Our Process

Discovery: To be able to plan accurately, you need to gather all your information. It is no different than planning for a road trip. Where do you want to go? How much fuel do you need? Where will you stop? How long will you be there? 

Analysis: After we get to know your situation, we analyze the information we’ve gathered to identify ways to optimize your investment strategy.

Plan: We’ll provide a roadmap to identify the precise course you want to take by customizing your plan to your unique objectives and preferences.

Implement: At this stage, you can begin your journey with confidence and peace of mind.  Preparation and analysis mean we can start your journey based on hard data and real information. We’ll make it as easy as possible to hit “go” and get into action.

Monitor: If conditions change or veer off course, we will be there to monitor your plan to help ensure you get to your end goal safely and efficiently. Markets go up and down; kids grow up; families change; economies wax and wane. We stay with you.

When you are “Investing With a Purpose,” you build and implement a financial roadmap to soundly guide you to your desired destinations.

HOW INVESTMENTS WORK USING BUCKETS

Investing With a Purpose

Investing With a Purpose involves allocating your money to different investments (i.e., “buckets”) for different purposes. Each bucket may have a different time horizon and risk characteristic. The combination of these different buckets will give you a portfolio that should fit your short- and long-term goals for income, growth, risk, and liquidity.

Bucket 1 – Lifetime Income and Protection*

This bucket is designed to provide sustained income and principal protection for individuals who require income through retirement.

Characteristics:

• Principal protection from market losses
• Guaranteed income for essential needs in retirement
• Long-term care and disability protection

Bucket 2 – Fixed Income and Short-Term Cash

This is a relatively conservative bucket that’s generally allocated to fixed income and/or cash or cash equivalent instruments. This bucket is designed to generate income and provide immediate liquidity, allowing other buckets to potentially grow over time.

Characteristics:

• Liquid emergency funds or money designated for living expenses
• Money designated for particular short-term goals such as home purchase or college expenses
• Lower risk and relatively liquid investments

Bucket 3 – Protected Growth

This bucket is generally more aggressively allocated than Bucket 2. It is designed to replenish Bucket 2 and allows Bucket 4 time to grow. We may recommend the use of approved third-party asset managers depending on your situation in order to maximize economies of scale and efficiency.

Characteristics:

• Market exposure provides growth potential
  
• Buys time for other assets to grow
• Limit the effects of volatility

Bucket 4 – Long-Term Growth

For this bucket, we generally recommend a long-term growth strategy using a mix of strategic and tactical strategies.. We may recommend the use of approved third-party asset managers to implement this bucket depending on your situation in order to maximize economies of scale and achieve efficiency.

Characteristics:

• This bucket is designed to potentially grow for several years untouched
• Important for accumulation of assets for retirement

Bucket 5 – Alternatives

This bucket provides diversification and exposure to non-correlated investments which may not be impacted directly by volatility in the stock market or interest rate movements. This bucket may be most suitable for investors with relatively low liquidity needs.

Possible goals:

• Non-correlated, diversification
• Growth and income over a sustained period
• Income generated from this bucket may be used to supplement income required in Buckets 1 and 2