When choosing a financial advisor to work with, it is important that you have the same general beliefs and philosophies.  Here are some of our core beliefs.

Optimism – We believe that the future will always be better than the past.  This belief is not just because of our optimistic natures, but because it is the only outlook that matches with the realities of human history.

Behavior – The largest component of an investor’s actual return is not what particular mutual fund they hold, but rather their behavior as investors.  Stated simply, whether an investor can stick with their long-term plan during good and bad times will make the highest impact of any investment decision.  We have found that staying patient and disciplined is simple to understand and very difficult to do.  Our greatest value to our clients is to act as a coach to improve our clients’ behavior as investors.

Investing For Specific Goals – Investing works best when it is for a specific, measurable set of goals.  This way, a custom asset allocation (mix of investments) can be crafted to meet those goals.  A goal-oriented financial plan is essential to determining how to invest.

Timing – Getting in and out of financial markets at the right times is tempting because the rewards can be great and it seems so easy in hindsight.  In practicality though, timing the market on a consistent basis is not possible and getting this wrong can lead to retirement killing outcomes.  To us, the safer approach is to align investment with long –term goals and not react to short-term market fluctuations.

Cost – Everything else being equal between two similar investments, the one with the lower fees will perform better.  While this isn’t the only factor we consider when choosing specific investments, we pay close attention to costs because it is a significant element of performance.