J.W. Burns & Company

What J.W. Burns & Company does

J.W. Burns & Company is an independent, SEC-registered, fee-only investment counseling firm founded in 1974 and headquartered in DeWitt, New York, with a second office in Jupiter, Florida. The firm provides discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management and comprehensive financial planning services to high-net-worth individuals and institutional clients, with minimum account sizes of $150,000 (portfolio management minimums have historically been $250,000). It operates four core separately managed account strategies — Core Equity Growth, Balanced, Equity Income, and Large-Cap Tax-Exempt Value — built on a low-turnover, fundamental research philosophy targeting high-quality companies with strong ROE, rising dividends, and low debt. Complementary services include financial planning, retirement projections, income planning, and estate planning, all delivered on a fiduciary basis with no commissions or product sales.

The firm is led by President and CIO James C. Burns, with Edward A. Grassi as VP & Senior Portfolio Manager, Andrew Derrenbacker (Partner since 2024) and Peter Bunitsky as Senior Portfolio Managers, supported by Thaddeus Malley (Portfolio Manager), Director of Operations Kellie S. Wheeler, and Operations Assistant Carole Suarez — a team combining for over 140 years of investment experience. The investment approach is research-driven and human-judgment-led; there is no disclosed AI, algorithmic, or programmatic tooling. Revenue is generated exclusively through an annual AUM fee of up to 1.00%, billed quarterly in advance, with the firm also providing institutional composite reporting under AIMR-PPS standards.

Client acquisition is primarily relationship-driven, combining personal referrals, a long-tenured Central New York / Northeast brand, community involvement (Rosamond Gifford Zoo, United Way of CNY, Catholic Charities, and others), earned media (Post Standard Moneywise column, radio), and content marketing (quarterly newsletter, website insights). The firm has remained privately held and independent since founding, with a partner promotion in 2024 (Derrenbacker) and a 2017 DeWitt office relocation as the most material recent structural moves; no M&A, external funding, or expansion beyond the Florida satellite is evidenced.

Name

J.W. Burns & Company

Legal name

J.W. Burns & Company, Inc.

Website

https://jwburns.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

J.W. Burns & Company is an independent, SEC-registered, fee-only RIA founded in 1974 that provides separately managed accounts and financial planning to high-net-worth individuals and institutional clients in the Central New York and greater Northeast region, charging an annual AUM fee of up to 1.00%.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management and Investment Advisory Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Client/High-Net-Worth Advisory (FSAEAAAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Personal & Family Trust Services (FSAAANAA)

Keywords

• Fee-only investment advisory
• Separately managed accounts
• Wealth management services
• Comprehensive financial planning
• Fiduciary investment counseling

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Assets Under Management (AUM) Fees: J.W. Burns & Company charges a fee calculated as a percentage of assets under management (AUM Fee). The annual AUM Fee ranges from negotiable up to 1.00%. Fees are typically deducted from client accounts in advance on a quarterly basis. As a fee-only advisor, the firm does not earn commissions on the sale of investments or insurance products, eliminating conflicts of interest.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

J.W. Burns & Company is an independent, SEC-registered, fee-only investment counseling firm that provides separately managed account strategies (Core Equity Growth, Balanced, Equity Income, and Large-Cap Tax-Exempt Value) built on fundamental research into high-quality companies and low-cost index funds. The firm also offers comprehensive financial planning services, including retirement projections, income planning, and broad-based financial advice, delivered on a fiduciary basis with no commissions or product sales.

Product overview

J.W. Burns & Company is an independent, SEC-registered, fee-only investment counseling firm offering a unified suite of wealth management services centered on separately managed accounts and comprehensive financial planning. The core product portfolio consists of four separately managed account strategies—Core Equity Growth, Balanced, Equity Income, and Large-Cap Tax-Exempt Value—all built on intensive fundamental research and a disciplined, low-turnover investment philosophy. These are complemented by Fee-Only Investment Management & Financial Planning services, which provide personalized portfolio construction and financial advice on a fiduciary basis. The firm does not sell investments or insurance products and has no commissions or conflicts of interest. The minimum account value is $150,000 (previously $250,000 for portfolio management services), with an annual AUM fee up to 1.00%.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Separately Managed Accounts - Core Equity Growth Equity growth separately managed account strategy that takes a long-term investment approach, prioritizing growth of capital over minimizing portfolio volatility. Investors understand and accept short-term volatility as a trade-off for potential higher long-term returns. Designed for high-net-worth individuals and institutional clients seeking long-term equity growth.
• Separately Managed Accounts - Balanced Balanced separately managed account strategy emphasizing both current income and future capital appreciation. Principal risk and fluctuation are expected and acceptable over the intended investment time horizon. Targeted at clients seeking a blend of income and growth within a managed portfolio.
• Separately Managed Accounts - Equity Income Equity income separately managed account strategy that blends dividend-yielding stocks with traditional growth stocks, emphasizing both current income and future capital appreciation with acceptable principal risk over the investment time horizon. Designed for income-oriented investors.
• Separately Managed Accounts - Large-Cap Tax-Exempt Value Large-cap tax-exempt value separately managed account strategy that focuses on large-cap tax-exempt value investments. Targeted at clients seeking large-cap exposure with tax-exempt income characteristics.
• Fee-Only Investment Management & Financial Planning Comprehensive personalized investment management and financial planning service delivered through a fee-only model with no commissions, no product sales, and no conflicts of interest. Includes financial planning, retirement projections, income planning, and broad-based financial advice tailored to individual client needs on a fiduciary basis.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Edelman Financial Engines: Large, fee-only RIA serving HNW households with portfolio management and financial planning; similar fiduciary-only positioning but adds a hybrid digital advisory platform that competes for the same HNW wallet.
• Wilmington Trust (Wealth Management): Major wealth and investment management division offering investment advisory, financial planning, and trust services to HNW clients; comparable HNW and institutional client focus with broader product breadth.
• Cambridge Associates: Investment advisor to HNW families, foundations, and endowments with discretionary portfolio management; overlaps in HNW investment counseling but skews more institutional in mandate mix.
• Brown Brothers Harriman (Wealth Management): Old-line, partnership-owned private bank and wealth manager offering investment advisory and trust services to HNW families; overlaps with J.W. Burns' multi-generational HNW positioning but operates at significantly larger scale with broader services.

Direct peers

• Bessemer Trust: Privately held, multi-generational wealth and investment management firm serving ultra-HNW families with discretionary portfolio management and trust-adjacent services — closely aligned with J.W. Burns' HNW focus and family-style service ethos.
• Creative Planning: Large, fee-only, fiduciary RIA serving HNW individuals with comprehensive financial planning and SMA-style portfolio management — same SEC-registered, conflict-free model as J.W. Burns but at much greater national scale.
• First Manhattan Company: Independent, employee-owned investment advisory firm providing discretionary portfolio management and financial planning to HNW individuals and families — closely aligned with J.W. Burns' independent, fee-based, relationship-led model.
• Bailard: Independent, employee-owned investment and wealth advisory firm managing SMA-style portfolios for HNW individuals and institutions; closely parallels J.W. Burns' philosophy of concentrated, research-driven, low-turnover equity portfolios.
• Ronald Blue & Co. Fee-only, fiduciary RIA serving HNW clients with comprehensive financial planning and SMA-style portfolio management — directly comparable independent, fee-only model to J.W. Burns.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Independent, fee-only RIA offering holistic financial planning and portfolio management to HNW clients; comparable business model and fiduciary positioning, with materially larger AUM and broader geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/j.w.-burns-&-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about J.W. Burns & Company