General Investing >> Money Manager Interviews >> September 10, 2013

Investment Strategies for Capital Preservation

Bray, Christopher P.
Christopher P. Bray is the Managing Director of the Florida offices of private wealth management firm Willow Street Advisors, LLC. He is also a Managing Partner of the multistate law firm of Kearns Bray, LLC. He is admitted to the Ohio Bar and the Florida Bar, and is a member of both the American Institute of CPAs and the Ohio Society of CPAs. He received his bachelor's degree in accounting from Kent State University and his masterís degree in taxation and J.D. from the University of Akron, all summa cum laude. Before joining Willow Street Advisors and Kearns Bray, Mr. Bray served as Senior Vice President and Market Executive for the Southwest Florida region of a former top 10 U.S. financial institution. He also served as the National Director of Estate and Succession Planning, and was a Managing Director for the family office division of the same financial institution. Earlier in his career, Mr. Bray served as the Director of the Estate and Succession Planning Services Group for Deloitte & Touche in Northeast Ohio. While at Deloitte & Touche, he served on the firm's National Brain Trust, developing sophisticated tax and estate planning techniques and strategies for the firm's wealthiest clients. Mr. Bray is an Adjunct Professor of Law on the faculty of Ave Maria School of Law, and serves on the board of directors of the Kent State University Foundation. He recently served as immediate Past Chair of the board of trustees of the Community Foundation of Collier County and on the board of directors for the Naples Zoo, the Naples Players, and the CFA Society of Naples. A national author and speaker on estate, gift, income tax, financial planning, and succession planning topics, Mr. Bray has also served as President of the Estate Planning Council of Cleveland and was an Adjunct Professor of Taxation for the graduate program in taxation at the University of Akron. He formerly served as Chair of the Trusts & Estates Section for the Collier County Bar Association. He and his partner, David B. Kearns, received the nationally acclaimed "Article of the Year" award from wealth management periodical Trusts & Estates. Profile
TWST: Please introduce our readers to Willow Street Advisors with a history and background of the firm.

Mr. Bray: The firm is owned by three partners. Two of us are tax attorneys who