Five Star award winner Robert D. Lawson

PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Awards and Honors

Five Star Wealth Manager award winner 2012, 2014-2015, 2018-2023, 2025
Minnesota Lawyer – Voted the Best Litigation Consulting Firm 2020
Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®)
Master Registered Financial Consultant (MRFC®)
Life Underwriters Training Council Fellow (LUTCF®)
Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE®)
FINRA Arbitrator – Chair Qualified
NFA Arbitrator – Chair Qualified
Qualified Neutral Under Minnesota Rule 114 | Arbitrator & Mediator
Certified Mediator
Former Chairman and Board Member for the Master Registered Financial Consultants
Securities Expert Roundtable – Former Chair of the Practice Management & Mentorship Committee
Minnesota State Bar Association – Former ADR Section Membership Chair
CFA Institute – Member
CFA Society of Minnesota - Member
CFA Institute - Former Global Industry Standards (GIS) Steering Committee Member

FINRA Arbitrator

Robert Lawson proudly serves as a FINRA and NFA Arbitrator (FINRA Chair-Qualified) and a FINRA Mediator where he presides over industry and public disputes pertaining to breach of fiduciary duties, negligence, failure to supervise, misrepresentation, breach of contract, monetary damages, and employment issues. As an unbiased Arbitrator, he renders final and binding decisions after carefully weighing the facts of each case.

FINRA Expert Witness

As a securities expert witness and litigation support consultant, Mr. Lawson is retained by both claimants and respondents for FINRA Arbitrations, mediations, and court settings. He speaks with clarity and precision and his expert opinions are founded upon his four decades of experience and a thorough understanding of industry rules, standards of professional conduct, and the codes of ethics for the brokerage, investment management, and insurance industry. Retaining counsel is supported by extensive research, expert witness reports, persuasive testimony, and extensive industry and supervisory, and fiduciary experience.

Master Registered Financial Consultant®

As the recipient of the Master Registered Financial Consultant (MRFC®) designation, Bob Lawson also has met the experiential, educational and licensing requirements in the field of financial planning and services rendered. Bob has a thorough understanding of:

Retirement Planning

• Income Sources and Calculations
• Fact Finding
• Goal Setting
• Obstacles to Successful Retirement Planning
• Investments and Financial Products
• Distribution Strategies
• Tax Advantage Retirement Plans
• Wealth Transfer Planning

Insurance Planning

• Term, Permanent & Variable Life Insurance
• Long Term Care Insurance
• Critical Illness Insurance
• Business Continuation
• Annuities

Education Planning

• Explaining Education Planning
• Funding for Education

Estate Planning

• Explaining Estate Planning
• Types of Property Ownership
• Types of Property Transfers
• Estate Reduction Techniques
• Planning for Special Needs
• Life Insurance for Business Owners
• Life Insurance and Estate Planning
• Charitable Planning

Plan Development

• Developing Recommendations
• Analyzing Change in Strategy
• Asset Allocation
• Budgeting
• Plan Implementation

Investment Planning

• Investment Fundamentals
• Investments for Retirement
• Investment for Education
• Investments for Special Situations
• Investment Evaluation
• Portfolio Development & Analysis
• Asset Allocation

Data Gathering

• Fact Finding
• Questioning Techniques
• Needs Analysis

Ongoing Monitoring

• Ongoing Reviews

Tax Planning

• Income Tax Fundamentals

Regulations and Compliance

• Suitability and Disclosures
• Resolve apparent and potential conflicts of interest in client relationships
• Provide regulatory disclosures
• Provide disclosures related to compensation arrangements and associated potential conflicts of interest

Licensing and Continuing Education

• Understanding the State Statutes that regulate investment and insurance business
• Ensure compliance with licensing requirements of states where client resides
• Comply with consumer protection laws and regulations

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This award was issued on 11/1/24 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 3/13/24 through 10/29/24. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. 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. 4789 Twin Cities-area wealth managers were considered for the award; 624 (13% of candidates) were named 2025 Five Star Wealth Managers. The following prior year statistics use this format: YEAR: # Considered, # Winners, % of candidates, Issued Date, Research Period. 2024: 4,280, 637, 15%, 12/1/23, 3/13/23 - 9/29/23; 2023: 4,080, 633, 16%, 12/1/22, 3/14/22 - 10/18/22; 2022: 4544, 622, 14%, 12/1/21, 3/29/21 - 10/8/21; 2021: 4004, 630, 16%, 12/1/20, 3/30/20 - 10/23/20; 2020: 3606, 589, 16%, 12/1/19, 3/1/19 - 10/25/19; 2019: 3504, 671, 19%, 12/1/18, 3/23/18 - 10/23/18; 2018: 2622, 591, 23%, 12/1/17, 2/23/17 - 10/13/17; 2017: 2304, 836, 36%, 11/1/16, 2/25/16 - 10/14/16; 2016: 2083, 854, 41%, 11/1/15, 4/17/15 - 10/14/15; 2015: 2673, 825, 31%, 12/1/14, 4/17/14 - 10/14/14; 2014: 1931, 844, 44%, 12/1/13, 4/17/13 - 10/14/13; 2013: 2151, 863, 40%, 12/1/12, 4/17/12 - 10/14/12; 2012: 1256, 624, 50%, 11/1/11, 4/17/11 - 10/14/11.

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Barrington Capital Management, Inc. only conducts business in states and jurisdictions where it is registered or where an exemption from registration exists. This site and its contents do not constitute investment advice or a solicitation to sell securities. Past performance is not indicative of future results. This website is for informational purposes only and Barrington Capital Management, Inc. reserves the right to modify it at any time without notice. Copies of Barrington Capital Management Inc.’s Form ADV Part 2 are available upon request.

Neither Barrington Capital Management, Inc., nor any of their Investment Adviser Representatives, provide tax or legal advice. Tax and legal advice should only be obtained from a qualified professional. All written content on this site is for informational purposes only. All information and ideas should be discussed in detail with an advisor prior to implementation. Examples from our news feeds, blogs or articles do not take into consideration commissions, investment management fees, miscellaneous transaction fees, tax considerations, or margin requirements, which are factors that may significantly affect the economic consequences of a given strategy. Investors should review transaction costs, margin requirements and tax considerations with their financial or tax advisor before entering into any investment or financial planning strategy. Material presented is believed to be from reliable sources; however, we make no representations as to its accuracy or completeness.

Investment Advisory services are offered by Barrington Capital Management, Inc., a Minnesota Registered Investment Adviser. Barrington Capital Management, Inc. may utilize the services of First Ascent Asset Management, LLC for certain investment portfolios. Insurance products and services are offered through Barrington Capital Management, Inc., a licensed insurance agency.

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.