Our People
Todd A. Johnston, President
Portfolio Manager
Todd graduated from Union College in New York with a degree in Industrial Economics. He received a Master of Science degree in Finance from Boston College in 1992. Prior to founding 1620 Investment Advisors, Todd worked for Invesco for twelve years in their Boston office. During his tenure at Invesco, his duties included assistant to Portfolio Manager, assistant to the Director of Research, Research Analyst, and Portfolio Manager. Todd’s primary investment experience has centered on quantitative modeling, fundamental analysis, and portfolio management for small, medium and large capitalization securities, as well as real estate securities. Within the years prior to leaving Invesco, Todd was an Associate Partner with the firm and was one of three portfolio managers managing over $1 billion in real estate securities. He has over twenty five years of direct investment experience. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Plymouth. Todd is married with two children and resides in Sagamore Beach, Massachusetts.
William D. Benjes, Jr., CFA
Portfolio Manager
Mr. Benjes graduated with a B.A. in Economics from Georgetown University and received an MBA from New York University. He has over forty years of experience in the investment management industry. After a three-year tour of duty with the Air Force, Bill began working for Smith Barney in 1963. During his fifteen-year tenure at Smith Barney, Mr. Benjes worked as a Portfolio Manager and served on the Capital Management investment committee. After Smith Barney, Bill was Chief Investment Officer and Senior Portfolio Manager at Fort Hill Investors for seven years. He then founded Stratfield Investment Management and ran the company for fourteen years. From 2002 to 2004, Bill was a Portfolio Manager at Delta Financial. In April 2004, Bill joined 1620 Investment Advisors. Through the years, Bill has been on the Board of Directors at Presidio Oil and PetsRx. He was a Trustee for Boston College High School for six years, two as Chairman, and served for twenty years on the Advisory Board of the Georgetown University Library. He is married with three grown children and resides in Duxbury, Massachusetts.
Kyle A. Johnston, CFA
Portfolio Manager
Kyle graduated in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. During his senior year, Kyle brought together his interests in urban development and statistical analysis and co-authored an econometrics paper entitled “Foreign Direct Investment and Economic Growth in Cote D’Ivoire: A Time Series Analysis”. The paper was published by the Macrothink Institute. He was a member of the Trinity College men’s soccer team and captained the squad as a senior. Prior to joining 1620, Kyle worked as an investment performance analyst for Cambridge Associates in their Arlington, VA office. Kyle has been with 1620 since 2017, serving as the primary analyst on mutual funds and ETFs. He also covers the technology, business service, and beverage industries. As a portfolio manager, Kyle is passionate about helping clients plan for the future and invest to meet their financial goals. He specializes in assisting young families, sole proprietors/small business owners, and recipients of stock-based compensation.
John Gates
Investment Analyst
John graduated from Suffolk University in 2023 with a Bachelor's degree in Finance. He joined 1620 that fall and his contributions to the business have spanned investment analysis, client operations, portfolio operations, and marketing. As a former college basketball player, John brings passion and a disciplined work ethic to his investment analyst role. John assists in the due diligence of ETFs and mutual funds across multiple asset classes. He is also the primary equity analyst for consumer oriented industries including internet, apparel, restaurants, staples, and leisure. In his free time, John enjoys golfing, playing basketball, and operating a sports collectibles business.