Initial Year
In the first year of our relationship, we work closely with you to review each area of your financial life. We will have up to eight meetings to delve into each of these areas independently. This is a highly interactive process and is designed to ensure that we completely assess your current situation, identify and immediately address any urgent issues, and lay the foundation for our ongoing work together.
The capstone meeting of the first year will be our Investment Strategy session where we agree on an asset allocation. We believe that it is important to hold the Investment Strategy meeting after all our other meetings have been completed. This allows us to formulate an investment plan in tune with your long term goals and personal values and informed by your attitude toward and capacity for risk.
We memorialize the investment strategy in an Investment Policy Statement (IPS) that serves as the guide for all our ongoing investment decisions. In addition to specifying the individual investments that comprise your portfolio, their expected returns, volatility and cost, the IPS also spells out the rebalancing strategy we will use to bring your asset allocations back to policy weights as these shift over time with the movements of the market.
On-Going EngagementOnce the initial elements of your financial plan and investment strategy have been implemented, we continuously monitor your progress and react to any changes in your personal circumstances that warrant a change in strategy. We will meet approximately four times each year after the initial year for scheduled reviews, in addition to meetings held to address new issues that may arise. A key element of our ongoing review is tax planning, both at mid-year and at year end. These meetings are designed to project your tax liability and to capitalize on opportunities to save you money via effective tax planning.
Our entire process is designed to reflect our belief that effective financial planning is a continuing process of engagement, not a one-time event. We seek to work with clients who see the value of continuous engagement and are committed to working with us in a collaborative manner.
A fee-only advisor is someone who is compensated solely by the client with neither the advisor nor any related party receiving compensation that is contingent on the purchase or sale of a financial product.
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