John Schooler Jones LLC

John Schooler Jones LLC provides financial planning and investment advisory services to a small set of clients that include individuals, closely held corporations, trusts, and pension plans. The firm acts only in a non‑discretionary capacity and does not take custody of client assets, typically implementing client mandates through third‑party managers rather than direct trading on its own behalf.

The firm’s investment process is built around third‑party asset management and institutional software: it uses Focus Partners Advisor Solutions (FPAS) for static asset allocation and IPS development, Manning & Napier for discretionary active security selection, and references strategies from providers such as Dimensional Fund Advisors. It emphasizes long‑term investing, diversification, periodic rebalancing, and minimizing transaction costs, with financial plans prepared and updated using FPAS’s planning tools.

What distinguishes this practice from many independent advisors is its very small, concentrated client base (five clients and $16.6 million advised as of the most recent filing) and its model of not providing direct portfolio management for individual accounts; instead, implementation and back‑office functions (including fee debiting and reporting) are outsourced to FPAS and other firms. The adviser also does not select broker‑dealers or vote proxies for clients and bills separate hourly fees for standalone financial planning, reflecting a reliance on third‑party platforms and sub‑advisors rather than in‑house trading or custody.