News

Chicago, IL (September 11, 2026) — Hunter Benefits Consulting Group, a national Retirement Plan Consultant or (TPA) serving over 1,000 retirement plans with 25+ years of expertise in 401(k), 403(b), and defined benefit plans has been recognized as the winner of Best Advisor Support – Third Party Administrators in the 2026 Wealth Management Industry Awards (the “Wealthies”). This award underscores Hunter Benefits’ commitment to making complex retirement plan guidance accessible, accurate, and genuinely useful to financial advisors and plan sponsors. 

Hunter Benefits was recognized for its authentic social media presence and in-person advisor events that combine humor with compliant, real-world retirement plan education. Rather than relying on corporate jargon or hype, the firm delivers practical insights that help advisors and plan sponsors navigate plan design, compliance, and participant education without the noise. This was the first year TPAs were included in the Wealthies, making Hunter Benefits’ inaugural win particularly meaningful. 

“I was almost speechless,” said Christopher Tipper, Founder & CEO of Hunter Benefits. We’ve always believed that advisors and plan sponsors deserve straightforward, honest guidance, not jargon. This award validates that approach and reminds us why we do this work every day. 

Now in its 12th year, the Wealth Management Industry Awards recognize outstanding achievements by companies, organizations and individuals that support financial advisor success. Winners are selected based on quantitative measures including scope, scale, adoption and feature set, along with qualitative measures such as innovation, creativity and user experience. 

A record-breaking number of nominations were submitted in 2026, with over 1,392 entries received from 315 unique companies. “The growth of the Wealthies reflects both the expanding range of organizations serving advisors and the extraordinary amount of work being done to help advisors build stronger businesses and improve outcomes for their clients,” said David Armstrong, Head of Editorial Operations, Wealth Management Group. “Our independent judges evaluate the usefulness, innovation, scope and impact of each initiative – not the company behind it. To be named a finalist, and especially a winner, is meaningful recognition in a year with a record field.” 

A complete list of the 2026 Wealth Management Industry Awards winners and finalists can be found at https://informaconnect.com/wealth-management-industry-awards/. 

About Wealth Management 

Wealth Management, an Informa business, provides everything wealth professionals need to know to stay knowledgeable about the industry, build stronger relationships, improve their practice, and grow their business. Wealth Management offers financial services organizations a broad array of marketing services designed to help them influence the industry’s leading audience of wealth management professionals.