Mark J. Smith has been repeatedly recognized by leading industry publications as one of the top financial advisors in the U.S. He is principal of M.J. Smith and Associates, a Denver wealth management firm. He is a Certified Financial Planner™ practitioner, a Certified Public Accountant and Personal Financial Specialist, and a Certified Investment Management Analyst®.
Barron’s magazine as named Smith to its list of top 1,000 wealth advisors in the U.S. every year since 2009. In 2011 and 2012 he was named the top independent advisor in Colorado in the February rankings. Barron’s rankings are based on advisors’ assets under management, revenues, management practices, expertise, insight, trustworthiness and commitment to their clients.
Smith was the top-ranked national advisor for Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., for four consecutive years, and has been ranked in the top five advisors every year for the past 14 years. He graduated from the University of Iowa with a bachelor of business administration degree in accounting. Prior to organizing his wealth management firm in 1983, he was a senior accountant and tax specialist for the international certified public accounting firm of Deloitte, Haskins and Sells, where he gained extensive experience in individual and business taxation and estate planning. He also served as the director of income taxes for Affiliated Bankshares of Colorado, a 29-bank holding company, where he was in charge of all income tax-related matters for 37 corporations.
He was named the top Colorado independent financial advisor by Registered Rep magazine in 2011. The publication ranked Smith ranked first in Colorado and twenty-first in the U.S. on its Top 100 Independent Financial Advisors list. Only financial advisors for whom at least 60 percent of client assets are retail were included on the list, and advisors were ranked strictly by assets under management. Registered Rep named Smith one of the top 100 independent broker/dealer advisors in the U.S. in 2010. The publication ranked Smith second in Colorado and number 24 in the U.S., based on assets under management.
Smith was one of five advisors named to Research Magazine’s Advisor Hall of Fame in 2009. Advisors selected passed a rigorous screening, have a minimum of 15 years in the industry, acquired substantial assets under management, demonstrate superior client service, and have earned recognition from their peers and the broader community. He has also been recognized by Registered Rep magazine, Worth magazine, and The Winner’s Circle, an independent advocacy organization.
Smith has earned membership in the Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Chairman’s Council, comprised of the organization’s top advisors, every year since 1988. Membership is based mainly on assets under management, education, credentials and fiscal year revenues generated. Requalification is required annually.
Raymond James Financial Services asks Smith to conduct national training and educational workshops for its independent advisors. Proceeds from the workshops fund scholarships to help students from needy families. Smith established several higher education scholarships for students in Denver schools, including Metropolitan State College of Denver and Arapahoe Community College, and in his home state of Iowa at the University of Iowa and Iowa Central Community College.
He was chosen by the Colorado Society of CPAs and the American Institute CPAs to teach investment and financial planning courses to its members for continuing education. He is past president of the Colorado Society of CPAs Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization established to provide financial assistance to accounting students.
Smith served as volunteer chair of the Denver-based Evelyn Brust Financial Research and Education Foundation Curriculum Committee. The Foundation was created by the Investment Management Consultants Association to educate the public about financial planning. Smith personally developed a curriculum for the Foundation to provide investor education classes throughout the U.S. The curriculum was so well received it was quickly adopted and taught throughout the U.S. As a result, Smith was featured in a national public service announcement where he encouraged people to learn more about their finances.
Smith speaks to national professional audiences about investment planning and asset management; retirement, tax and business planning; and other topics. He has appeared in local print and broadcast media and in national financial education media and training videos. He was featured on the cover of Investment Advisor magazine’s August 2011 issue. The publication interviewed Smith on his practice recommendations for other financial advisors.
He was named 9News Leader of the Year Award finalist in 2010 by the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation, 9NEWS and the Colorado Leadership Alliance. He was recognized for making a significant contribution to the financial education of the Colorado community. Smith serves on the board of The Kempe Foundation, a non-profit advocacy organization for the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect. He also serves on the board of the Salvation Army Intermountain Division, where he previously helped lead the nonprofit in obtaining more planned giving donations than any other Salvation Army division in the nation—approximately $70 million in new donations.
M.J. Smith and Associates has been named one of Denver’s premier financial advisors by the National Association of Board Certified Advisory Practices (NABCAP). The NABCAP is a nonprofit organization created to educate and inform the investing general public with reliable, unaffiliated, unbiased and objective educational resources and information. Firms selected must be in good standing with regulatory bodies and in compliance with their respective broker/dealer. M.J. Smith and Associates was recognized in Wealth Manager Magazine as one the top advisory firms serving high net worth clients in 2007 and 2008 based on average assets under management per client.
The firm offers fee-based asset management services with a comprehensive financial planning approach that includes income tax planning. M.J. Smith and Associates is an independent registered investment advisor with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. For more information call 303-768-0007 or visit www.mj-smith.com . Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services Inc., member FINRA/SIPC.
CFP® | Certified Financial Planner™ | 
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., owns the certification marks above, which it awards to individuals who successfully complete initial and ongoing certification requirements.
* CPA services are provided by Mark J. Smith, CPA and are not services provided by Raymond James.
