Investment Review

You mange your own investments to lower your costs but know that a second opinion will keep you on track. This might be a follow up to comprehensive financial planning or on a stand-alone basis.  The Investment Review provides the following:

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• Asset Allocation Review – Reviews your investments for appropriate diversification and tax efficiency. Appropriate rebalancing steps are suggested.

• Performance Review - How are your investments performing versus benchmarks?

• Asset Location Review – Are you holding assets in the “right” accounts? For example, in many cases fixed income investments are best held in deferred retirement accounts for tax efficiency.

• Assist you in crafting your Personal Investment Policy Statement (IPS). Your IPS helps you set and then stay within “guardrails” to guide your investments. An IPS, for example, might state a goal for what percentage of your assets to hold in stocks versus bonds and with what frequency you will check and rebalance back to your desired allocation.

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My Investment Philosophies

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Funds that will be needed in the next 3 to 4 years generally should NOT be invested in stocks.

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Over the long run, stocks and real estate perform better than other asset classes and enjoy an element of built-in inflation protection.

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Your comfort with the risk and volatility of investing is respected and considered in all investment recommendations.

Fixed income investing - bonds should serve as portfolio protection and not as a source of additional risk. Therefore, only high-quality fixed income instruments should be used. Consider a bond ladder strategy in some cases to mitigate interest rate risk.

“If you’ve won the game, stop playing”
Can you imagine a baseball team leading the game at the bottom of the 9th inning and then saying “let’s play a few more innings”? If your investment success has generated enough assets to comfortably cover your goals, then lets de-risk the portfolio  as much as possible. A financial plan is invaluable to know where you stand in the game.

Low-cost, tax-efficient Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and index mutual funds allow you to craft a well-diversified portfolio.

Investment advisors can play an important role in your financial success. There are many situations where one can benefit from engaging outside investment management.  Referrals are available.

Automate your investing through regular investments.

The only correct asset allocation is the one you are comfortable with and will stick to.  Every person’s allocation will be different based on their risk tolerance and should be reviewed regularly.

International diversification is important – the U.S. stock market represents less than half of the world’s stock market by some estimates. It’s important to have exposure to overseas markets for proper diversification.

Crypto currency "investing" – it’s like the “mad money” you take to Vegas – only as much as you’re willing to lose but you enjoy the ride.

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A comprehensive financial plan is the foundation of any investment decisions.

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Compensation & Documentation

Compensation $200/hour.   An estimate of the number of hours needed for an investment review will be provided for your approval with a 50% up-front payment and a signed agreement.   Any “overage” in hours needed will be discussed and agreed upon in advance.  Actual hours spent on the engagement will be used to calculate a final invoice.  Travel to your location, if needed, charged at $100/hour.