Investment management is the core of what I do for clients.  It is the key strategy for helping clients create, manage, and preserve wealth.  

Building portfolios that enable clients to achieve their financial goals is the heart of investment management.  My method is to use a holistic approach in meeting the needs of individual clients.  This encompasses gaining a firm understanding of a client's goals, preferences, personal circumstances, constraints, and risk tolerance.

The Investment Management Process

In general terms, the investment management process consists of the same six steps as the financial planning process;

1. Obtain a clear understanding of your intentions for the money being invested, personal preferences, constraints, and ability to tolerate risk
2. Gather data from you about your current financial resources, goals, non-financial objectives, and constraints 
3. Evaluate your present situation based on the information you've provided
4. Prepare an investment policy statement which describes the strategies and steps necessary to help meet your intentions for your investments
5. Implement the policy by selecting appropriate investments
6. Monitor and revise the policy as necessary.

Many factors are considered that are relevant to your circumstances:

• Investment time horizon
• risk tolerance
• investment constraints
• tax considerations
• asset allocation
• measuring performance.

Asset Allocation

The four sources of investment returns can be linked to;

1. The choice of asset mix
2. Market timing decisions
3. Product selection
4. Rebalancing

Of the four, the choice of asset mix accounts for 55% to 80% of the volatility in returns.  Proper asset allocation reduces volatility (also known as risk).

The concept of asset allocation decrees that you should hold a portfolio of assets which would achieve your financial goals.  At the same time, the portfolio should balance risk and return to meet your needs.  A properly balanced portfolio would be one which achieves the desired return while reducing risk.

Your portfolio needs regular rebalancing.  This is necessary because the real asset mix changes continuously as dividends and interest payments are made, and as market prices and conditions change.  Your risk tolerance also changes as you get wealthier or as you age, and this also has an affect on your asset allocation.

Strategic and tactical allocation is key to the wealth management process that I use for clients.