Investment Management
Investment Management
How We Work
We take a disciplined, relatively conservative, approach to investing. The challenge is to develop an asset allocation strategy that satisfies your desire for safety, while adhering to the long-term growth objectives that will maintain your lifestyle. We meet this challenge by creating a mix of stocks, bonds, and diversifiers.
During a stock market boom, a conservative portfolio may not appreciate as quickly as a more aggressive portfolio, however it is less likely to experience the dramatic drops the more aggressive portfolio can experience. We continuously monitor, review, and make changes to your portfolio as conditions in the world, and your life, change.
Client’s Investment Criteria
The first step in constructing a diversified investment portfolio starts with understanding your financial position:
- Do you have enough in emergency savings?
- When will you need to start taking distributions from the portfolio?
- How long will this portfolio need to fund your lifestyle?
- How did you react during the downturn in 2008/2009?
Our planning process involves a comprehensive risk profile analysis to determine which investment mix is most suitable for you. The result is an Investment Policy Statement that outlines your willingness to assume risk and establishes protective guardrails we use to keep the portfolio properly invested.
Investment Management Philosophy
Our investment philosophy remains unchanged since our founding over 20 years ago:
- There is a balance between risk and reward(return). Both are equally important.
- Your time horizon and goals will determine how much risk you can afford to take.
- Diversification is of key importance.
- We maintain a disciplined, objective and consistent investment process.
"The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient" - Warren Buffet
The key points of our philosophy are as follows:
- Risk and return are equally important
- Your life and your goals determine how much risk you decide to assume
- Broad diversification of type, style, size, geography, and class
- A disciplined and consistent process
- Periodic portfolio monitoring, review and adjusting.
Portfolio Allocation
Creating a portfolio involves establishing an asset allocation framework of target percentages for various asset categories.
Younger, more aggressive and risk-tolerant clients typically have more stock in their mix, whereas clients that are retired, or near retirement, tend to be less risk-tolerant and may have more bonds in their mix. Granted, we have also had clients in their 90s whose portfolios are aggressive and young clients with conservative portfolios. Our process helps you determine what works for you and the Investment Policy Statement clarifies and documents that decision.
Compensation
WE ARE A FEE-ONLY ORGANIZATION.
We do not receive commissions, referrals, or other compensation from any source. This means no hidden or extra fees. This allows us to recommend the most suitable portfolio for you regardless of the compensation structure. Our incentive is to make money for you, not on you.
Our full compensation arrangements are disclosed and readily available to you as required by the CFP® Code of Ethics.
"Trust, but Verify"
Trust is essential for a successful relationship. We have invested great time and energy in building and maintaining our reputation as a trustworthy and loyal practice. We expect and encourage you to verify our reputation as you establish this significant relationship with us.