Barnes & Company Investment Counsel, LLC

Barnes & Company Investment Counsel is a small, independent registered investment adviser that serves individual clients and other entities, managing discretionary portfolios alongside standalone financial planning and consulting engagements; the firm reports roughly $44 million in discretionary assets across a limited client roster. In addition to traditional portfolio management, it offers services to employer‑sponsored retirement plan accounts through an order‑management approach and provides written financial plans and periodic plan updates as part of its client work.

The firm builds customized portfolios based on each client’s goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance and primarily advises on ETFs, ETNs, individual equities, and fixed‑income securities using a mix of fundamental, technical, and modern portfolio theory techniques. Portfolios are generally managed on a discretionary basis with ongoing monitoring and regular quarterly and annual reviews, and the firm may employ short‑term trading or margin strategies when deemed suitable for a client’s objectives.

What is noteworthy relative to many peers is that the firm occasionally charges performance‑based fees for eligible clients and operates accounts that are subject to both performance and asset‑based fee arrangements, creating side‑by‑side management considerations the firm says it monitors through internal policies. The firm also conducts paid educational seminars and speaking engagements—services that are uncommon among similar independent advisers—and its principal maintains an insurance license and other business interests, all of which are disclosed and addressed as potential conflicts in the brochure.