Our clients chose us because they want complete confidence in their financial plan and in their company’s retirement plan. We explain how to objectively evaluate financial advisors, investments and other financial services, including insurance. Learning how financial advisors get paid and what their philosophy and methods are is difficult. Our clients are informed. By increasing understanding, our clients make better decisions and are more in control.
We operate our firm in four ways that are significantly different from other advisory and planning firms:
- Independent, unbiased solutions with transparent, fee-only pricing: no commissions, no hidden loyalties
- Rational and efficient investment philosophy
- Disciplined, yet flexible approach to meet your needs
- Comprehensive, personal and customized solutions
Investing Philosophy
Our philosophy, which we call rational and efficient investing or Investing 3.0 solves the shortcomings of both Investing 1.0 “Active” and Investing 2.0 “Passive”. What if it was possible to know which asset classes provided a bit more return at an overall engineered level of acceptable risk, so you could do capture market returns with less risk and less expense? And what if the buying and selling process was based on extensive academic research that translates into market (and time) tested common sense rules that dictate the right mix of assets? No crystal balls, no opinions, no guessing when to get in or out and no more buy and hold. Being completely diversified with optimal asset class weights for you, with fewer turnovers and less expense is an option. If you want to earn the market premium with less risk and less drag on performance through smarter asset class weighting and more efficient maintenance and trading practices, then this strategy is for you.
Our investment philosophy is tested and backed up by industry and academic research and experience.
Comprehensive Financial Planning
The elements of a comprehensive financial plan may include:
- Investment approach – What’s best for you?
- Buy and hold or tactical asset allocation?
- Index funds, exchange traded funds, mutual funds, individual securities or optimal combination?
- Portfolio engineering for appropriate risk adjusted returns
- Rebalancing
- Benchmarking current investments for fees, risk and performance
- Cash and liquidity decisions
- Retirement planning
- Roth or Traditional IRA?
- Retirement income distribution strategies
- Social Security
- Taxable accounts
- Lump sum pension payments
- 401(K) rollover decisions
- Risk analysis and insurance recommendations:
- Health
- Disability
- Long term care
- Life
- Home, second home and auto
- Tax planning
- Charitable contributions and gifting strategies
- Education funding (college, private school, professional degrees and certifications)
- Estate planning
- Review, monitoring and implementation support
Sound experience to guide you through the complexity
The degree of complexity is staggering. Relentless research for the “best in class” solutions and putting it all together in a custom plan that works is an approach that sets us apart. Applying fiduciary standards in selecting market leading business partners, providers and strategies is our progressive strategy. Journey Financial Planners is successfully winning clients over venerable “old school” Wall St. Firms and “wealth management” firms that eschew “not invented here” solutions. We work with devout conscientious “do-it yourselfers.”
Independent Advice is in demand and for good reasons
“Even with the market declines of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009, 61 percent of consumers feel that independent financial advisors believe that their company is doing what is in the customer’s best interest, down from 67 percent from the previous service. Compare to Vanguard at 36 percent from 49 percent, Charles Schwab at 39 percent, and Edward Jones at 40 percent versus 47 percent. Smith Barney is at 34 percent versus 42 percent; only credit unions are higher at 68 percent.”
Forrester Research’s 6th annual survey of Customer Advocacy
“RIA assets skyrocket 47 percent”
“The industry is experiencing the entrance of new firms, growth of the capital markets and retail clients that demand unbiased financial advice,” said Bing Walder, associate director at Cerulli Associates, a Boston-based research firm.
InvestmentNews, October 29th, 2007
“RIAs Gaining in Market for Small 401(K)s”
“RIAs are winning more plan sponsor accounts because they are seen as non-biased advisers who can offer best-of-breed solutions,’ Ms. Varas of Financial Research Corp of Boston said, noting that ‘advisers are particularly successful in the small-business market because larger fund companies can’t profitably serve many small businesses.’ Per Tom Modestino of Cerulli and Associates. ‘An RIA has nothing at stake. Their business is all about finding the best solutions, regardless of fund or any commission. Pricing is a bit of a shell game, but RIAs make it simple and transparent. It’s a better non-conflicted situation.’”
InvestmentNews, July 16th, 2007
