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The Burney Company Review

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This review was produced by SmartAsset based on publicly available information. The named firm and its financial professionals have not reviewed, approved, or endorsed this review and are not responsible for its accuracy. Review content is produced by SmartAsset independently of any business relationships that might exist between SmartAsset and the named firm and its financial professionals, and firms and financial professionals having business relationships with SmartAsset receive no special treatment or consideration in SmartAsset’s reviews. This page contains links to SmartAsset’s financial advisor matching tool, which may or may not match you with the firm mentioned in this review or its financial professionals.

The Burney Company is a large financial advisor firm located in Reston, Virginia, which is fairly close to the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The Burney Company employs a large team of financial advisors who manage about $2 billion in client assets. Clients at the firm include both institutional and individual investors. The firm mainly provides investment management and financial planning services, though it also does equity research.

This firm currently holds the third spot on our list of the top financial advisors in Reston, Virginia. As a fee-only operation, it earns all of its compensation from the fees that clients pay.

The Burney Company Background

The Burney Company was founded quite a while ago in 1974 by Army Brigadier General J.C. Burney. Burney remains with the firm to this day, serving on the leadership team. He got started working in the financial sector in the 1950s and has been involved in the field ever since. Burney still owns the firm, along with his wife Mary Burney, Lowell Pratt, Bill Stewart, Martin Walsh, Alex Shen, Richard Bauchspies, Gil Green and Tom Hunt.

Several of the firm's advisors hold financial certifications. These include certified financial planner (CFP), accredited investment fiduciary (AIF) and chartered financial analyst (CFA).

The Burney Company Client Types and Minimum Account Sizes

The Burney Company works with both individual and institutional clients, though the majority of its clients are individuals. Of those individuals, a little less than half have a high net worth. The firm's institutional clients include pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, state and municipal governments and businesses.

Burney imposes a $750,000 minimum account size. However, this minimum can be waived or negotiated at the discretion of the firm.

Services Offered by The Burney Company

The Burney Company primarily provides clients with investment management and financial planning services. Investment management is tailored to the needs of each client, and the firm utilizes wrap fee programs, which combine all fees into a single charge. Assets at the firm are solely managed on a discretionary basis.

When it comes to financial planning, advisors will work with clients to provide advice on whatever financial issues they may have. Topics may include retirement planning, education planning, business planning, tax services, insurance planning, estate planning and more.

The Burney Company Investment Philosophy

Like many other advisory firms, The Burney Company provides clients with personally tailored investment advice. This means that advisors work with clients to determine their overall financial situation and goals by taking note of their tolerance for risk, liquidity needs and other important factors. Based on these factors, an appropriate investment portfolio will be put together for you.

When it comes to investing assets, advisors primarily use domestic equities. However, "non-equity investments are used to create income, provide stability and enhance portfolio diversity," according to the firm's ADV brochure. Advisors look to capture gains in both value and growth market phases.

Fees Under The Burney Company

Fees for investment management services at The Burney Company are charged based on a percentage of each client's total assets under management (AUM). For the wealth management program, there is a minimum annual fee of $2,500. Standard advisory services have a minimum fee of $1,500. Rates for each are based on the following fee schedules:

The Burney Company Standard Fee Schedule
Portfolio Value Annual Fee
First $500K 1.10%
Above $500K 0.90%

 

The Burney Company Wealth Management Fee Schedule
Portfolio Value Annual Fee
First $2MM 1.25%
$2M - $5MM 1.00%
$5MM - $10MM 0.90%
More than $10MM 0.75%

Additional financial planning and consulting fees are charged at a rate of $250 per hour. Fees may also be negotiable, depending on level and scope of services.

Here's what you can expect to pay at The Burney Company at various asset levels.

*Estimated investment management fees do not include brokerage, custodial, third-party manager or other fees, which can vary in amount.
Estimated Investment Management Fees at The Burney Company*
Your Assets The Burney Company Wealth Management Fees
$500K $6,250
$1MM $12,500
$5MM $55,000
$10MM $100,000

What to Watch Out For

The Burney Company has no legal or regulatory disclosures listed on its Form ADV.

Opening an Account With The Burney Company

To work with The Burney Company, you can go online to the firm's website, click "get in touch" and submit a contact form. You can also call the firm at (703) 241-5611 or visit in-person at its Reston office.

All information is accurate as of the writing of this article.

Tips for Finding a Financial Advisor

  • A financial advisor can be a huge help when it comes to investing, retirement planning, buying a home or reaching any other financial milestone. Finding the right financial advisor to help you doesn’t have to be hard, though. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors in your area in just five minutes. Get started now.
  • Reaching a comfortable place at your retirement age takes some significant planning. To get your planning process started, use SmartAsset's free retirement calculator.

How Long $1mm Lasts in Retirement

SmartAsset's interactive map highlights places where $1 million will last the longest in retirement. Zoom between states and the national map to see the top spots in each region. Also, scroll over any city to learn about the cost of living in retirement for that location.

Least
Most
Rank City Housing Expenses Food Expenses Healthcare Expenses Utilities Expenses Transportation Expenses

Methodology We analyzed data on average expenditures for seniors, cost of living and investment returns to determine how many years of retirement a $1 million nest egg would cover in cities across America.

First, we looked at data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on the average annual expenditures of seniors. We then applied cost of living data from the Council for Community and Economic Research to adjust those national average spending levels based on the costs of each expense category (housing, food, healthcare, utilities, transportation and other) in each city. Using this data, SmartAsset calculated the average cost of living for retirees in the largest U.S. cities.

We assumed the $1 million would grow at a real return (interest minus inflation) of 2%. Then, we divided $1 million by the sum of each of those annual numbers to determine how long $1 million would cover retirement expenses in each of the cities in our study. Cities where $1 million lasted the longest ranked the highest in the study.

Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Council for Community and Economic Research