Provider of Fee-Only broad-based financial services.
Lassus Wherley is a Fee-Only wealth management firm with expertise in financial planning, investment management, tax preparation, trust services, and family office support with offices in New Providence, NJ and Bonita Springs, FL. We work with individuals, couples, families, pension and profit sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations and other business entities. Using a team approach that we have developed over more than 30 years, we have helped hundreds of clients build secure financial futures.
Keywords: Financial Planning, Investment Management, Wealth Management
Interview Q&A
How long have you been in business?
Since 1985.
What is your primary product or service?
Financial planning.
How did you first become interested in your line of business? (if owner) - What is your background? (If owner or store manager)
Diahann W. Lassus and Clare E. Wherley were climbing the corporate ladder when a sporting event in 1984 brought them together and altered the course of their lives irrevocably. As an employee of AT & T, Clare directed the entire telecommunications and electronic messaging system for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Diahann, as an employee of Western Electric, was the Field Operations Manager for the Olympic Games. After that arduous yet exhilarating experience was over, they decided individually and collectively they could not return to their desk jobs and wanted to strike out on their own. They fell almost by accident into financial planning and wealth management, and quickly discovered that women were in a distinct minority in the financial services business. In 1985 they launched Lassus Wherley, P.C. as a Fee-Only financial planning firm, working against the prevailing commission-based business model of the time. Not only were they new to the field of Fee-Only financial planning, but the field itself was new. The number of Fee-Only planners at the time probably did not exceed 200. In the early years at Lassus Wherley, they had to educate every potential client about Fee-Only planning. People did not understand that they had been paying immense commissions to their previous financial advisors, and they did not understand the distinction between an advisor who worked in their fiduciary interest and an advisor whose fiduciary interest was tied to his or her employer. Instead of capitulating to the commission-based model, they stayed committed to the Fee-Only model and persevered. People liked their message. More than 25 years later the firm has grown to 23 people in two offices.
How do you differentiate yourself from other businesses in your category and area?
Three features distinguish Lassus Wherley from many other financial planning firms: highly personalized service; Fee-Only advice; and leading-edge technology.
How many locations do you have and do you have plans to expand?
Two. No definite plans to expand at this point.
Provide detailed directions to your location
From Route 78 Westbound
Take Exit 43 for Berkeley Heights/New Providence onto Diamond Hill Road. At second light bear right onto Mountain Avenue. At third light turn left onto South Street. At second light turn right onto Springfield Avenue. Take first left onto Academy Street. Park in lot on left and enter from parking lot into building.
From Route 78 Eastbound
Take Exit 44 for Berkeley Heights/New Providence. At light at end of ramp turn left onto Glenside Avenue. Take first left under freeway onto Glenside Road. Glenside turns into South Street after first light at Mountain Avenue. After passing through the light at Mountain Avenue, take a right at the second light onto Springfield Avenue. Take first left onto Academy Street. Park in lot on left and enter from parking lot into building.
From Madison/Chatham
Take Southern Boulevard to the end at River Road. Bear right onto River Road and follow the curve to the left onto Passaic Street. Passaic Street comes into downtown New Providence. Shortly before the light, turn left onto Elkwood Avenue and then make the first right onto Academy Street. Park in lot on right and enter from parking lot into building.
From Route 22 Eastbound
Take Berkeley Heights exit just past Blue Star shopping center. Bear right up over Route 22 and go straight through light onto New Providence Road. At next light road turns into Diamond Hill Road. At second light on Diamond Hill bear right onto Mountain Avenue. At third light turn left onto South Street. At second light turn right onto Springfield Avenue. Take first left onto Academy Street. Park in lot on left and enter from parking lot into building.
From Route 22 Westbound
Take exit for Berkeley Heights/New Providence after passing McDonalds. At light turn right onto New Providence Road which turns into Diamond Hill Road at next light. At second light on Diamond Hill Road bear right onto Mountain Avenue. At third light turn left onto South Street. At second light turn right onto Springfield Avenue. Take first left onto Academy Street. Park in lot on left and enter from parking lot into building.
From Westfield Through Reservation
Take New Providence Road from Route 22 through the Watchung Reservation. At the circle take Park Drive which turns into Tracy Drive. At the end of Tracy Drive turn left onto Glenside Avenue. Take the first right under the freeway onto Glenside Road. Glenside turns into South Street after first light at Mountain Avenue. After passing through the light at Mountain Avenue, take a right at the second light onto Springfield Avenue. Take first left onto Academy Street. Park in lot on left and enter from parking lot into building.
What type of payments do you accept?
We are a Fee-Only provider. We do not sell financial products or receive commissions or compensation (direct or indirect) from third parties. Our firm does not accept sales commissions of any type for the financial services that we recommend for our clients. Our clients pay us directly, and in return, they receive our objective advice, untainted by the commissions and quotas that drive most investment brokers and advisors.
Which areas do you service?
Although the majority of our clients are New Jersey residents, our business is national in nature and we have clients in 26 other states.
Who owns your company or runs daily operations?
Clare E. Wherley, Chief Executive Officer, MBA, CPA, CFP® and Diahann W. Lassus, President, MBA, CFP®, CPA/PFS are owners of the company. Deborah J. Rivosa, Chief Compliance Officer, MBA, CFP®, CFA is the third member of the Executive Team.
What are your hours of operation?
8:30-5:00 Monday through Friday.
What is the best compliment anyone can give you?
That we have given them peace of mind.
What is your favorite quote or Bible verse?
Favorite quote of Diahann W. Lassus: “There is nothing to fear but fear itself.” By Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Favorite quote of Clare E. Wherley: “Hitch your wagon to a star.” By Ralph Waldo Emerson.