Michael W. Lassiter CLU ChFC Inc.

The firm offers advisory services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, and business entities, primarily by recommending unaffiliated third-party investment advisers and providing financial planning. It does not directly manage client assets or sponsor a wrap program; investment management and custody are provided by the recommended third-party advisers.

The firm uses client interviews and questionnaires to develop individualized asset-allocation recommendations and written financial plans, and it charges hourly fees for financial planning engagements. When appropriate it places clients into co-adviser arrangements with third-party advisers—who handle portfolio management, trading, best execution, and reporting—while the firm monitors those relationships and typically meets with clients at least annually.

Notable differences from many peers include the principal’s concurrent role as a licensed insurance producer for life, long-term care, disability, annuities and employee benefits (the brochure discloses insurance commissions and states the principal spends substantial time on that activity), and the firm’s explicit focus on selecting and reviewing other advisers. The combination of acting chiefly as a selector/monitor of third-party managers and offering hourly planning, rather than directly managing client portfolios, is atypical for firms in the investment-manager category.