Since 1989, Gary has made a name for himself in the retirement planning industry when it comes to serving corporate defined contribution, defined benefit and nonqualified plans. With an unrelenting focus and drive, he has become an important resource to corporate committees as a co-fiduciary to their retirement plans and the investments offered. He provides investment guidance to plan participants, with the option to prepare complete financial plans.
Throughout his decades-long career, Gary’s thirst for knowledge has driven him to continue gathering insight in his specialty. He is a Certified Behavioral Finance Analyst (CBFA), an Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®), a Certified 401(k) Professional (C(k)P®) and one of approximately 75 advisors nationwide certified to perform behavioral finance plan audits for their clients. He earned the Qualified Plan Financial Consultant designation from the National Association of Plan Advisors, and an MBA in entrepreneurship and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Southern California.
His commitment has drawn attention and accolades over the years. In 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020, Gary was named to the Financial Times Top 401 Retirement Plan Advisors list.
He began his career in 1989 at Smith Barney. In 1991, Gary joined Oppenheimer & Company and specialized in retirement programs for major corporations around the country while also managing fixed income and equity portfolios for individual investors. In 2003, he joined RBC Dain Rauscher and formed the Handler Investment Consulting Team to facilitate the needs of corporate plan fiduciaries that have a direct responsibility for their company’s retirement programs, later moving his practice to UBS Financial Services. Drawn by its reputation and client-first philosophy, Gary joined Raymond James in 2014 and established DH Consulting Group.
A native Californian, he lives in Los Angeles, where he enjoys a wealth of sporting events and spending time with his wife, Cathleen, and their three children, Alyson, Rusty and Samantha, and two grandchildren, Olivia and Emma.
*Financial Times 401 Top Retirement Advisors, October 2020. The Financial Times 401 Top Retirement Advisors is an independent listing produced annually by the Financial Times (October 2020). The FT 401 Top Retirement Advisors award had 401 of the 855 advisor applicants being recognized as a Top Retirement Advisor. The FT asked large U.S. brokerages, independent advisors and other wealth managers to identify qualified direct contribution (DC) plan advisor applicants. They partnered in research with Broadridge Financial Solutions, who provided unique data from their proprietary database to help identify qualifying candidates. Financial advisors were required to manage $75 million or more in DC plan assets and have DC assets account for at least 20% of their total AUM. Qualifying advisors filled out an online application and questionnaire that gave the FT more information about their practices. The FT 401 is based on data gathered from advisors, regulatory disclosures, and the FT’s research. The listing reflects each advisor’s status in six primary areas: DC plan AUM, DC AUM growth rate, specialization in DC plans, years of experience, advanced industry credentials and compliance record. Roughly 80% to 85% of the final score is based on DC plan AUM and growth in the DC plan business (measured by plan numbers and plan assets). Additionally, to provide a diversity of advisors, the FT places a cap on the number of advisors from any one state that’s roughly correlated to the distribution of millionaires across the U.S. This honor is not indicative of an advisor’s future performance. Neither the advisors nor their parent firms pay a fee to the Financial Times in exchange for inclusion in the FT 401. Neither Raymond James nor any of its financial advisors or RIA firms pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Raymond James is not affiliated with the Financial Times.