We start by looking at everything because everything matters.
Our clients’ goals are unique, specific and often, complex - which is why we perform a thorough assessment of each client’s financial picture. This way we can build a comprehensive plan that reflects personal goals and addresses precise needs. In fulfilling plan objectives, we deliver the elevated boutique experience our clients expect and decidedly deserve.
Our Process.
Because we view wealth management as a collaborative process, we create an environment characterized by proactive and consistent communications as we explore with our clients the various components of their plans.
We start by looking at everything because everything matters. Together, we take a detailed look at your finances, your lifestyle, and your goals. The result is a plan built around your objectives, designed to guide each step forward.
Client Discovery
Our first meeting with each client sets the stage for the relationship and is the most critical part of our process. Our advice and recommendations are based on our ability to understand the client’s circumstances and future needs.
Reporting & Analysis
Our clients are assured of state-of-the-art reporting technology to assess performance against financial objectives. We encourage ongoing dialogue to determine how well each portfolio meets current and evolving goals.
Financial Planning
The most effective investment strategies are predicted on solid wealth planning. We take a comprehensive approach as we facilitate tax-effective and meaningful wealth transference and philanthropy.
Monitor & Evaluate
We conduct a regular review of each client’s portfolio and take actions when required to ensure continual alignment with strategic goals and market conditions.
Portfolio Construction
We customize our asset allocation and investment strategy to reflect an overall plan while considering tax efficiency, time horizon, as well as unique risk proclivities and investment goals.
Communicate & Educate
Our commitment to you extends beyond the initial investment strategy. The final, crucial step in our process is ongoing communication and education.
Client Discovery
The right advisor is worth 3% or more. You will pay much less than that.
Investors who are used to self-service brokerages or working with unrelated financial, estate, and tax advisors may question the cost and value of a holistic wealth management firm. Yet independent studies* have confirmed the best financial advisors can add 3% or more to the value of your portfolio. See how it adds up.
*Source: S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, SPIVA U.S. Scorecard. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
The Value of Advice.
Independent studies* show the benefits of working with a financial advisor.
* Source: Vanguard, Putting a Value on Your Value: Quantifying Vanguard Advisor’s Alpha, 2019. This estimate is hypothetical and not guaranteed.
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How can behavioral coaching from your staff of financial experts add up to a 1.5% bump to the value of your portfolio? Very simply, as it happens. Money is an emotional topic, and it can be difficult to keep a disciplined long-term view when the news is bad, and everyone is selling. Or when a new, hot stock creates the desire to get in on it. No matter what the market is doing, a trusted advisor can help you stay calm and stick to the plan. That matters because reacting with emotion undermines your strategy and can offset years of growth.
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When you are spending money from investments rather than a salary, your approach can have a significant impact on earnings. The correct balance of withdrawals from taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-free accounts can reduce the total you pay in taxes over the rest of your life, maintain higher balances for longer, and increase your legacy. In fact, this one area alone can more than offset the expense of your advisor.
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For high-tax-bracket investors, tax-aware wealth management has the potential to provide a strong boost to your portfolio. By anticipating changes in tax laws, increases in income, capital gains, and other sources of increased tax liability, you can boost your net worth by adapting your strategy and investments to minimize upcoming taxes.
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Asset allocation and investment selection make the portfolio. This should not be rushed. As part of our approach, your team will collaborate with you to create a plan that takes your objectives, needs, values, time horizon, risk profile, and more into account. Your portfolio will include investments that make sense for you to buy and hold.
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Tax timing is just as critical as tax reduction. Your financial team may be able to add to your assets by determining when and whether it makes sense to transfer regular IRAs to Roth IRAs.
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Balancing taxable and tax-deferred accounts unlocks compounding through yield spreads.
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It can be hard to predict how the market and interest rates will act years in the future. Experts who can guide you through changes before, as, and after they occur can add value by developing strategies that balance your goals with new conditions.
Our Approach.
Successful investing does not require predicting markets, chasing trends, or identifying the next winning manager. Instead, it requires discipline, diversification, and a consistent focus on the factors investors can control. There are certain principles of investing that have been demonstrated across decades of academic research* and real-world market data:
Costs Matter
The lower the cost of investing, the more of the market’s return investors keep.
Most Active Managers Underperform
Over long periods, the majority of professional money managers fail to outperform their benchmark indexes after fees and expenses.
Performance Persistence is Rare
Managers who outperform in one period are unlikely to repeat that success in the next.
Asset Allocation Drives Outcomes
Long-term portfolio results are primarily determined by the mix of stocks, bonds, and other asset classes - not individual security selection.
FAQs.
Why do you primarily use ETFs in client portfolios?
We primarily use exchange-traded funds (ETFs) because they provide broad diversification, low costs, tax efficiency, and transparency. Decades of research show that minimizing investment expenses improves long-term outcomes. ETFs allow us to focus on the decisions that matter most - asset allocation, risk management, and discipline - rather than attempting to select individual securities or predict short-term market movements.
What does it mean that you are a fiduciary?
We are fee-only fiduciaries, and our compensation comes solely from the fees our clients pay for our investment management services. We are transparent in our fee structure and receive no commissions or other compensation for any of the products our clients choose. When you do better, we do better.
Are you trying to “beat the market”?
Our primary objective is not to outperform a benchmark in any single year. Our goal is to help clients achieve their financial objectives with an appropriate level of risk. We focus on capturing market returns efficiently while managing risk, costs, taxes, and investor behavior - factors that have a significant impact on long-term outcomes.
How does your firm make money?
We are fee-only fiduciaries, and our compensation comes solely from the fees our clients pay for our investment management services. We are transparent in our fee structure and receive no commissions or other compensation for any of the products our clients choose. When you do better, we do better.
Are ETFs safer than individual stocks?
ETFs themselves are not inherently more or less risky than other investments - risk depends on what the ETF holds. However, ETFs often provide greater diversification, which can reduce the risk associated with owning individual securities. Many ETFs track broad indexes containing hundreds or thousands of holdings, helping manage company-specific risk within a portfolio.
What type of investments do you use?
Client portfolios are primarily invested in Exchange Traded Funds (“ETFs”). An ETF is a basket of securities that trades on an exchange just like a stock does. ETFs represent a cost-effective and tax-efficient way to gain exposure to a broad basket of securities.