Our Experience
Since 1979, Willis Investment Counsel (WIC) has worked collaboratively with private wealth clients to achieve their investment goals. WIC has worked with a variety of private wealth clients including personal portfolios, private foundations, trusts & estates, family offices, IRAs, and family limited partnerships.
We spend a significant amount of time learning about a client’s risk tolerance and investment experience, as well as their lifestyle (i.e., spending habits, charitable wishes, legacy planning). By doing so, we are better able to design an investment policy that is most appropriate for the client; thereby providing a greater chance of “staying the course” for long periods of time.
Whether several of our strategies are combined to complement a client’s portfolio or only one of our strategies is selected for tactical purposes, we design portfolios that put significant emphasis on goals-based investing and risk-management.
To learn more about our strategies, click here.
Our Capabilities
Risk Management
As students of investor psychology, we believe educating our clients on the ways their portfolio, the markets and investors behave provides confidence and understandability in their long-term plan; particularly during periods of market volatility.
Investment Policy
Developing an investment policy is a collaborative endeavor; including memorializing an appropriately diversified and risk-managed plan while being mindful of spending requirements and liquidity needs.
long-term Roadmap Goal Setting
When determining a client’s asset allocation, we begin by taking significant amounts of time to truly understand the goals of their wealth and subsequently determining the best option for achieving those goals over long periods of time.
Net worth Assessment
For many clients, we help them develop a holistic report that consolidates the various components of their family wealth; including investment portfolio(s), real estate, closely-held business interests, estate planning entities (FLPs, GRATs, Trusts) and other valuable, tangible assets.
Estate Planning
We encourage our clients to regularly review their will and other estate planning-related documents for any necessary changes; and welcome the opportunity to meet with their lawyer and CPA to ensure a cohesive understanding of their plans.
Tax Planning
We are mindful of the tax impact on our clients’ portfolios. Reflecting the overall tax posture and guidance of their CPA, we engage in tax-loss-harvesting to reduce the tax impact of realized capital gains; to maximize long-term gains vs. short-term gains; to minimize turnover; and to consider use of tax-free bonds.
