Recognition matters when it reflects consistent service, trusted guidance, and a commitment to helping clients pursue meaningful financial outcomes. At Serving Those Who Serve, we are honored to have our work acknowledged by respected industry publications and ranking organizations. These accolades highlight the dedication we bring to serving federal employees, retirees, and their families with specialized planning strategies designed around their unique benefits and retirement opportunities. Explore recent honors that reflect our mission to reach, teach, and serve career and retired federal employees.
Thomas Lee has been named the #1 Financial Advisor in Maryland by Forbes for 2026, and this marks his eighth consecutive year being named a Forbes Best-In-State Advisor. He also recently ranked #4 in Maryland by Barron’s.
This kind of sustained recognition is rare. It reflects something far more important than a single award: a consistent, decades-long commitment to doing right by the people we serve. That’s you.
Forbes evaluates advisors on client retention, asset growth, credentials, compliance, and breadth of services, the things that actually matter. Eight consecutive years means this isn’t luck. It’s a standard we hold ourselves to every single day.
Tom and the entire Lee, Sipe & Associates team remain committed to being the foundational rock in your financial life, through every market cycle, every life change, and every decision that matters.
The Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors 2026 ranking, 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. This ranking is based upon the period from 6/30/2024 to 6/30/2025 and was released on 4/7/2026. Those advisors that are considered have a minimum of seven years of experience, and the algorithm weighs 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 criteria due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Out of approximately 52,043 nominations, roughly 11,302 advisors received the award. This ranking is not indicative of an advisor’s future performance, is not an endorsement, and may not be representative of individual clients’ experience. Neither Raymond James nor any of its Financial Advisors or RIA firms pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Compensation provided for using the rating. Raymond James is not affiliated with Forbes or Shook Research, LLC. Please visit https://www.forbes.com/best-in-state-wealth-advisors/ for more info.
Barron’s is a registered trademark of Dow Jones & Company, L.P. All rights reserved. The rankings are based on data provided by 7,855 individual advisors and their firms and include qualitative and quantitative criteria, and 1,500 won. Time period upon which the rating is based is from 09/30/2024 to 09/30/2025, and was released on 03/20/2026. Factors included in the rankings: assets under management, revenue produced for the firm, regulatory record, quality of practice and philanthropic work. Investment performance is not an explicit component because not all advisors have audited results and because performance figures often are influenced more by clients’ risk tolerance than by an advisor’s investment picking abilities. The ranking may not be representative of any one client’s experience, is not an endorsement, and is not indicative of advisor’s future performance. Neither Raymond James nor any of its Financial Advisors pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Compensation provided for using the rating. Barron’s is not affiliated with Raymond James.
The 2026 Forbes ranking of America’s Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams, 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. This ranking is based upon the period from 3/31/2024 to 3/31/2025 and was released on 01/07/2026. Advisor teams that are considered must have one advisor with a minimum of seven years of experience, have been in existence as a team for at least one year, have at least 5 team members, and have been nominated by their firm. 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 criteria due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Out of approximately 12,787 team nominations, 6,149 advisor teams received the award based on thresholds. This ranking is not indicative of an advisor’s future performance, is not an endorsement, and may not be representative of individual clients’ experience. Neither Raymond James nor any of its Financial Advisors or RIA firms pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Compensation provided for using the rating. Raymond James is not affiliated with Forbes or Shook Research, LLC.
