SERVING CLIENTS SINCE 1990

Peterson Financial Services, LLC, is an independent financial advisory business providing clients a variety of financial services and investments.

Based in Denver, Colorado, and serving customers nationwide since 1990, we focus on fee-based portfolio management and financial analysis services. We are non-proprietary and search the broad marketplace objectively for investments appropriate to our individual client needs. The principal, Kirk R. Peterson, CFP®, is committed to providing personalized, balanced and trustworthy advice with impeccable service. As fee-only advisors, we are registered with the Colorado Division of Securities as well as other state securities agencies as required by those states in which we operate.

Peterson Financial Services, LLC’s focus is divided between asset management and financial advisory services. We provide asset allocation and portfolio analysis, money management and consulting services analyzing current conditions against goals. By assessing each client’s risk tolerance, current portfolio position and asset allocation, tax strategies, integration with other assets not under our management, financial goals, and liquidity or income needs, we provide a personal relationship to our service. Our mission is not to tell our clients what their goals should be. Rather, we find out what their goals are and craft a plan for achieving them.

Peterson Financial Services, LLC is a recipient of the “Five-Star Wealth Manager” award.

Peterson Financial Services, LLC has received the prestigious “Five-Star Wealth Manager” award each year it has been offered. Publication appears in the November issues of 5280 magazine and Colorado Biz magazine, with this summary of the selection process:

Five-Star Professional surveys tens of thousands of high-net-worth households and interviews thousands of registered financial services professionals in the greater Denver area, yielding a slate of nominations. Participants were asked to evaluate only wealth managers whom they know through personal experience and to evaluate them based solely upon just these nine criteria: customer service, integrity, knowledge/experience, communication, value for fee charged, meeting of financial objectives, post-sale service, quality of recommendations and overall satisfaction. Both positive and negative evaluations are included in the scoring, and only wealth managers with more than five years of experience in the financial services industry were considered.

Once that screen is met, each wealth manager was reviewed for regulatory actions, civil judicial actions and customer complaints as reported by FINRA, the SEC, the Colorado Division of Securities, professional licensing boards, such as the Certified Financial Board of Standards, and other trade affiliations. Then, before finalizing the list, wealth manager award candidates were reviewed by a panel comprised of experts from within the financial services industry. Although panelist comments were incorporated into the final score, safeguards were built into the review process to reduce the ability of panel members to influence the composition of the final list on the basis of company affiliation. Wealth managers cannot pay to be included either in the research, or the final list.

We appreciate our clients’ confidence and trust in us, and continue daily to be worthy of it.


This award issued/published on 10/01/2023 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the research time period 12/12/2022 through 06/30/2023. Self-completed questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 2,580 Denver-area wealth managers were considered for the award; 247 (10% of candidates) were named 2023 Five Star Wealth Managers. The following prior year statistics use this format: YEAR: # Considered, # Winners, % of candidates, Issued Date, Research Period. 2022: 2132, 235, 11%, 10/1/22, 1/17/22 – 7/15/22; 2021: 2158, 206, 10%, 10/1/21, 1/4/21 – 7/30/21; 2020: 2172, 213, 10%, 10/1/20, 1/20/20 – 8/14/20; 2019: 2146, 262, 12%, 10/1/19, 1/21/19 – 8/23/19; 2018: 2255, 267, 12%, 10/1/18, 1/18/18 – 8/21/18; 2017: 1716, 287, 17%, 10/1/17, 1/18/17 – 8/9/17; 2016: 1552, 515, 33%, 9/1/16, 2/23/16 – 8/26/16; 2015: 3008, 517, 17%, 10/1/15, 2/19/15 – 8/17/15; 2014: 4385, 528, 12%, 10/1/14, 2/19/13 – 8/17/13; 2013: 2083, 607, 29%, 10/1/13, 2/19/12 – 8/17/12; 2012: 1965, 611, 31%, 10/1/12, 2/19/11 – 8/17/11. Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria-required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a registered investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a RIA 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 FSP, the wealth manager has not; A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license 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 FSP’s consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP’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. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. The award is not indicative of the wealth manager’s future performance. Wealth Managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients’ assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. 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 FSP in the future. Visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.