Greg Johnston
CFA®, CFP®, CPWA®, QPFC, AIF®
Johnston Investment Counsel
President & Chief Investment Officer
Greg Johnston
CFA®, CFP®, CPWA®, QPFC, AIF®
Johnston Investment Counsel
President & Chief Investment Officer
We realize today’s financial lives are complicated and stressful. Our comprehensive financial planning approach seeks to reduce client’s stress while keeping them on track to achieve their unique goals - Greg Johnston, CFA®, CFP®, CPWA®, QPFC, AIF®
Fee Only Financial Planner in Peoria, IL Serving Clients throughout Central Illinois, Nationwide, and Internationally

Greg Johnston is a Peoria, IL fee-only financial planner. Johnston Investment Counsel (JIC) provides comprehensive and objective financial planning to help clients organize, grow and protect their assets through life’s transitions.
JIC creates tailored financial plans exclusive to clients specific circumstances. More often than not, this means evaluating the tax implications of various alternatives. Examples of customized analyses we have completed include:
·Developing the retirement paycheck,
·Focus on after-tax wealth creation including tax-efficient asset location,
·Concentrated stock and/or planning for employer stock options,
·Roth conversion analysis,
·Tax reduction strategies,
·Executive compensation, and
·Pre-sale of business retirement and tax planning strategies
JIC is a fee-only, independently-owned, and fiduciary-based advisory firm. JIC's sole source of revenue is from its client-based fees.
Professional Experience
Greg Johnston has been involved in the investment management and financial planning field for over 25 years. His clients are located all over the United States as well as internationally.
Prior to starting Johnston Investment Counsel in 1997, Greg worked at Mercer Investment Consulting and Stratford Advisory Group, specializing in developing investment programs for institutional and high net worth individuals.
Educational Background and Credentials
Greg earned his B.A. in economics and finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his M.B.A. from DePaul University. He has earned the following professional designations: Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Certified Private Wealth Advisor (CPWA), Qualified Plan Financial Consultant (QPFC), and Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF).
Membership Organizations
Greg is a member of the following professional organizations: CFA Institute, CFP Board, National Association of Personal Financial Advisors, Investments and Wealth Institute, National Association of Plan Professionals, FI360, and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Greg Johnston is a Member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors

The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) is a leading professional association of Fee-Only financial advisors - highly trained professionals who are committed to working in the best interests of those they serve.
NAPFA members live by three important values:
- To be the beacon for independent, objective financial advice for individuals and families.
- To be the champion of financial services delivered in the public interest.
- To be the standard bearer for the emerging profession of financial planning.
JIC is a true financial partner solely focused on your best interest. We provide a wide range of integrated services designed on achieving your financial goals and objectives.
Johnston Investment Counsel is an independent, fee-only investment management, comprehensive financial planning, and investment consulting firm that has been in business since 1997. We are fiduciaries working with both individual and institutional clients. As fiduciaries, JIC always puts our clients’ interests first as we work in an independent, conflict-free environment.
JIC’s staff of well educated, continuously trained professionals always seeks to exceed client expectations. As an independent, employee-owned firm, JIC does not have affiliations with other firms. We also conduct our own internal, independent research. Taken together, we believe JIC’s characteristics are not only very important to clients, but are fairly unique to JIC.
Our Services
A fee-only, comprehensive financial planning and investment management firm, JIC provides a wide range of integrated services concentrated on achieving your financial goals and objectives.
Solutions
A true financial partner solely focused on your best interest, we examine each client’s unique financial situation and provide a customized, integrated solution.
Fee-Only, Fiduciary, Independent: Three Important Criteria to Consider When Choosing a Financial Advisor.
Specialties
- Comprehensive Financial Planning
- Retirement Income Planning
- Investment Management
- Tax Planning
- College Education Planning
Ideal Clients
- Business Owners, Executives, and other High-Net Worth Individuals
- Retirees and Near Retirees
- Endowments and Foundations
- Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans
- Sudden Money Situations
Working Together
- In-Office Meetings
- Virtual Meetings
- Clearly Defined Fees
- Complimentary Initial Consultation
Professional Designations & Affiliations
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Gregory Johnston is a NAPFA-Registered Financial Advisor
The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) is a leading professional association of Fee-Only financial advisors—highly trained professionals who are committed to working in the best interests of those they serve.
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Gregory Johnston is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional - Click for Verification
CFP® professionals are held to strict ethical standards to ensure financial planning recommendations are in your best interest. What’s more, a CFP® professional must acquire several years of experience related to delivering financial planning services to clients and pass the comprehensive CFP® Certification Exam before they can use the CFP® designation.
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Gregory Johnston is a CFA® charterholder
The CFA Program is the most respected and recognized investment management designation in the world with less than 200,000 charterholders globally.
This advisor has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation (CFA® charter) by passing all three of the CFA exams and gaining relevant industry experience, demonstrating their mastery of the investment analysis and decision-making skills most needed in the global investment management profession.
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Greg Johnston is a Certified Private Wealth Advisor ® (CPWA®)
The CPWA certification is an advanced professional education and certification for advisors who provide the breadth of specialized skills required to meet the needs of high-net-worth clients. This certification requires advisors to develop advanced knowledge and skills to address the wide range of complex issues faced by wealthy individuals and families, including portfolio strategies, wealth transfer, family dynamics, risk management, asset protection, closely-held business ownership, charitable giving, estate planning, retirement planning, and more. Fewer than 1% of financial advisors have achieved the CPWA certification.
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Gregory Johnston is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF)
Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®) training empowers investment professionals with the fiduciary knowledge and tools they need to serve their clients’ best interests. Advisors who have earned the Accredited Investment Fiduciary designation have gone through training, met the qualifications, and passed the exam allowing use of the AIF designation and they are immediately able to demonstrate the added value that they can bring to both existing and prospective clients.
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Greg Johnston is a Qualified Plan Financial Consultant (QPFC)
QPFC is the professional credential for financial professionals who sell, advise, market or support qualified retirement plans. The QPFC program provides an understanding of general retirement planning concepts, terminology, distinctive features of qualified plans and the role of retirement plan professionals. QPFC is for professionals with two to three years of retirement plan experience. A candidate will be expected to demonstrate a general proficiency of plan administration, compliance, investment, fiduciary, and ethics issues.
Contact Greg Johnston
Office Locations:
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2714 N. Knoxville
Peoria, IL 61604