For investment firms and asset managers selling into the wealth channel, DC is not a secondary market. It is a primary target. The metro is home to more than 3,500 financial advisors across every major broker-dealer, private bank, and wirehouse in the market, according to Dakota Marketplace – similar to what we’ve seen in markets like New York City and Boston.
Dakota FAs tracks financial advisors across DC and every major metro in the country, with 9,000+ verified contacts across broker-dealers, banks, and select RIA hybrids. The advisors featured below were selected using the same data framework that powers the Dakota 500, Dakota's annual independent recognition of leading financial advisors across the United States.
In this article we’ll review ten of the most significant advisor teams in the Washington DC area.
Top 10 Financial Advisors in Washington, D.C.
1. Brock Van Selow – The Capitol Group Institutional Consulting
Brock Van Selow is a Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager at The Capitol Group Institutional Consulting, a UBS team based in Washington, DC. A generalist serving high-net-worth and institutional clients, Van Selow brings broad wealth management expertise with a recent promotion reflecting his growing leadership within the firm.
2. Ann Marie Etergino – The Etergino Group
Ann Marie Etergino is Managing Director and Financial Advisor at The Etergino Group, an RBC Wealth Management team based in Chevy Chase, MD, serving high-net-worth private clients and institutional investors. With over 30 years of experience in fiduciary investing and disciplined asset management, Etergino holds both the CIMA designation from the Wharton School and the Accredited Investment Fiduciary designation.
3. Robert Scherer – MS Graystone
Robert Scott Scherer is a Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley's Graystone Consulting team, based in Potomac, MD, serving clients across the Washington DC metro area. Scherer brings broad asset class coverage to a generalist practice focused on delivering tailored investment solutions for his client base.
4. Chip Swatta – RBC
Chip Swatta is a Financial Advisor at Swatta Investment Group, an RBC team based in Annapolis, MD, serving clients across the Washington DC metro area. The firm manages approximately $330 million in assets with a focus on investment services for its client base.
5. Raymond James - Arlington
Raymond James Arlington is a Raymond James team based in Arlington, VA, managing approximately $200 million in assets. The team serves clients across the Washington DC metro area with a broad range of financial services.
Want to see every financial advisor in Washington DC? Dakota FAs gives you instant access to 3,500+ DC-area advisors with verified contact details, AUM data, and investment preference indicators.
6. Andrew Leonard – RBC
Andrew Leonard is a Financial Advisor at The Leonard Group, an RBC team based in Washington, DC, managing approximately $300 million in assets. A Virginia Tech graduate, Leonard serves clients across the DC metro with a broad-based financial advisory practice.
7. Keith Apton – UBS
Keith Apton is Managing Director and founding partner of The Capital ESOP Group, a UBS team based in Washington, DC, managing approximately $2.1 billion in assets. A nationally recognized authority on ESOPs and Internal Revenue Code §1042 rollovers, Apton has participated in over $3.5 billion in ESOP transactions and co-authored the ninth edition of Selling Your Business to an ESOP.
8. The Ruben Group Rockefeller
The Ruben Group is a Rockefeller Capital Management team based at 2 Bethesda Metro Center in Bethesda, MD, managing approximately $1 billion in assets. The team serves clients across the Washington DC metro area with a focus on specialized private wealth management solutions.
9. Trip Mclaughlin – MS
Trip McLaughlin is Executive Director and Wealth Advisor at The I Street Group, a Morgan Stanley team based in Washington, DC, managing approximately $7.1 billion in assets. With over 20 years of experience advising foundations, associations, corporations, and family offices, McLaughlin holds the CIMA designation from the Wharton School and ranks among Barron's Top 1,000 Financial Advisors in America.
10. Don Metzger – MS
Donald Metzger is Managing Director at Capitol Wealth Management Group, a Morgan Stanley team based in Washington, DC, managing approximately $5.4 billion in assets. Metzger has advised high-net-worth families and corporations on wealth management, employee benefit platforms, and corporate financing matters since joining the firm in 1992.
Start Calling on the Right Advisors with Dakota FAs
Financial advisors are the largest, and most overlooked, allocator channel in the market. Dakota FAs gives fundraisers and investment sales teams a structured, metro-specific view into this massive audience so you can stop guessing and start booking meetings.
Here’s what you get:
- Organized by Metro Area: Every advisor and financial advisor team in your metro, grouped by location for instant targeting.
- Verified Contact Info: Accurate emails, phone numbers, and office details across broker-dealers, banks, and select RIA hybrids. No bouncing emails or outdated records.
- Investment Preferences and Indicators: Filter by asset class interest, AUM, channel, and advisor attributes to prioritize the right targets before you pick up the phone.
- Form ADV Data: Available for hybrid advisors where applicable, giving you added context on the teams you're approaching.
- LinkedIn Profiles: Fast context on individual advisors for warm, informed outreach.
- Home Office Coverage: Up-to-date research and verified contacts identifying key centers of influence and decision-makers driving platform and product approvals.
- Dakota Recommends: Curated, location-specific recommendations for coffee shops, restaurants, event spaces, and hotels when traveling to meet advisors in DC and beyond.
Dakota FAs is updated weekly, purpose-built for sellers, and priced for teams of any size: individual access starts at $999 per year with no contract required.
If you're ready to go beyond a top 10 and see the full advisor picture in Washington DC and across the country, get access here.
