About Johnston Investment Counsel

At Johnston Investment Counsel (JIC), we serve as a true financial partner. We help to alleviate your biggest financial concerns so you can focus on life’s more important activities.

Company Background

Johnston Investment Counsel was founded in 1997 as an independent, employee-owned, comprehensive financial planning and investment management firm with a focus on serving as our clients’ most trusted financial partner. We are a fee-only firm which allows us to maintain our independence and tailor our recommendations and advice specifically to your unique goals and needs.

We serve as fiduciaries working with both individual and institutional clients. As fiduciaries, we are bound to a client-first approach, always basing our advice and recommendations on your specific objectives and concerns.

Our firm’s foundation is our team of highly-educated and client-focused financial professionals. At JIC, we value knowledge and lifelong learning, which is why we always take advantage of opportunities to participate in cutting-edge industry training.

We have no affiliations with any other firms or financial companies. We also conduct our own internal research. Johnston Investment Counsel takes pride in its independence because it gives us the freedom to address your financial concerns with the strategy or solution that is right for you.

Johnston Investment Counsel’s Unique Attributes

When you work with Johnston Investment Counsel, you gain a financial partner unlike any in the industry. We have structured our firm in a way that allows us to put the client first. Some of the benefits of working with JIC include:

  • 100% Fee Only. We don’t sell investment products because they often come with compensation structures that create inherent conflicts of interest. Instead, we charge a reasonable, transparent, fully disclosed fee for our advice and recommendations.
  • Fiduciary Relationship. We act as a fiduciary. That means we are legally obligated to act in the best interest of our clients.
  • Completely Independent. We are an unaffiliated organization. Our independence gives us the freedom to provide unbiased advice and recommendations to our clients.
  • Comprehensive Solutions. Our recommendations are based on your entire financial picture, not one specific aspect or objective. Only by examining your objectives and needs from a comprehensive stance can we arrive at the most appropriate solutions.
  • Experienced and Credentialed. Johnston Investment Counsel’s advisors are highly-trained and many have multiple respected industry designations. They also meet significant ongoing continuing education requirements.
  • Customized Portfolios. Johnston Investment Counsel’s portfolios are custom designed to meet each client’s unique needs. Portfolio’s are constructed to address a wide range of objectives, including tax efficiency, risk minimization, diversification of concentrated holdings, management of low-basis stock, and much more.
  • Employee Owned. We are proud to be 100 percent employee owned. We answer to our clients, and only our clients.
  • Proprietary Research. We don’t rely on outside research, which may be conducted in manner that doesn’t meet our high standards. Rather, we conduct our own research, which allows us to build client portfolios with confidence.

Services

We proudly provide our clients with a wide range of solutions, including:

  • Comprehensive Financial Planning and Wealth Management
  • Retirement Planning
  • Investment Management
  • Education Planning
  • Estate Planning
  • Insurance Planning
  • Tax Planning
  • Special Situations, such as low-cost basis, equity-based compensation, and more

We also help businesses and institutions with:

  • Retirement Plans
  • Institutional Investment Consulting

Serving Clients Internationally, Throughout the United States and Central Illinois

While Johnston Investment Counsel’s offices are physically located in Peoria, Illinois, we serve clients internationally (mainly Caterpillar employees), as well as throughout all of the United States and Central Illinois (Peoria, Bloomington-Normal, Springfield, Champaign-Urbana, Decatur and the Quad Cities).

About Greg

Greg Johnston has been in the financial services industry for nearly his entire professional career. His experience has been widespread, serving both large institutional clients, mid-size endowments and foundations, as well as individuals.

In 1997, he started Johnston Investment Counsel (JIC) as an investment management and comprehensive financial planning firm. JIC serves individuals as well as small and mid-sized businesses. Prior to starting JIC, Greg worked at Stratford Advisory Group and Mercer Investment Consulting, both firms being located in Chicago.

Greg graduated with a B.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and received a MBA from DePaul University. He has achieved several professional designations including: Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Certified Private Wealth Advisor (CPWA), Qualified Plan Financial Consultant (QPFC), and Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF).

Greg belongs to the following professional organizations: National Association of Personal Financial Advisors, CFA Institute, Investment Management Consultants Association, National Association of Plan Professionals, FI360, and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

In his spare time, Greg enjoys tinkering around the house on the list of special projects as well as staying physically active. He has served on the board or committee’s of several local organizations including Peoria Public Library, First Federated Church, Peoria Public Schools Foundation, and Peoria Academy.

Greg has been married to Barb for over twenty years and they have two sons.