Laurence is a principal and founding partner of Weiss, Hale & Zahansky Strategic Wealth Advisors. He is the Chief Investment Officer (CIO), leading portfolio management efforts and chairing the firm’s Investment Committee. In addition to developing goal-driven financial plans for clients, Laurence has extensive investment experience with estate planning and charitable strategies. Laurence is a Five Star Wealth Manager and has a particular focus on helping pre- and post-retirees and estate planning clients.

He is proud to have been recognized as a Leaders’s Club advisor — a distinction based on annual production that placed him among the top advisors affiliated with Commonwealth Financial Network. He is also a recipient of the Five Star Wealth Manager Award for the last ten consecutive years, a recognition granted to less than 10 percent of Connecticut wealth managers this year. (The 2023 Five Star Wealth Manager Award was created by Five Star Professional, and presented in November 2023 based on data gathered between February 2023 and September 2023. A total of 3,564 Connecticut-area wealth managers were considered for the award; 313 (nine percent of candidates) were selected to receive it. Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or selected for the award, although they may choose to pay a fee for use of marketing materials. The award is not indicative of an advisor’s future performance, and your experience may vary. For more information about the award, visit fivestarprofessional.com.)

Laurence brings many years of institutional investment experience, having started his career in the institutional defined contribution business for Putnam Investments. In addition to more than 29 years of investment management for our clients, Laurence has volunteered his professional talents on behalf of many non-profit and public institutions. He formerly served as an appointed member of Connecticut's Investment Advisory Council (IAC), an advisory body to the Connecticut State Treasurer, overseeing the approximately $29 billion in the State of Connecticut's retirement plans and trust funds, on behalf of more than 200,000 beneficiaries.

When not advising clients, Laurence is active with several non-profit and charitable organizations. Laurence is a Trustee of the YMCA of Greater Hartford, serving as chairman of the Endowment Committee, is a Trustee for the Episcopal Church in Connecticut’s Donations and Bequests (D&B) fund, and as member of the Hale YMCA Youth & Family Center’s Board of Advisors. He is a former member of the Pomfret School Board of Trustees, former Board Chair for the Rectory School Board of Trustees, Day Kimball Healthcare’s Finance Committee, past President of the Quinebaug Valley Community College (QVCC) Foundation, and over the years has supported many other organizations.

A lifelong resident Northeastern Connecticut, Laurence loves the long-term relationships he has built with clients since co-founding WHZ in 2006. When he isn’t advising clients, he enjoys traveling with his wife and three (mostly adult) children and can often be found soaking in the peace and tranquility of Sebego Lake in Maine.

Request a Consultation

Browse Blog Posts by Laurence