How We Select Investments
Investment Selection
Investment selection is a crucial part of what we do for you.
Once we’ve built your plan and know the stock/bond ratios (allocations) for each account, we’ll assemble your portfolio. Since we are an independent firm, we have no incentive to use one investment over another. If we think a certain investment can help our clients, we will consider it.
We build portfolios off three criteria:
Markets are unpredictable – so diversify.
Because markets are inherently unpredictable, we diversify across different countries, company sizes, sectors, and other characteristics. Portfolios are designed to be “all-weather” – participating in gains when and where they occur while reducing risk compared to a more concentrated approach during market downturns.
Choose investments that minimize fees and taxes.
One of the gating criteria we use to exclude investments is the internal expense. If expenses are kept low, you keep more return. We utilize funds that provide access to broad stock and bond markets, in addition to other low-cost strategies. Most portfolios used are 0.3% or less in total fund expenses. We minimize taxes using tax-loss harvesting, lot optimization, tax-efficient funds, asset location, and other strategies.
Markets change – so should your portfolio.
We are diligent about keeping your portfolio in balance and suitable for the current environment, positioned for long-term opportunities, and aligned with your goals, objectives, and unique circumstances. In addition to frequently monitoring your account for trading opportunities, we also design our portfolios to adjust as market and economic conditions change so your investments stay with the times.
Examples of current strategies in use:
- Active bond managers
- Factor tilting/rotation (dynamic portfolio exposure to value, size, quality, low volatility, momentum)
- Thematic investing (based on consumer trends, disruptive and innovative technologies, etc)
“For decades, advisors have made the world of finance difficult from start to finish. Often with zero transparency. We've changed that.”
- Kevin Conard
The Easiest firm to work with on planet Earth.
Every engagement with us is designed to be easy. From booking appointments to communicating with your advisor via phone app or text, opening accounts to accessing documents, and getting answers, we strive to make it the best experience you can find.
Your team will take the complicated subject matter and make it easy to digest and understand. If you are looking for complicated, confusing, or condescending, you are at the wrong place.