Diahann Lassus

Lassus
Alumni
Title
Managing Principal (Ret.)
Company
Peapack Private Wealth Management
Location
Berkeley Heights, N.J.
Education

BS Management '76

Diahann Lassus, CFP, CPA/PFS, is working on defining her new adventure after spending 38 years building a successful wealth management firm. She plans to launch a new company in the next six to 12-months focusing on consulting within the area of financial literacy.

She most recently served as SMD and Managing Principal at Peapack Private Wealth Management through March 31, 2023. Prior to Peapack, Lassus was the president and co-founder of Lassus Wherley, which became a subsidiary of Peapack-Gladstone Bank in 2018. She also served as the chief investment officer (CIO) of Lassus Wherley, director of the investment group and chair of the Investment Committee. Lassus and her team always focused on understanding what is important to a client and learning about their needs and wants. For more than 38 years, she and her team provided comprehensive financial planning, investment management, tax preparation, trust services and family office support through offices in located in Bonita Springs, Fla., New Providence, N.J. and Summit, N.J.

Prior to founding Lassus Wherley, Lassus held positions in accounting and line operations for Blue Cross Blue Shield, Xerox Corporation and AT&T from 1970 to 1984. She was the field operations manager for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, managing 700-plus people spread over the Olympic sites.

Lassus holds a Bachelor of Science in management from Florida State University and an MBA from the University of North Florida. She is a Certified Public Accountant, New Jersey State Board of Accountancy; Personal Financial Specialist, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants; and Certified Financial Planner™ professional, CFP® Board of Standards. She was an inaugural CNBC Digital Financial Advisor Council member and served until March 2023; Inaugural Commission on Standards, CFP Board of Standards; and served on the New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors until March 2023. She currently serves on Florida State University’s College of Business Board of Governors and the FSU Foundation Board of Trustees. Lassus also serves on the FSU Student Investment Fund Board. 

She is a member of the Financial Planning Association, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants. Lassus was named one of the Top 100 Most Influential Financial Advisors, Investopedia; named one of the “30 Most Influential Advisors;” received the Robert J. Underwood Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA); among the “25 people who have shaped the advice business,” InvestmentNews; and on the list of Worth Magazine’s Top Financial Advisors seven times beginning with the first list in 1994. Lassus has appeared on NBC’s The Today Show, Nightly Business Report and CNBC Closing Bell. She was a regular guest on CNBC’s MoneyClub.