I’ve always been passionate about the investment process. I’ve studied and taught investments for years. And over time I came to appreciate the costs and risks of active investing, and the effect those costs can have on performance. That’s why my firm focuses on investments based on market indexes, in which diversification of market risk is achieved by allocating globally, across domestic and international equity and fixed-income markets.

I spend a lot of time with my clients. In our retirement cash flow planning, investment education and comprehensive planning meetings, we’ll spend hours together. It’s what I call a “high touch approach.” We’ll discuss your desires and objectives. And we’ll look at historical market returns, short- and long-term risks, and how they impact your financial situation and your future. One point I always come back to is a quote from Charles Ellis: In the short run the market is always surprising; in the long run the market is never surprising.

I think a greater understanding of the long-term nature of the markets – their downswings and upswings – really creates certain epiphanies in people. There is an “A-Hah” moment. I work hard to educate my clients – it really is all about helping my client make an informed decision.

The nature of my role is important as well. I am a fee-only advisor – I provide professional advice for a fee. I don’t make money brokering transactions or selling products. My clients and I look in the same direction, together, over the long term.

We do a thorough financial plan, and each portfolio is custom designed. Both spouses need to be involved in understanding that plan, and being comfortable with it. Our clients primarily are age 45 and up – they’ve built up an asset base over their lives, they aren’t interested in speculating or risking capital in hedge funds. They have their eyes on the rest of their lives.

I have a strong background in the law and accounting – I practiced law and accounting and have taught investments. Mine is certainly not the conventional record of your typical investment advisor. But I bring a broader perspective to my clients, and an understanding not only of the financial process, but of my clients’ needs as well.

I love what I do – now more than ever. Not long ago a client volunteered to serve as a reference, saying that I could pass his name along to prospective clients. It was a generous offer, but I declined. As I told him, I felt uncomfortable accepting his service. I exist only for my clients – not the other way around.

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