We manage your investments that are held at TD Ameritrade or Charles Schwab, and advise on your investments held elsewhere. Our investment services include:
• Globally diversified portfolios
• Multiple asset classes
• Passive and active management
• Strategic and tactical allocations
• Expense minimization
• Tax optimization
• Multi manager approach
• Socially Responsible Investing
We manage portfolio’s that are designed to balance the tradeoff between returns and risk while providing the highest level of diversification. We have a few rules we follow which are the cornerstone of our long-term success.
1 – We are objective
It is important to make decisions based on objective research that is not subject to bias. As a fully independent advisory firm, we use any research or solution that is best for our clients. This means we source our research both internally and externally and partner with a number of large financial institutions.
2 – We understand your tolerance for risk
Risk tolerance is a balance between your financial ability, financial needs, and emotional willingness to withstand losses. There is a risk-reward trade-off where the more risk one takes, the greater the potential gain or loss. Your risk tolerance is a function of several factors including your time horizon, your income and expenses, liquidity constraints, and your net worth. 
3 – We understand the main drivers of returns
Most of the return you earn in your portfolios simply comes from being invested in the market rather than from picking the best sectors/stocks. However, research shows that many other factors contribute to expected returns. We structure portfolios with an emphasis towards these factors to pursue higher risk-adjusted returns.
4 – We actively manage risk
We believe in taking the emotion OUT of investing and that a globally diversified portfolio, constructed of thousands of companies (domestic and international), is the best way to help clients achieve their goals. We set high-level targets for various asset classes that reflect our investment worldview and rebalance back to those targets as our exposure deviates. Our approach is rooted in building a portfolio that looks like the world we live in – comprising of stocks and bonds, both domestic and foreign, companies large and small, and both developed and developing markets. The chart below illustrates the best to worst performing asset classes each year. A globally diversified portfolio (in grey) never comes in 1st place but it also never comes in last. You are investing for your family, you retirement, and other important goals. You cannot afford to ever come in last.
5 – We avoid emotional biases
With constant headlines in the news it’s easy to panic and sell. The fact is, our emotions can get the best of us. Fear, regret, over-confidence, and many other biases can be disastrous to achieving your long-term goals. The chart below shows the lowest return in the stock market each year (the red dots) and the return by year end (the grey columns). Many investors panic and sell at the lowest points because of their emotions. Had they remained invested they would have recovered their losses.
The proof that investors sell at the wrong time can be seen in the chart below. Over the past 20 years the average investor has had worse returns than any other investment. In other words, if you would have bought any of the investments listed here and done nothing, you would have had better returns than the average investor.
Daily market news and commentary can challenge your investment discipline. Some messages stir anxiety about the future while others tempt you to chase the latest investment fad. When headlines unsettle you, consider the source and maintain a long‑term perspective.
6 – Focus on the things that are within your control
Certain things are within your control while others are not. You control your asset allocation, asset location, saving rates, spending habits, tax strategy, retirement and estate plan. Don’t let these items deviate from your plan. You can’t control the return of the stock market but you can control your exposure to it. We recognize the variables that are out of our control and build a risk management plan around them. This can lead to a better investment experience.
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