Sawyer & Company

What Sawyer & Company does

Sawyer & Company, Incorporated is a privately held, fee-only investment advisory firm headquartered at 50 Congress Street in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded on February 1, 1986 by William C. Sawyer II, Ph.D. after his tenure as a portfolio manager at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., the firm provides discretionary investment management and trustee services to high net worth individuals, families, pension and profit sharing plans, endowments, foundations, trusts and estates, and corporations. The investment approach is conservative and long-term oriented, emphasizing high-quality U.S.-based equities (with international exposure obtained through U.S. multinationals), fixed income securities, convertible bonds, and convertible preferred stocks, selected to address three risks the firm identifies for clients: inflation, declining income streams, and permanent loss of principal.

The firm's service suite consists of two core offerings: discretionary investment management built around individualized portfolios calibrated to each client's risk tolerance, objectives, and liquidity needs; and trustee services for fiduciary arrangements. There is no proprietary technology platform; portfolio construction relies on individual securities selection by the four-person professional team, who collectively hold CFA designations and credentials from Williams College, Wharton, NYU, Boston College, and Boston University. The firm publishes a Form CRS under SEC adviser identification number 112849 and operates a basic WordPress website with a contact form and LinkedIn presence as its primary client-acquisition channels.

Sawyer & Company generates revenue through recurring AUM-based advisory fees under a fee-only (non-commission) structure and does not publicly disclose pricing. Distribution is relationship-based and regionally concentrated in the Northeast U.S.; the firm relies on direct outreach, referrals, and partner-led consultations rather than a field sales organization. Ownership is founder-led with no parent company, private equity backing, or external institutional investors indicated, and the firm has remained at a small boutique headcount throughout its 38-year operating history.

Name

Sawyer & Company

Legal name

Sawyer & Company Incorporated

Website

https://www.sawyer-company.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sawyer & Company is a privately held, fee-only Boston-based investment advisory firm founded in 1986 that provides discretionary investment management and trustee services to high net worth individuals, families, pension and profit sharing plans, endowments, foundations, trusts, estates, and corporations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investment Advisory Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Trust, Fiduciary, and Custody Activities (523991)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Portfolio Management–Led RIAs (Discretionary/Model-Based) (FSAAACAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Corporate Trust Services (Trustee, Agent & Escrow Roles) (FSAEAKAB)

Keywords

• Investment management
• Trustee services
• Wealth management
• Portfolio management
• Financial advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Investment Advisory Fees: Sawyer & Company operates as a fee-only, discretionary investment advisor. The firm generates revenue through advisory fees charged to clients for investment management and trustee services. The firm emphasizes its independent, fee-only structure, indicating it does not earn commissions on product sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Sawyer & Company provides discretionary investment management and trustee services on a fee-only basis, constructing individualized portfolios for high net worth individuals, families, trusts, estates, pension and profit sharing plans, and corporations. The firm employs a conservative, long-term approach focused on high-quality U.S.-based equities (including dividend-paying stocks) and fixed income instruments such as convertible bonds and convertible preferred stocks, with international exposure obtained through U.S.-based multinational companies rather than direct foreign investments.

Product overview

Sawyer & Company offers a unified suite of investment management and trustee services delivered through a fee-only, independent advisory model. The firm constructs individualized portfolios for each client through careful securities selection, with primary services including discretionary investment management and trustee services. Investment strategies emphasize high-quality U.S.-based equities with international exposure obtained through multinational corporations, along with fixed income instruments including convertible bonds and preferred stocks. The firm serves high net worth individuals, families, pension and profit sharing plans, trusts, estates, and corporations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Investment Management Services Discretionary investment management services constructing individualized portfolios for clients based on risk tolerance, objectives, and liquidity needs. The firm employs a conservative, long-term approach focusing on high-quality U.S.-based equities, fixed income securities, convertible bonds, and convertible preferred stocks, with international exposure obtained through U.S.-based multinational companies.
• Trustee Services Trustee services provided to trusts, estates, and other fiduciary arrangements, managing assets in accordance with beneficiary interests and legal requirements.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Conning & Company: Institutional investment management firm providing discretionary portfolio management for pensions, insurance, and other institutional clients — comparable on the institutional client side of Sawyer's business, particularly given overlapping pension/endowment mandates.
• Pzena Investment Management: Value-oriented RIA managing discretionary portfolios for institutional and individual clients globally — comparable as a research-driven, fundamentally focused investment manager with a similar long-term client relationship model.
• Longfellow Investment Management: Independent, fee-only Boston-based RIA serving high net worth individuals, families, endowments, and foundations with discretionary portfolio construction — closely comparable in geography, fee-only structure, and client mix.
• Gofen & Glossberg: Chicago-based independent investment counsel firm providing discretionary portfolio management for high net worth individuals, families, institutions, and trusts. Comparable in fee-only structure, discretionary mandate, and long-term investment philosophy.
• Westwood Holdings Group: Independent investment management firm running discretionary equity and fixed-income portfolios for institutional and high net worth clients — comparable as a publicly listed small-cap RIA offering individualized discretionary management.
• Manning & Napier: Independent investment management firm offering discretionary portfolio strategies across equities, fixed income, and multi-asset solutions to individuals and institutions — comparable as a multi-strategy, multi-channel RIA.
• Welch & Forbes: Boston-based investment counseling firm providing discretionary investment management to high net worth individuals, families, trusts, and institutions — a near-identical service profile to Sawyer & Company. Notably, Sawyer VP Carol Proctor previously worked at Welch & Forbes, evidencing direct personnel overlap and confirming its role as a direct local peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sawyer-&-company-incorporated/about

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Sawyer & Company