The Money Management Institute (MMI), in collaboration with Barron’s, has proudly announced the winners of the 2026 MMI/Barron’s Industry Awards, honoring the firms and initiatives setting new standards for innovation, leadership, and impact across the investment advisory solutions industry.

Now in their 18th year, the awards celebrate excellence across 12 categories spanning asset management, wealth management platforms, technology, marketing, education, and community impact. Rising to the top of a highly competitive field of nominees and finalists, this year’s winners exemplify the ideas and solutions that help move the industry forward.  

“The 2026 MMI/Barron’s Industry Award winners represent the very best of what our industry can achieve through innovation, collaboration, and a relentless focus on better outcomes for advisors and investors,” said Craig Pfeiffer, President and CEO of MMI. “With the caliber of submissions continuing to rise each year, earning this distinction is an exceptional achievement. We are proud to celebrate this year’s winners and the impressive contributions they are making to the industry.”

The winners by award category are:

Digital Innovation: Honoring a new technological innovation or specific enhancement to an existing platform, service or tool that enhances the investor and/or advisor experience with advisory solutions.

• Bank of America Merrill Lynch – AI Powered Meeting Journey – The AI Meeting Journey Experience transforms how advisors prepare for, conduct, and follow up on client meetings by connecting the entire meeting lifecycle through AI-powered insights and automation. By reducing manual work and converting conversations into actionable outcomes, it enables more personalized client engagement while returning meaningful time back to advisors to focus on business growth.

Distribution Innovation: Honoring firms that provide exemplary and innovative sales support both in the field and from the home office. 

• AllianceBernstein – AllianceBernstein Sales Enablement Team – AllianceBernstein’s U.S. Retail Distribution Sales Enablement team is recognized for their advanced, fully integrated platform that leverages data, business logic, and AI to deliver timely, actionable intelligence directly into daily workflows. This approach has fundamentally transformed the sales model, replacing fragmented tools and intuition-led decisions to insight-led engagement that strengthens client relationships. 
• T. Rowe Price - T. Rowe Price Dial-a-Note Custom GPT Follow-Up – T. Rowe Price’s Dial-a-Note Custom GPT Follow-Up capability uses generative AI to transform field meeting insights into customized advisor emails, clear follow-up actions, and task-ready sales support. By reducing Internal Wholesaler process time by up to 75%, the capability improves responsiveness to advisors while creating more capacity for proactive sales engagement across the organization.  

Doing Good: Honoring firm-wide initiatives that actively contribute to the betterment of our communities and address specific needs within them. 

• Core Spaces – Camp Out For Kids – Core Spaces is a vertically integrated real estate investment manager focused on acquiring, developing, and managing across the student housing and build-to-rent (“BTR”) sectors. Founded by Core Spaces' co-founders in 2008, Camp Out For Kids is a nonprofit organization that gives children in under-resourced communities access to the transformative experience of summer camp.

Investment Product Innovation: Honoring groundbreaking and impactful investment strategies and product innovations that advance the investment advisory industry. 

• Calamos Investments – Calamos Autocallable Income ETFs: Democratizing the largest segment of the structured product market - In 2025, Calamos launched the first Autocallable Income ETF, bringing the most popular segment of the structured product market to the ETF—offering intra-day liquidity and full transparency—delivering high, stable, tax-efficient monthly income without duration or credit risk. Partnering with J.P. Morgan and MerQube to construct laddered strategies optimized for yield seeking investors, CAIE and CAIQ achieved stable, tax-efficient income of 14% and 18%, respectively, with tight spreads, resulting in a streak of weekly inflows.  

Marketing Campaign of the Year: Honoring the most innovative, creative, and impactful marketing campaigns that have elevated brand visibility and made an impact on the industry. 

• Nuveen – Invest Like the Future Is Watching – Nuveen's "Invest Like the Future Is Watching" reframed 125 years of heritage into a universal message of long-term stewardship, using creativity to punch above its weight and turn a legacy brand perception into a globally embraced platform. In doing so, it modernized the brand and reclaimed Nuveen's #15 ranking among U.S. financial advisors. 

Thought Leadership/Education: Honoring new programs, research, educational campaigns, or content that meaningfully advance industry knowledge and understanding of topics key to the future of advisory solutions. 

• Raymond James Financial – Longevity Planning – Raymond James is being recognized for its innovative Longevity Planning offering, which equips advisors and clients with integrated education and resources focused on caregiving, healthcare, legal planning, fraud prevention, and multi-generational wealth conversations. Through strategic partnerships, enterprise-wide collaboration, and embedded technology experiences, Raymond James is redefining modern retirement planning and advancing industry leadership in longevity education and holistic wealth management. 

Wealth Management Advisory Platform of the Year: Honoring a wealth management advisory platform that exemplifies innovation in delivering better outcomes for investors and financial advisors. 

• Morgan Stanley – Morgan Stanley's Single Advisory Platform – Morgan Stanley Wealth Management’s Single Advisory Platform unifies portfolio management, product access, and advanced technology into a single experience that improves advisor efficiency and client outcomes. With industry-leading innovations such as Rep as PM strategies within UMA, enhanced tax optimization, and AI-powered capabilities, the platform sets a new standard for personalized wealth management at scale.  

Asset Manager of the Year (AUM <$25 billion): Honoring a smaller asset manager that exemplifies innovation in delivering better outcomes for investors and financial advisors. 

• Tortoise Capital Advisors – Tortoise Capital Advisors – For more than 20 years, Tortoise Capital has helped investors access opportunities across the evolving energy landscape. Through a differentiated suite of investment solutions focused on publicly traded energy and power infrastructure companies, the firm combines deep industry expertise with high-conviction research across the entire energy value chain. Tortoise seeks to deliver income, diversification, and long-term growth while supporting reliable, affordable, and secure energy systems.  

Asset Manager of the Year (AUM Between $25-$500 billion): Honoring a mid-size asset manager that exemplifies innovation in delivering better outcomes for investors and financial advisors. 

• Calamos Investments – Calamos Autocallable Income ETFs – In 2025, Calamos launched the first Autocallable Income ETF, bringing the most popular segment of the structured product market to the ETF—offering intra-day liquidity and full transparency—delivering high, stable, tax-efficient monthly income without duration or credit risk. Partnering with J.P. Morgan and MerQube to construct laddered strategies optimized for yield seeking investors, CAIE and CAIQ achieved stable, tax-efficient income of 14% and 18%, respectively, with tight spreads, resulting in a streak of weekly inflows.  

Asset Manager of the Year (AUM >$500 billion): Honoring a larger asset manager that exemplifies innovation in delivering better outcomes for investors and financial advisors.

• Goldman Sachs Asset Management – Goldman Sachs MSCI World Private Equity Return Tracker ETF (GTPE) and the “Relentless” Active ETF Campaign – Goldman Sachs MSCI World Private Equity Return Tracker ETF (GTPE) delivers private equity-like returns through liquid, transparent public markets. By removing the traditional barriers to entry prevalent in private equity, the fund provides investors with a flexible, scalable solution that bridges the gap between illiquid private funds and liquid private market investments.  
• T. Rowe Price – Premier Global Active Manager: Advancing Advisor Outcomes Through Innovation in Active ETFs, Model Portfolios, Alternatives, and Retirement Income Solutions – T. Rowe Price is a premier global asset management organization that works with individuals, advisors, institutions, and retirement plan sponsors. We actively invest in opportunities to help people thrive in an evolving world, bringing our dynamic perspective and meaningful partnership to clients so they can feel more confident. 

Technology/Solutions Provider of the Year – Emerging Technologies: Honoring a technology or service provider for an early-stage or niche technological innovation that demonstrates strong potential to impact the investment advisory solutions industry. 

• Fiduciary Exchange, LLC (FIDx) – Fiduciary Exchange, LLC (FIDx) – FIDx built the infrastructure that delivers guaranteed lifetime income inside managed accounts, connecting carriers, custodians, and wealth management platforms so clients can add protection without moving assets and advisors can offer it without leaving the platforms they already use. The FIDx Insurance Overlay marketplace, which powered the July 2025 launch of Prudential's ActiveIncome on Dimensional Fund Advisors' UMA platform, is the foundation for a new category of retirement income delivery across the advisory industry.  
• Vanilla – Estate Planning Platform – Vanilla is the modern estate planning platform built for financial advisors. By transforming complex legal documents into clear, interactive visuals, Vanilla enables advisors to deliver more personal, impactful conversations around legacy, wealth transfer, and generational planning. With deep integrations, intuitive workflows, and expert support, Vanilla helps advisors bring estate planning into the heart of holistic financial advice. Learn more at www.justvanilla.com. 

Technology/Solutions Provider of the Year – Technology Integration: Honoring a technology or service provider that excels at integrating multiple tools, services, or data sources to create seamless and comprehensive advisory ecosystems. 

• CAIS – CAIS Enterprise Integration Suite – CAIS has built the advisory industry’s most comprehensive alternative investment integration suite, connecting its platform natively across 90% of the custodian market, 70% of reporting providers, and the largest TAMP platforms in independent wealth management. By embedding alternatives directly into workflows advisors already use, CAIS drove continued momentum in platform transactions while cutting account creation time and processing impressive structured investment volume through automated bulk execution tools.  

“The firms honored as this year’s winners demonstrate how innovation and thoughtful execution continue to move the industry forward,” said Jack Otter, Global Head of Wealth & Asset Management at Dow Jones, publisher of Barron's. “Across technology, investment solutions, education, and client experience, these organizations are setting a high standard for excellence and helping deliver meaningful progress for advisors and investors. We congratulate them all on this well-deserved recognition.”

The winners were chosen from a distinguished group of finalists representing the most dynamic and forward-thinking organizations in the wealth and asset management industry. These firms showcase the highest standards of excellence and innovation. They were honored during the 2026 MMI Annual Conference in Boston, MA.

About the MMI/Barron’s Industry Awards Program: 
Nominations are reviewed and evaluated by the specially appointed MMI Industry Awards Steering Council. The Steering Council consists of representatives from all segments of the MMI membership.

The Steering Council looked for innovative, needle-moving programs and initiatives that measurably advance the investment advisory solutions industry and deliver improved outcomes for financial advisors and investors. After carefully reviewing the nominations submitted, the Steering Council determined a slate of finalists in each award category. The main contacts at each of MMI’s member firms are eligible to vote to determine the winners in each category. 

About the Money Management Institute (MMI):      
Established in 1997, the Money Management Institute (MMI) is the industry association for financial services firms, serving as the leading catalyst and resource for the advancement of investment advice. MMI advances the wealth and asset management industries through connections, knowledge, and professional growth. We are committed to fostering collaboration, supporting diversity of thought, sharing expertise, and driving innovation. By championing best practices and encouraging open dialogue in investment advice, we empower firms and professionals to better serve clients and investors in an ever-evolving world. We offer our members premier professional development programs, specialized curriculums, invaluable thought leadership, and dynamic peer-to-peer networks.       

Our membership spans wealth managers, asset managers, and solutions providers of all sizes, with professionals representing every functional area of the financial services ecosystem. Together, we are shaping the future of investment advice. Follow MMI on LinkedIn.

About Barron’s:
Barron’s is America’s premier financial publication, known for its market-moving stories. Published by Dow Jones since 1921, it reaches an influential audience of professional fund managers, financial advisors, affluent individual investors, financial-services professionals, and senior corporate executives. With new content available every day online and every week in print, Barron’s provides readers with an intelligible recap of recent market action coupled with insights on what’s likely to happen in the market in the days and weeks to come. In addition, the Wealth & Asset Management Group’s annual series of exclusive conferences for financial advisors and investors is dedicated to identifying, enhancing, and expanding best practices in wealth management. As a result of these initiatives, Barron’s is the trusted financial-publishing brand that people active in the market turn to for information, ideas, and insights they can use to increase their professional success and enhance their personal, financial well-being.

Media Contact:           
Paul Zettl    
Chief Marketing Officer and Strategic Advisor
Money Management Institute
646.868.8528 
pzettl@mminst.org