Accolades for Our Financial Advisors
Our advisors are award-winning and among some of the top in the nation.
Financial Advisor Women’s Choice Award
Kim Gieseler has qualified for the 2026 Women’s Choice Award®, recognizing her commitment to serving the financial needs of women. The Women’s Choice Award is the only program that identifies advisors who understand and value the financial power of women, highlighting those dedicated to guiding clients through every stage of their financial lives.
Carson Group’s Women in Wealth Management Backstage Star was received by Renee Boulger for 2025. This awards program recognizes Carson Group partners based on impact made in their community through career excellence, mentorship, allyship to women, and innovation. The award is not available to individuals outside of the Carson Group, and judging is conducted by a selection committee external to the Carson Group. No compensation was provided directly or indirectly by the recipient in connection with obtaining or using the award. This award listing is not a guarantee of future investment success, and recognition should not be construed as an endorsement of the advisor by any client.
We are proud to announce that our advisor, Kim Gieseler (Co-Founder, Wealth Advisor, CFP® RICP®) has been recognized as Five Star Wealth Manager award winners. By receiving this award she represents an exclusive group of wealth managers who demonstrated excellence in their field and for being recognized as service professionals that provided exemplary service to their clients.
Giving back to the community with time and resources is a vital part of Valorem’s culture, and our commitment to supporting the local community is one of our core values. So, we are thrilled to share with you that Valorem Financial was awarded Carson Partners’ inaugural Impact Award for making a difference in the lives of our clients and our team and in our communities.
We are proud to announce that all of our advisors, Kim Gieseler (Co-Founder, Wealth Advisor, CFP® RICP®), Ted Swenson (Co-Founder, and Wealth Advisor, CFP®) have been recognized as Five Star Wealth Manager award winners. By receiving this award they represent an exclusive group of wealth managers who demonstrated excellence in their field and for being recognized as service professionals that provided exemplary service to their clients.
Carson Impact award received by Valorem Financial, 2021 – Carson’s Impact award is awarded to partner offices and/or stakeholders based on holistic impact made in their community through philanthropy and volunteerism. Receiving the Carson Impact award does not ensure that a client or prosepctive client will experience a higher level of performance or results, nor a guarantee of future investment success.
Women’s Choice Award Financial Advisor 2026 issued by WomenCertified Inc. award to Kim Gieseler Women’s Choice Award Financial Advisors are verified using 17 objective criteria focused on service quality for women clients, including credentials, experience, regulatory history, background checks, and third party validations. Advisors do not pay to apply or qualify, though those who become verified may choose to purchase optional marketing materials or paid featured listings, which are clearly identified. Inclusion in the WCA Verified Financial Advisor network is not an endorsement, does not guarantee service quality, and does not assure future investment results. Listing in this publication and/or award is not a guarantee of future investment success. This recognition should not be construed as an endorsement of the financial professional by any client. No compensation was provided directly or indirectly by the recipient for participation or in connection with obtaining or using the third-party rating or award.
The Five Star Wealth Manager award, administered by Crescendo Business Services, LLC (dba Five Star Professional), is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria – required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser or a registered investment adviser representative; 2. Actively registered as a registered investment adviser or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by Five Star Professional, the wealth manager has not: A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a registration being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or denied complaints with any regulatory authority or Five Star Professional’s consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through Five Star Professional’s consumer complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client’s experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated from a financial services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria – considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth managers. Award does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager does not ensure that a client or prospective client will experience a higher level of performance or results. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager Award list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by any client nor are they representative of any one client’s evaluation. The Five Star award is not indicative of the wealth manager’s future performance. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will be awarded this accomplishment by Five Star Professional in the future. For more information on the Five Star award and the research/selection methodology, go to fivestarprofessional.com. Listing in this publication and/or award is not a guarantee of future investment success. This recognition should not be construed as an endorsement of the advisor by any client.