year’s Hot List represents the best the industry has to offer.
