Two Bemidji advisors named to Forbes Best-in-State list

Two Bemidji financial advisers landed on Forbes’ Best-in-State Wealth Advisors list, with Ryan Welle of First National Bank Bemidji ranked No. 53 in Minnesota and Jeremy Fayette of Edward Jones ranked No. 33. For a market the size of Bemidji, that kind of national recognition is unusual and puts local money management work on a much bigger stage.

The 2026 ranking, Forbes’ eighth annual edition, was published April 7 and was based on data as of June 30, 2025. SHOOK Research said it received 52,043 nominations and used a mix of qualitative and quantitative review, including interviews, compliance records, assets under management and revenue trends. The process included 29,109 invited online surveys, 26,288 telephone interviews, 6,985 in-person interviews and 1,553 virtual interviews. Forbes said the advisers on the list collectively oversee $20.6 trillion in assets.

Welle’s showing carries added local weight because First National Bank Bemidji has tied its identity to the Welle family for decades. The bank says Ryan Welle has worked there for 12 years, has served as president since 2023 and previously was executive vice president beginning in March 2019. A Bemidji State University Alumni & Foundation profile said the Welle family’s leadership of the bank dates to 1945, that the bank has been employee-owned for nearly 40 years and that Ryan Welle graduated from Bemidji State University in 2003. First National Bank Bemidji’s board listing also identifies him as president and a board member.

Fayette’s recognition adds another firm to the list of Bemidji advisers drawing state-level attention. Edward Jones identifies him as a financial advisor serving Bemidji, and the firm lists its local office at 115 5th St. NW, Bemidji, MN 56601. Edward Jones said 627 of its financial advisors were recognized in the 2026 Forbes/SHOOK rankings, showing that Bemidji’s inclusion came within one of the country’s largest brokerage networks, not just a small local pool.

For Beltrami County residents weighing who should handle retirement savings, farm succession planning or small-business accounts, the rankings offer a practical signal as much as a prestige marker. In a city where local banks and advisors help shape household balance sheets, the presence of two Bemidji names on a national list suggests the area’s financial-services sector has reach well beyond county lines.