Published on May 5, 2026
This article was written by Salvatore M. Capizzi
Salvatore M. Capizzi, CEPA, CBDA, is Dunham's Chief of Sales & Marketing and a 2026 Wealthies CMO of the Year Finalist. His work focuses on retirement planning, emerging trends for financial advisors, and advanced tax, trust, and estate strategies.
Dunham Earns Four ThinkAdvisor Luminaries 2026 Finalist Nods
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Recognition means something when you earn it.
The awards and finalist nominations below came through three different paths - peer recommendations, independent fund performance data, and a competitive industry nomination process. Different channels. Same end result - suggesting Dunham is doing something right.
We think that’s worth acknowledging - so you know what’s happening within the team that supports you across investments, trust, estate, and tax planning.
Most of all, the credit belongs to the advisors who trusted us with their clients’ assets, and to the team members who show up every day determined to earn that trust. That’s what drives this.
And the momentum didn’t start in 2026.
Last year, Adem Tumerkan - Dunham’s content editor and author of the Morning Pour - was recognized with a 2025 Luminaries Award for the Next Gen Rising Star category as one of the emerging voices shaping the wealth management industry.
That set the tone. And here’s what followed.
USA Today and Statista surveyed over 30,000 financial advisors, clients, and industry experts. Peer recommendations counted for 20% of the score. Actual AUM growth carried the other 80%. You couldn’t nominate yourself - the list reflects what others in the industry think of you, backed by real growth numbers.
Getting on that list reflects two things:
Both trace back to the same source - the advisor partners who chose to work with us and trust us with their clients assets.
Dunham International Opportunity Bond Fund (DNIOX) earned the U.S. Fund Award in the International Income category for five-year performance - its second consecutive recognition. Sub-advised by Virtus Fixed Income Advisers, LLC, DNIOX is one of only a few U.S. funds offering pure international fixed-income exposure. No style drift, no blended mandates. What advisors ask for is what they get.
Dunham International Stock Fund (DNINX) earned the U.S. Fund Award in the International Large-Cap Value category for ten-year performance, also for the second consecutive year. Sub-advised by Arrowstreet Capital, LP, the fund takes an unconstrained approach to global equity markets - pursuing some of the most compelling opportunities available. A decade of consistent results is a hard thing to argue with.
We’re grateful to our Dunham analyst team - and both Virtus and Arrowstreet - for the discipline and expertise they bring to our advisors and their clients.
Winning two years in a row doesn’t happen without the right people at the helm.
Three nominations says something about the range of what Dunham brings to our advisor partners every day. Note that winners will be announced later in 2026.
Six recognitions over the last few months – spanning across fund performance, peer reputation, compliance, AUM growth, and individual excellence.
We’re grateful for all of it.
But keep in mind these are trailing indicators – meaning they reflect work that already happened. The real measure is whether we keep earning it.
To every advisor who recommended us to a peer, and to every member of our team who put in the work: these achievements belong to you. And to the clients behind every account - we don’t take that for granted.
The recognitions are noted.
And we believe there’s more to come.
Adem Tumerkan was awarded the 2025 Next-Gen Rising Star Award.
The ThinkAdvisor Luminaries award honors firms and individuals that demonstrate exemplary leadership, groundbreaking innovation and outstanding community impact.
The Next-Gen Rising Star award Honors individuals with less than 10 years of industry experience and who can demonstrate contributions to newsworthy and outstanding results – including how they helped introduce highly innovative programs/thinking, products and/or services that may be leading to or showing high potential for growth in revenues, advisor headcount, assets under management/advisement and/or other measures.
Compensation was not exchanged for this award. A fee was paid solely to promote the award nomination.
For more information on the Luminaries Award, please visit https://event.thinkadvisor.com/luminaries-awards/criteria.
About USA TODAY’s Best Financial Advisory Firm List:
The ranking was tabulated by market research firm Statista to rank the top 1000 RIA firms in the U.S. The ranking of the best (“RIA Firms”), published in April 2026, is based on two dimensions:
Recommendations from financial advisors, clients, and industry experts:
Recommendations were collected through an independent survey among over 30,000 individuals. Clients, industry experts, and financial advisors could recommend RIA firms they consider commendable. Self-recommendations were not allowed.
Development of Assets under Management (AUM):
A firm’s AUM growth was analyzed using publicly available data from the SEC IAPD regulatory database, measuring both short-term growth (January 2025–January 2026) and mid-term growth over the past three years (2023–2026) to reflect recent firm momentum with the ADV data being as of 12/31 each year.
The final score was calculated by weighting recommendations at 20% and AUM development at 80%. Within the AUM growth metric, short-term and mid-term growth were each weighed 30/70. The final score was calculated as follows: 20% x recommendation score + 80% x AUM development score = final score. All surveyed individuals were selected at random.
For more information about the ranking and methodology visit STATISTA, and to see the complete list of Top Financial Advisory Firms of 2026 visit USA Today.
This award is not indicative of future investment performance and should not be construed as an endorsement of Dunham & Associates Investment Counsel, Inc. by any client or industry participant. Rankings are based on information collected during the survey period and may not reflect subsequent developments.
About Virtus Fixed Income Advisers, LLC
Virtus Fixed Income Advisers, LLC ("VFIA"), "Stone Harbor Investment Partners division", 1301 Avenue of the Americas, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10019 , serves as the Sub-Adviser to the Dunham International Opportunity Bond Fund. Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. owns 100% of VFIA. As of December 31, 2025, the Stone Harbor Investment Partners division of VFIA had approximately $6.5 billion in assets under management.
About Arrowstreet Capital, Limited Partnership
Arrowstreet Capital, Limited Partnership (Arrowstreet) was founded in June 1999 as an independent private partnership that serves as a discretionary institutional global asset manager. Headquartered in Boston, MA, the firm is structured as a limited partnership that is wholly-owned and controlled by members of the firm's senior management team and non-executive directors. Arrowstreet has been a registered investment adviser with the SEC under the U.S. Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, since July 1999. It had approximately $285 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2025.
About LSEG Lipper Fund Award:
For more than 30 years and in over 17 countries worldwide, these highly-respected awards have honored funds and fund management firms that have excelled in providing consistently strong risk-adjusted performance relative to their peers.
Fund Classification Awards
The currency for the calculation corresponds to the currency of the country for which the awards are calculated and relies on monthly data. Classification averages are calculated with all eligible share classes for each eligible classification. The calculation periods extend over 36, 60, and 120 months. The highest Lipper Leader for Consistent Return (Effective Return) value within each eligible classification determines the fund classification winner over three, five, or 10 years. For a detailed explanation, please review the Lipper Leader Methodology Document at https://www.lipperfundawards.com/Methodology
The LSEG Lipper Fund Awards, granted annually, highlight funds and fund companies that have excelled in delivering consistently strong risk-adjusted performance relative to their peers. The LSEG Lipper Fund Awards are based on the Lipper Leader for Consistent Return rating, which is a risk-adjusted performance measure calculated over 36, 60 and 120 months. The fund with the highest Lipper Leader for Consistent Return (Effective Return) value in each eligible classification wins the LSEG Lipper Fund Award. For more information, see www.lipperfundawards.com. Although LSEG makes reasonable efforts to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data contained herein, the accuracy is not guaranteed by LSEG Lipper.
Investors should consider the investment objectives, risk factors, charges, and expenses of the Dunham Funds carefully before investing. This and other important information is contained in the Dunham Funds' summary prospectus and/or prospectus, which may be obtained by contacting your financial advisor, or by calling toll free (800) 442‐4358. Please read prospectus materials carefully before investing or sending money. Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal.
Performance data quoted represents past performance which is no guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value of an investment in a Fund will fluctuate so that investor's shares, when redeemed, may be worth more less than their original cost. All investing involves risk.
The Sub-Adviser receives a fulcrum fee, which will vary based on the Sub-Adviser's performance against the benchmark. The Sub-Adviser is rewarded when performance exceeds the benchmark and is penalized when performance is short of the benchmark. Some Sub-Advisers receive minimum compensation regardless of whether or not an established performance benchmark is met or exceeded.
InvestmentNews
Award Methodology
Nominated “InvestmentNews Excellence Awards” for the categories: Asset Manager of the Year, Compliance Team of the Year and Wholesaler of the Year by InvestmentNews in 2026. Based on data from December 2025 – February 2026.
See full nomination methodology at https://lnkd.in/ege6VYZd.
Final winners will be announced in June 2026 and are selected through a five-stage process: open nominations; internal research by InvestmentNews; submission of detailed materials by selected excellence awardees; review by an independent panel of industry leaders using defined criteria; and final selection via a panel assessment panel and voting for winners in each category according to the relevant category criteria. No fee is required to enter. Recognition is not indicative of future performance and does not guarantee client satisfaction or success. Awards are based on information submitted by the adviser and should not be construed as an endorsement by, nor representative of, any client’s experience. Dunham has not provided compensation (directly or indirectly) to obtain, use, or distribute this third-party award nomination. Dunham and its affiliates are not affiliated with InvestmentNews or any of their affiliates. April 2026.
