Waseca, MN – Brad Connors, Certified Wealth Strategist®, of iWealth is featured in a special section of the January issue of Twin Cities Business and Mpls.St.Paul Magazine as a 2016 Five Star Wealth Manager award winner.

Five Star Professional partnered with Twin Cities Business and Mpls.St.Paul Magazine to identify and showcase an exclusive group of wealth managers who have demonstrated excellence in their field.

Brad has built his practice, iWealth, in Waseca, Minnesota, which is located 10 miles from his hometown of Waterville.

“Growing up, I looked up to my grandfather more than anyone. He was down to earth and didn’t care about what he looked like. He made a living working at Kato Engineering. He loved everybody, and he was loved by everybody. His life was never about things; it was about people. He could afford the things that he wanted, but if you knew him, you knew that he was happiest just sharing an afternoon with a good cup of coffee. He savored life, and he taught me how to savor life,” says Brad. “My grandfather always put his family first. This has really left an impression on me to this day. He motivated me to do what I do today. From him, I learned that when it comes to my own life, it’s not about accumulating stuff. It is about having what I need to live a full life, and more importantly, being a good provider.”

The 2016 Five Star Wealth Manager award winners have been carefully selected for their commitment to providing quality services to their clients. The award is based on an in-depth research process incorporating peer and firm feedback with objective criteria such as client retention rates, client assets administered, industry experience and regulatory and complaint history.

“Brad recently finished authoring his first book, Fish Don’t Clap: Planning For A Purposeful Retirement. His reasoning behind writing the book was to “give away the information for everyone to have more purpose going into retirement.” His book, helps shine a light on the 22-plus years of experience Brad has working with clients to define what they truly want their retirement to look like. For Brad, helping to create a fulfilling retirement for his clients is about more than figures — it involves taking a family’s whole life into account, from values to goals and everything in between. From his book you will learn: 1) the time to retire isn’t marked just by a dollar figure; 2) you’re retiring “to” and not “from” something; 3) targeted savings help you achieve your goals; and 4) you can provide equitably for your heirs in different ways.

Fish Don’t Clap is available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and iBooks. For more information about Brad Connors and iWealth, please visit www.iWealth4me.com or www.fishdontclap.com,” says Brad.

Securities, advisory services, and insurance products are offered through Investment Centers of America, Inc. (ICA), member FINRA, SIPC, a Registered Investment Advisor, and affiliated insurance agencies. ICA and iWealth are separate companies.

“The research behind this award is extensive, with each wealth manager being thoroughly vetted from numerous angles. We are proud to showcase these distinguished professionals,” says Jonathan Wesser, Research Director, Five Star Professional.

Brad Connors’ Five Star award profile can be viewed here.

The Five Star Wealth Manager award, administered by Crescendo Business Services, LLC (dba Five Star Professional), is based on 10 objective criteria: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser or a registered investment adviser representative; 2. Active as a credentialed professional in the financial services industry for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through Five Star Professional’s consumer complaint process*); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients; 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations.

Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or awarded. Once awarded, wealth managers may purchase additional profile ad space or promotional products. The award methodology does not evaluate the quality of services provided and is not indicative of the winner’s future performance. 2,083 Twin Cities wealth managers were considered for the award; 854 (41 percent of candidates) were named 2016 Five Star Wealth Managers.

*To qualify as having a favorable regulatory and complaint history, the person cannot have: 1. been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a suspended or revoked license, or payment of a fine, 2. had more than three customer complaints filed against them (settled or pending) with any regulatory authority or Five Star Professional’s consumer complaint process, 3. individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint filed with a regulatory authority, 4. filed for bankruptcy, or 5. been convicted of a felony.

For research methodology information, visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.