We manage your investments held at Charles Schwab and Apex, and provide advice 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 portfolios designed to strike a balance 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 essential to make decisions based on objective research that is free from 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 several 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 greater the 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 comes from being invested in the market rather than from picking the best sectors/stocks. However, research indicates that numerous other factors also contribute to expected returns. We structure portfolios with an emphasis on these factors to pursue higher risk-adjusted returns.
4 – We actively manage risk
We believe in removing the emotion from investing and that a globally diversified portfolio, comprising thousands of companies (both 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 our exposure to those targets as they deviate. Our approach is rooted in building a portfolio that reflects the world we live in – comprising stocks and bonds from both domestic and international markets, including companies of all sizes and both developed and emerging economies. The chart below illustrates the best-performing to the 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, your 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, overconfidence, and many other biases can be disastrous to achieving your long-term goals. The chart below illustrates the lowest return in the stock market each year (represented by the red dots) and the return by year-end (represented by the grey columns). Many investors panic and sell at their lowest points due to emotional factors. Had they remained invested, they would have recovered their losses.
The evidence that investors sell at the wrong time is evident 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 had 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, savings rates, spending habits, tax strategy, retirement planning, and estate planning. 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 acknowledge the variables beyond our control and develop a risk management plan accordingly. This can lead to a better investment experience.
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