Office address: 9108 N. Kelley Ave., Oklahoma City, OK 73131
Website: exencialwealth.com
Year established: 2003
Company type: financial services
Employees: 110+ (2025)
Expertise: investment management, financial planning, tax planning and preparation, estate planning, retirement planning, risk management, executive compensation and planning, 401(k)/retirement plan fiduciary services, direct indexing, succession and legacy planning
Parent company: Burns Wealth Management, Inc. (majority owner)
Key people: John Burns (CEO), Caleb Dillard (president), Alex Berney (COO), Tim Courtney (chief investment officer), Caleb Stinson (CMO), Craig Wezenski (business development director), Ada Cartright (tax director)
Financing status: corporate-backed
Exencial Wealth Advisors (Exencial) is an independent, SEC-registered advisory firm out of Oklahoma City. The company bundles investment management, tax preparation, financial planning, and estate planning into one client relationship. It oversees nearly $6 billion in assets and runs 13 offices with 110 employees as of December 31, 2025.
Exencial started out as Burns Wealth Management in 2003 when founder John Burns set up the firm in Oklahoma City. The company opened with $50 million in AUM and a clear idea about how wealth management should work. Burns believed investment, tax, and planning services belonged under one roof rather than across separate providers.
The firm's reach grew in 2006 when wealth advisor Thomas McGuigan came aboard and opened a Connecticut office. By 2011, it had reached $250 million in AUM and merged with Executive Financial Group.
The merger added tax services and executive counseling, and combined AUM rose to $500 million. The combined firm then rebranded as Exencial Wealth Advisors with offices in Oklahoma City, Old Lyme, and Dallas.
The new name set the stage for a series of acquisitions to add talent and expand services. Exencial first acquired Investors Asset Management in Plano and total AUM rose to $900 million.
In 2016, the company bought San Antonio-based CPA firm Netting & Pace and grew AUM to $1.6 billion. The biggest deal came in 2020 when Exencial acquired Huntersville-based Willingdon Wealth Management and reached $3.2 billion.
The company kept building after the Willingdon deal with new investors and more acquisitions. Oklahoma-based First United Bank and Trust Company joined as a minority investor in 2021. Another deal followed in 2023 with Shoreline Financial Advisors in Connecticut.
That same year, Exencial Wealth Advisors placed 21st on InvestmentNews' Top Regional Fee-Only RIAs 2023 list for the South. The list pulled from SEC filings and only included firms with no commissions or broker-dealer ties. To see more awards and Special Reports about them, visit our Best in Wealth page.
Exencial brings investment, tax, financial, and estate planning together under one in-house team of CPAs, CFA charterholders, and CFPs:
Exencial Wealth Advisors also applies its "E3" process to evaluate, execute, and adjust client plans over time. The firm works with business owners, executives, and clients going through major life changes.
Exencial describes its team as financial professionals focused on helping clients reach both financial and personal goals. The firm lists five core values:
The firm says its teams communicate constantly despite being spread across multiple states. Exencial Wealth Advisors has also expanded partner-level ownership over time through both internal promotions and acquisitions.
John Burns, CFP, serves as CEO and partner at Exencial. He also helped start aRIA (Alliance for Registered Investment Advisors), which brings together six RIA firms.
Burns has over three decades in wealth management. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1986 with a degree in business administration.
The rest of Exencial Wealth Advisors' leadership team includes:
These leaders cover Exencial Wealth Advisors' core functions across investments, tax, compliance, and business development. A board of directors formed in 2021 through the First United Bank partnership oversees corporate governance.
Exencial picked up Austin-based Weinheimer Wealth Management in 2023, its third deal since 2020. The acquisition added $500 million in AUM and nine professionals who focus on high-net-worth and small business clients. It also gave the firm wider reach in Texas and brought in services like exit planning and asset protection.
Exencial Wealth Advisors also earned a spot on InvestmentNews' Top Independent HNW Advisors 2025 list in the Southwest category. The ranking drew from SEC filings and required firms to be independently owned with no broker-dealer affiliations. This recognition adds to the firm's visibility as it continues to grow through acquisitions.
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