Investment Management
We believe prudent investing entails four basic tenets:
1. Asset allocation and designating those assets according to when the funds will be needed.
It's critically important to know when funds will be withdrawn so they are not subject to undue market risk at the time of withdrawal. For example, typically assets needed in less than 5 years should be allocated for preservation while those not needed for a longer period of time can be allocated for growth. Our client's financial plan details when funds are withdrawn - and with this information an asset allocation and investment policy statement are drafted and reviewed with the client for each of their investment portfolios. The asset allocation addresses the specific asset classes to be included in the portfolio and in what percentage. Examples of asset classes are stocks, bonds, real estate, and commodities.
2. Are the funds in a taxable account of retirement account?
Some assets are better suited for retirement accounts while others are better suited for taxable accounts. We review our clients' tax returns so that if possible the portfolios for their taxable accounts are managed to mitigate their income tax exposure.
3. What is the investor's individual risk tolerance?
While some people have demonstrated the ability to handle market volatility, others prefer their assets to be invested for preservation. We use a diagnostic tool to assess a client's ability to handle risk and review this information with them. We also get to know our clients and discuss their feelings about risk so we design an acceptable investment portfolio.
4. How secure are your assets?
One of the most important concerns is the security of our client's accounts. It is for that reason we work with SEI Private Trust as our primary custodian for client assets. For more information about the security of assets at SEI Private Trust company click here:
For more information about SEI's proactive asset security measure,click here.