Well, two weeks ago I got an email from Investopedia, an encyclopedia website for personal finance and investment. The email told me that I was recognized as one of their “Top 100 Influential Advisors” in their inaugural ranking.

Let me just say I was very skeptical. I’ve gotten emails like that before, sometimes even from reputable magazines, telling me that I had been selected in their top financial advisor rankings. They then would go on to ask me to buy advertising, or make a payment to retain my listing in their top advisor rankings.

I never bother to reply since I don’t do “pay to play.”

So I fully expected that Investopedia would ask me for money as well. Much to my surprise, they did not. They simply explained the methodology they used to  pick me to be among their Top 100 Influential Advisors:

The INVESTOPEDIA 100 recognizes financial advisors who spread the message of financial planning and retirement readiness-those with the greatest reach and impact across social media and content channels including TV, radio, blogs and books. Investopedia’s content sciences team identified advisors across the country who are best able to engage with their audience as measured by reach, frequency, engagement and media mentions. Those included on this list were also rated on the quality of the information they produced and shared across media channels. Tens or even hundreds of thousands of Twitter followers is not enough-their message needed to be sound, balanced, and truly useful to the public.

At Investopedia, our mission is to educate, inform and promote important conversations among investors and financial professionals of all levels, everywhere. This list is our salute to advisors who embody that same ethos and contribute thought leadership and industry insights as far and wide and as unselfishly as they can. We know and expect advisors to use these channels to grow their businesses. We admire and encourage this kind of marketing tactic, and we understand how these kinds of efforts can benefit investors at every stage of the wealth accumulation process.

They gave me a good reason and I gladly accepted their recognition.

For full disclosure, I do have an existing relationship with Investopedia. I have published articles and answered questions on their website and my contributions are liked by 89% of their readers. You can follow me there.

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