Led by finance professor and radio talk show host "Dr. Gene" Henssler, Henssler Financial is an advisory firm that has billions in assets under management (AUM).
This fee-based firm has its headquarters in Kennesaw, Georgia, and a branch office in Atlanta.
Henssler Financial, legally known as G.W. Hensler & Associates, works with a variety of clients, including both high-net-worth and non-high-net-worth individuals, as well as other investment companies, pension and profit-sharing plans, charities, state or municipal entities and corporations.
In 2018, Atlanta Magazine named five Henssler Financial advisors - William Lako, Jr., Jennifer Thomas, James Barker, Adam Ledbetter and Shawna Theriault - to its Five Star Wealth Manager list.
Henssler Financial Background
Though Henssler founded the firm in 1987, it wasn’t until 1991 that he took on his first “managed client.” In the beginning, the Kennesaw State University professor was only designing financial plans for people who called into his radio talk show and asked him for help - both the consulting work and radio show were side gigs. A few years later, when he saw that clients were having trouble implementing those plans, he hired a person to help them.
Henssler at last found a way to manage clients’ assets in 1991, when Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. started offering a program where it would be the custodian of assets for financial advisors, formerly called Schwab Institutional.
Henssler's financial team holds multiple certifications, including designations as certified financial planner (CFP), certified public accountant (CPA) and certified wealth strategist (CWS), among others.
Henssler is owned by Dr. Gene and William G. Lako, Jr., the firm's managing director and principal.
Henssler Financial Client Types and Minimum Account Sizes
Henssler Financial works with roughly 1,000 individuals who fall above and below the high-net-worth threshold. It also serves corporate pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable institutions, foundations, endowments, trust accounts and other U.S. and international institutions. Additionally, the Henssler Asset Management arm provides advisory services to municipalities and a registered mutual fund.
Instead of requiring investment minimums, Henssler Financial has annual fee minimums, which may not make economic sense at lower investment levels. Those minimum fees range from $3,000 a year to $25,000 a year. That said, its automated platform for investing in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) does have a minimum investment of $5,000.
Meanwhile, fees for financial planning services are $1,500 for clients with net worths of up to $250,000; $2,500 for clients whose net worths fall between $250,000 and $500,000; and $5,000 for clients who are worth more than $500,000.
Services Offered by Henssler Financial
Henssler Financial provides comprehensive financial planning, targeted analysis of a client’s financial position, service as a separate account manager, automated asset management and basic investment advice. Its investment advice can be performed on a discretionary or non-discretionary basis.
Additionally, through its affiliates, the firm can help with insurance, tax and accounting needs.
Henssler Financial Investment Philosophy
Henssler Financial bases its asset allocation on what it calls the “10 Year Rule.” To boot, the firm believes that “any money a client needs within 10 years should be invested in fixed income securities, and any money not needed within 10 years should be invested in high-quality, individual common stocks or mutual funds that invest in common stocks.”
To determine liquidity needs (or how much should be in bonds and cash equivalents), the firm runs several cash flow projections using client savings goals, desired future spending and expected retirement date. Henssler Financial will then recommend fixed income securities with maturity dates and amounts that correspond to these needs, with one year’s worth of expenses going into a money market fund or another cash equivalent. It will recommend stocks and mutual funds that meet its guidelines for the rest of a client’s portfolio.
Fees Under Henssler Financial
Like most investment advisor firms, Henssler Financial collects management fees based on a percentage of the client’s assets under management (AUM). It’s notable, though, that the first thing the firm says about its fees in its brochure is that they are negotiable.
That said, it lists the annual fee for the Henssler Automated Investment Management program as 0.5% of client AUM, with a minimum $5,000 investment. Here are the tiered fee schedules for its other discretionary programs:
| Asset Management with ETFs or Mutual Funds (Minimum Fee: $3,000) | |
| AUM | Annual Fee |
| First $1 million | 0.75% |
| $1 - $3 million | 0.65% |
| $3 - $5 million | 0.50% |
| $5 million and more | Negotiable |
| Asset Management with Individual Stocks (Minimum Fee: $5,000) | |
| AUM | Annual Fee |
| First $1 million | 1.00% |
| $1 - $3 million | 0.85% |
| $3 - $5 million | 0.65% |
| $5 million and more | Negotiable |
| Traditional Management with Individual Stocks (Minimum Fee: $12,000) | |
| AUM | Annual Fee |
| First $1 million | 1.25% |
| $1 - $2 million | 1.00% |
| $2 - $3 million | 0.90% |
| $3 - $5 | 0.75% |
| $5 million and more | Negotiable |
| Wealth Management with Individual Stocks (Minimum Fee: $25,000) | |
| AUM | Annual Fee |
| First $1 million | 1.25% |
| $1 - $2 million | 1.00% |
| $2 - $3 million | 0.90% |
| $3 - $5 million | 0.75% |
| $5 million and more | Negotiable |
By comparison, as stated earlier, fees for financial planning services are:
- $1,500 for clients with net worths of up to $250,000
- $2,500 for clients whose net worths fall between $250,000 and $500,000
- $5,000 for clients who are worth more than $500,000
What to Watch Out For
Henssler Financial had no legal or disciplinary actions in the past 10 years to disclose in its most recent SEC filings.
As a fee-based firm, advisors who are also brokers or insurance agents receive commissions in their separate capacities, which can present a potential conflict of interest. That said, as fiduciaries, they are legally bound to work in your best interests.
Opening an Account With Henssler Financial
To contact Henssler Financial, call its headquarters at (770) 429-9166 or its Atlanta office at 770-668-9000.
All information was accurate as of the writing of this article.
Tips for Finding a Financial Advisor
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