Aaron I. Brachman, CFP®, AAMS®, AIF®

Raised by a single parent, Aaron Brachman witnessed the power of hard work and self-reliance growing up. His force-of-nature mother would instill many lasting values in these formative years, laying the groundwork for his career.

Aaron’s primary role as a Founding Partner and Managing Director is to create and monitor all client portfolios and perform asset manager due diligence. Additionally, he directs the pro-bono efforts of The Washington Wealth Group, teaching budding professionals and the children of clients the basics of finance through the Next Generation Initiative. Aaron is passionate about Social Impact Investing and is frequently interviewed by various media outlets. He was a keynote speaker at the Sustainable Investments Symposium. In 2019, Aaron has been ranked by Forbes as a Next Generation Best in State Wealth Advisor.

Aaron entered the industry in 1999 as an intern to the Vice Chair of Ferris, Baker Watts, Inc. Upon graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance from The George Washington University in 2002, he continued his professional journey with The Washington Wealth Group at Ferris, Baker Watts, Inc. Aaron then made history in 2006 by becoming one of the youngest partners in the firm at age 26. In addition to his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification, he earned the Accredited Asset Management Specialist (AAMS®) and Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®) designation.

Outside of work, Aaron leads an active lifestyle with his wife, son, and daughter. Much to his wife’s chagrin, his free time is often spent researching macro-economic policy decisions. Aaron also volunteers alongside Chris at Year Up, an organization that empowers low-income youth to go from poverty to professional careers within a single year.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, CFP® (with plaque design) and CFP® (with flame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.

SHOOK Research considered advisors born in 1980 or later with a minimum 4 years relevant experience. Advisors have built their own practices and lead their teams; joined teams and are viewed as future leadership; or a combination of both. Ranking algorithm is based on qualitative measures derived from telephone and in-person interviews and surveys: service models, investing process, client retention, industry experience, review of compliance records, firm nominations, etc.; and quantitative criteria, such as assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Investment performance is not a criteria because client objectives and risk tolerances vary, and advisors rarely have audited performance reports. Rankings are based on the opinions of SHOOK Research, LLC. Neither SHOOK nor Forbes receives compensation from the advisors or their firms in exchange for placement on a ranking. Raymond James is not affiliated with Forbes or Shook Research, LLC. This ranking is not indicative of advisor's future performance, is not an endorsement, and may not be representative of individual clients' experience. Out of 6,389 advisors considered, 1,489 made the final list in 2019. For more information see www.SHOOKresearch.com. Please visit https://www.forbes.com/best-in-state-wealth-advisors for more info.