Advisory Firm Description
Willis Johnson & Associates, Inc. (“WJA” or the “Firm”) is a wealth management firm that
specializes in helping corporate professionals and executives with their comprehensive
financial planning and investment management needs. The Firm was founded in 1996. Willis A.
Johnson and Nicholas A. Johnson Qualified Subchaper S Trust are the principal owners of the
Firm. Nicholas A. Johnson is the trustee of the Nicholas A. Johnson Qualified Subchaper S
Trust.
Types of Advisory Services
WJA primarily works with corporate professionals and executives in helping them build out a
customized comprehensive plan, based on the various stages in the ARC of life. WJA
understands that corporate professionals and executives at various stages in life from the 40’s,
50’s, 60’s, 70’s and beyond often have differing needs, goals, and concerns.
WJA leads with a four-step Continuously Planning approach for its clients. The first step,
Understanding You, is an in-depth active listening session in which WJA gathers personal,
financial, and legal data alongside client’s goals & objectives. Following, is Financial Analysis &
Education in which the Firm conducts a thorough personal financial analysis and then educates
the client on the options available to them (often including corporate benefits elections). Next,
WJA begins the Guidance & Implementation process in which WJA discusses tailored options
to meet the client’s financial goals and assists with the implementation. WJA then ensures that
ongoing Financial Reviews are put in place to monitor and adjust the financial plan as life
happens
Specific services provided by WJA may include retirement planning, corporate benefit elections,
trust and estate planning, income tax planning and preparation, risk management and insurance
planning, charitable planning, education planning, and investment management. WJA
occasionally does work with small business owners, though small business owners are not a
focus of the firm. Services to small business owners may include business succession planning,
tax strategies, executive benefits planning, retirement plan solutions and investment
management. For small business owners,
the Firm also offers retirement consulting services to
employee benefit plans and their fiduciaries that are designed to assist the plan sponsor in
meeting its fiduciary obligations to the plan under ERISA.
Tailored Advisory Services
WJA provides a wide range of advisory services that are typically tailored to the client’s specific
situation and needs. However, most investment portfolios are managed according to one of the
Firm’s model strategies, with some exceptions. The Firm generally takes discretion when
managing client accounts.
Written Acknowledgement of Fiduciary Status
When we provide investment advice to you regarding your retirement plan account or individual
retirement account, we are fiduciaries within the meaning of Title I of the Employee Retirement
Income Security Act and/or the Internal Revenue Code, as applicable, which are laws governing
retirement accounts. The way we make money creates some conflicts with your interests, so we
operate under a special rule that requires us to act in your best interest and not put our interest
ahead of yours. Under this special rule’s provisions, we must:
• Meet a professional standard of care when making investment recommendations (give
prudent advice);
• Never put our financial interests ahead of yours when making recommendations (give
loyal advice);
• Avoid misleading statements about conflicts of interest, fees, and investments;
• Follow policies and procedures designed to ensure that we give advice that is in your
best interest;
• Charge no more than is reasonable for our services; and
• Give you basic information about conflicts of interest.
Wrap Fee Programs
The Firm does not have a wrap fee program whereby the client would pay one fee that covers
account management as well as incidental trading or transaction charges. Under the Firm’s
asset management program, clients pay any trading or transaction charges in addition to the
quarterly account management fee.
Client Assets Under Management
As of December 2023, the Firm had approximately $1,090,713,625.00 of discretionary assets
under management and $76,867,079.00 of non-discretionary assets under management.