Client Case Studies
A Medical Professional:
“Every spare minute I have is spent keeping up with advances in medicine and being with my family.” A mid-career health care provider requested a retirement review under various scenarios, including the possibility of a declining income. The investment portfolio was repositioned from a very conservative allocation into more growth oriented securities which was more appropriate for achieving retirement goals.
A University Professor:
“I teach literature. Investing is just not a subject I warm up to.”
This client was concerned about positioning her investments for retirement, including a substantial amount of retirements savings in TIAA/CREF.
A Business Owner:
“Running my business is where my time and energy is focused. I like to keep my personal investing in the hands of a pro.”This middle-aged business owner was only now beginning to accumulate savings which were not being actively managed. A conservative investment program was created that balanced income and growth to meet the client's need to keep some money available for the business with the rest earmarked for longer-term needs.
A Retired Couple:
“We want to travel and enjoy a hard-earned retirement.” This couple was unhappy with their investment manager who urged them to put most of their money into a handful of individual stocks and stock mutual funds. We devised a well-diversified portfolio with the goal of providing both income to meet their spending needs as well as growth of capital to help them keep up with rising living costs throughout their retirement.
A Disabled Person:
“It is just difficult for me to deal with all the paperwork of complex investments.”The client was overwhelmed by trying to manage her many investment and bank savings accounts. We first provided a summary of all of her holdings as well as a timetable to move from an overly aggressive position to one that is more appropriate for current volatile investment conditions. We then implemented this strategy over a two-year period.
A Business Executive:
“I learned two costly lessons during past bear markets. First I didn't realize how fast and by how much a risky set of investments can lose money. Second, neither did my investment advisor."While this executive was two decades from retirement, she could ill afford further steep investment losses. We moved what had been an all U.S. large company stock portfolio into one that was better diversified, including bonds, small and mid-cap stocks, and foreign securities.
A Busy Family:
“We used to enjoy riding herd on our investments, but we lack both the time and knowledge to effectively manage our investments, particularly as we face college for the kids and retirement."Like many otherwise occupied families, this couple's growing investment portfolio was suffering from benign neglect at a crucial time with college tuitions looming and retirement not far off. We assessed their current situation and future needs and devised a program, including the management of their 401(k) and 403(b) plans to help them meet their needs.
Ready to Retire:
“We'd like to retire in just a few years, but aren't sure we can afford to and have no idea what to do with our retirement nest egg."Impending retirement is a crucial time for taking a hard look at the family budget and investments for this couple. We prepared retirement projections under various scenarios and managed the retirement plan holdings before and after retirement.
Recent Recipient of an Inheritance:
“I just received an inheritance which greatly changes my financial outlook and have great concerns about how it should be invested."This client never had to worry about money outside of her workplace retirement plan and small IRA. We spent time educating her on investing, risk, and diversification and worked together to develop a long-term plan for investing the windfall.
Multigenerational Management:
“We are in the fortunate position as a family to have built a sizeable estate, but are in quandary as to where to go from here."This three-generation family had not given adequate thought to building their wealth to benefit both future generations as well as favored charities. With the help of legal and tax professionals, we devised a program to manage the portfolios of the various family members, including shifting money to younger generations.
