WillKate Wealth Management, an independent RIA led by Agatha 'Aggie' Johnson, CFP®, CPWA®, CEPA®, made a deliberate decision to evolve its investment operations(IN 2021). The firm had been functioning well for years, but the internal strain of trading, research, and cost absorption was creating a ceiling on growth.
With Revisor, the firm streamlined its operational structure, gained access to a fully staffed and credentialed investment team, and dramatically reduced direct costs. What previously required multiple systems, in-house time, and manual upkeep is now handled within a single, integrated platform.
The result: the firm now pays significantly less, delivers more to clients, and operates at a level typically reserved for much larger institutions. Yet despite the added scale, WillKate remains a boutique, relationship-first firm, proving that independent RIAs can expand capacity without ever becoming cookie-cutter.
WillKate Wealth Management is a boutique advisory firm serving individuals and families with long-term, goals-based planning. Led by Aggie Johnson, the practice has built trust with clients through personalized service and consistency. Over time, the demands of portfolio management and compliance had begun to put pressure on the systems behind the scenes.
Aggie’s team was resourceful, but not structured to support scale. They had built an internal investment process using Tamarac software and in-house workflows. While the team was able to model portfolios and execute trades, one account at a time, there were clear limitations as the client base grew.
Aggie’s goal was never to become a large, standardized practice. It was to preserve the firm’s identity while gaining the infrastructure to serve more clients seamlessly. Aggie built WillKate as a boutique firm centered on personal stewardship. Revisor’s model allowed her to scale that boutique experience without changing what made it unique.
“I don’t want to play an expert. I want to be the expert in what I do and then bring in the other experts as strategic partners.”
– Aggie Johnson
The issues were not about neglect or inefficiency. WillKate was running the way many firms do: one tool added at a time, one process built around staff capacity. But it became clear that the cost of this structure was increasing faster than its benefit.
“In theory it sounded great, but the execution was just daunting… I didn’t want to become a technology guru and put all my time into that.”
– Aggie Johnson
When Aggie and her team evaluated Revisor, the decision was not about replacing what worked. It was about relieving the internal strain and aligning the firm’s infrastructure with its goals. Revisor’s infrastructure didn’t standardize her business; it freed her to keep operating her way. Highly tailored, relationship-driven, and distinct.
Revisor replaced the need for internal trading and research by giving Aggie direct access to a complete investment function. This included a full team of credentialed professionals, many CFA charterholders, focused on portfolio design, research, and execution.
“You guys popped up when I was doing some due diligence… and it made sense. Can you help? Because this is where we are.”
– Aggie Johnson
This team now acts as WillKate’s outsourced CIO. Rebalancing happens globally across all accounts, not manually. Investment decisions are grounded in high-level data analysis and constant oversight.
Technology capabilities also changed. Revisor provided access to institutional-grade tools, including Bloomberg Terminal data and centralized analytics. The firm now benefits from insight, research, and precision that was previously unavailable due to cost and staffing limitations.
The cost structure improved dramatically:
For context, these changes represent a material reduction in firm overhead of roughly 20–30 basis points of cost, a meaningful improvement for a boutique RIA.
WillKate’s quarterly platform cost of $1,220 (≈1.4–1.1 bps) will drop to $648 (≈0.7–0.6 bps), and annual advisor-paid costs have fallen from around $20,000 (≈5 bps) to under $3,000 (<1 bps).
WillKate moved from paying more and getting less to paying less and delivering more.
Revisor replaced WillKate’s ETF and mutual fund structures with institutionally managed Revisor portfolios, built and overseen by credentialed investment professionals.
Because Revisor’s investment fees are passed through directly to client accounts, WillKate no longer bears those costs internally.
This structure keeps client pricing efficient while giving WillKate access to the same tools, data, and oversight as institutional firms, without taking on extra overhead or complexity.
For perspective, these savings represent roughly 20–30 basis points of cost. A margin improvement that would typically take years of organic growth to achieve. In practice, that freed the equivalent of one full-time advisor’s capacity while keeping WillKate’s pricing model efficient and client experience fully boutique.
WillKate still operates as an independent boutique, but now with the same operational power as a much larger firm.
Clients continue to work with Aggie and her team as always, but now benefit from behind-the-scenes execution and oversight that previously would have required an internal investment department.
“Less cost, less work, a lot more efficiencies.”
– Aggie Johnson
“Our clients know who you are… they like that there’s another person out there really thinking through these things.”
– Aggie Johnson
“Before Revisor, we were doing everything manually and spending far more than we realized. Now, I have access to a full CIO-level team of qualified professionals who manage strategy, research, and execution — and it’s all built into my tech stack. It feels like we finally have the infrastructure to match the quality of advice we’ve always delivered.”
– Aggie Johnson
WillKate did not change what made the firm successful. They protected their brand and client relationships while removing the pressure points that were slowing the business down.
This transition shows that it is possible to improve investment quality, reduce overhead, and gain capacity — all at once. Revisor provided access to tools and expertise that would otherwise require hiring and managing an internal investment staff, along with paying for costly software and data platforms.
Other RIAs can take the same approach. This isn’t about replacing advisors. It is about replacing inefficiencies with better systems and people trained for the exact roles that firms like WillKate need support in.
Revisor provided more than technology. We offered structure, talent, and a sustainable way to grow.
The transition removed the need for external software licenses, internal research processes, and manual trade execution. It also gave the firm access to investment professionals who are experts in research, trading, portfolio strategy, and performance review.
Aggie didn’t adopt a cookie-cutter model, because she didn’t need to; she gained the freedom to keep her boutique identity, but be supported by enterprise-grade infrastructure.
WillKate now runs leaner, operates smarter, and delivers stronger outcomes for clients, without adding headcount or changing its identity.
“That shift was the start of something different for us. The way we were operating was like I was still in the CPA firm or the banking world — all about push, push, push, product, product, product. It just didn’t feel right anymore.”
– Aggie Johnson
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute personalized investment advice.
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