What does HBKS Wealth Advisors do?
HBKS Wealth Advisors is an SEC-registered investment adviser founded in 2001. Its main business is personalized investment management, and as of August 31, 2025, it reported about $7.17 billion in discretionary regulatory assets under management (AUM) and about $488.4 million in non-discretionary regulatory AUM.
HBKS serves individuals, retirement plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, foundations, corporations, and other entities.
HBKS is an advisor-led wealth management service, built around ongoing portfolio management and financial planning rather than a self-directed or robo-only model.
It begins by learning a client’s financial circumstances and goals, then builds and manages a portfolio to fit those goals over time. In most cases, the firm has discretionary authority, though clients can choose a non-discretionary arrangement and approve trades themselves.
Core services include:
- Personalized investment management
- Financial planning
- Retirement planning
- High-net-worth services
- Fixed-income portfolio management
- Pension and retirement-plan consulting
Investment philosophy
The firm centers on diversification across asset classes, periodic rebalancing, and the view that markets are hard to predict over the long term.
It does not specialize in any one investment area or strategy, may use proprietary model portfolios, and can invest across mutual funds, ETFs, stocks, bonds, insurance products, annuities, alternative investments, options, and other vehicles, depending on the client’s needs.
What are the pros and cons of HBKS Wealth Advisors?
The main strength of HBKS is that it combines ongoing portfolio management with broad financial planning in an advisor-led model.
Here’s a summary of the key advantages and disadvantages to guide your choice.
Pros of HBKS Wealth Advisors:
- Advisor-led service: HBKS is built around human advisors who gather detailed financial information, develop a plan, and monitor portfolios over time rather than offering a purely automated investing experience.
- Broad planning scope: The planning offering can cover retirement, estate planning, education funding, insurance needs, taxes, and ongoing reviews, making the service more comprehensive than simple portfolio construction alone.
- Flexible service model: Financial planning can be bundled with investment management or purchased separately, giving clients multiple ways to engage.
- No stated account minimum for core services: There is no account minimum for HBKS’s services, which lowers the formal entry barrier.
Cons of HBKS Wealth Advisors:
- Investment management pricing is not specifically disclosed: The firm notes that most investment management relationships are priced as a percentage of assets under management, but does not provide a public fee schedule for those core advisory accounts.
- Total costs can add up: Clients may pay HBKS advisory fees, custodian charges, fund expenses, and, in some cases, additional fees for sub-advisors, overlay managers, or wrap programs.
- Affiliate conflicts of interest: HBKS has affiliated entities in brokerage, insurance, accounting, and private funds. Recommendations involving affiliates entail financial conflicts that the firm discloses, but clients should assess them independently.
- Some strategies can be complex: HBKS may use options, margin, short selling, alternative strategies, and other approaches that carry higher risk, depending on the client relationship.
HBKS Wealth Advisors fees: How much does HBKS Wealth Advisors cost?
HBKS charges investment management fees as a percentage of AUM, calculated and typically paid quarterly in advance based on the prior quarter-end market value.
For financial planning and consulting:
- Fixed fee: $500–$20,000 for one-time or modular plans.
- Hourly fee: $100–$500 per hour.
- Ongoing planning (fixed annual): Starting at $500.
- Ongoing planning (percentage of assets): Up to 2.75% annually.
Clients may still incur other costs, including custodian fees, brokerage or transaction charges, mutual fund and ETF expenses, separate sub-advisor or overlay-manager fees, and wrap-fee-program charges, where applicable.
Wrap or asset-based pricing programs are typically more expensive than paying for services separately, and HBKS’s advisory fee is in addition to those fees.
What is HBKS Wealth Advisors’ minimum account size?
HBKS does not impose a formal account minimum for investment management services. However, other advisors or independent sub-advisers used in certain programs may impose their own minimum account sizes or minimum annual fees.
Who should choose HBKS Wealth Advisors?
HBKS is well-suited to clients who want a comprehensive, advisor-led relationship that integrates investment management with broader financial planning.
HBKS Wealth Advisors work well for:
- Clients who want portfolio management plus planning: The service combines investment management with retirement, estate, education, protection, and tax-aware planning.
- People who prefer advisor discretion: In most cases, HBKS manages accounts on a discretionary basis, which can suit clients who want ongoing management without having to approve every trade.
- Institutional and retirement plan clients: HBKS serves pension plans, Taft-Hartley plans, foundations, endowments, and corporations with dedicated pension consulting services.
- High-net-worth clients with complex needs: The Level 3 service tier offers concierge-level, multi-discipline management for clients requiring an elevated scope of service.
Who might not benefit as much:
- Fee-conscious investors: The undisclosed fee schedule makes pre-engagement cost comparisons difficult.
- Clients preferring a conflict-free structure: Affiliate relationships in brokerage, insurance, and private funds create conflicts that, while disclosed, require careful independent evaluation.
- Self-directed or low-cost-focused investors: The advisor-led, relationship-oriented model is not designed for clients seeking a robo-advisory or passive low-fee alternative.
HBKS Wealth Advisors: Is it secure?
Yes, HBKS is SEC-registered and does not hold client assets directly.
Assets are maintained with independent third-party custodians, primarily Charles Schwab & Co., Fidelity Institutional Wealth Services, and Raymond James Financial Services, which issue monthly or quarterly account statements.
HBKS undergoes an annual surprise examination by an independent public accountant.
HBKS Wealth Advisors: Customer service
The materials support an advisor-led service model with ongoing contact rather than a self-service support model.
HBKS says advisors seek to contact and meet with clients at least annually, with additional reviews when requested or when circumstances change. Meetings may be held in person, by phone, or by video conference.
The firm also offers phone, email, contact forms, and advisor search tools.
HBKS Wealth Advisors: Mobile app
HBKS Wealth Advisors offers a dedicated mobile app available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play.
The app provides
- Financial dashboard
- Document vault
- Dynamic investment reports
- Budgeting tools
Is HBKS Wealth Advisors worth it?
HBKS Wealth Advisors offers a broad, advisor-led wealth management service that combines portfolio management with detailed financial planning and ongoing review.
Its main strengths are the breadth of planning topics, the flexible engagement model, and the absence of a minimum firm-level account.
The main trade-offs are limited fee transparency for core investment management, the possibility of layered third-party costs, and a disclosure record that includes several conflicts tied to affiliates, referrals, insurance, private funds, and rollovers.
Get expert financial advice
If you're seeking professional financial advice, Unbiased can match you with a financial advisor who will help you manage your money and maximize your investments.