Financial Planning is an important process to help you make better decisions about your money and your life.  And because we all have different hopes and dreams, attitudes and beliefs and financial resources, financial planning should be customized to match our needs.

Together, we will work to develop a clear understanding of your goals and the path to achieving them.  The timing of the process is up to you.  At the outset, this process may seem laborious and time consuming.  In the long run, it will save you multiples of the time invested plus you will have the satisfaction of knowing you are preparing to lead your life instead of life leading you.

Validate Baseline

Agree on Plan of Action

Monitor and Update as Scheduled

Develop Options

Provide Goals, Guidelines & Data

Develop Baseline

Define Scope of Engagement

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You

Dave O’Brien

Together

If you haven’t heard of an Investment Policy Statement (IPS), you’re not alone.  Far too many investors, retirement plan sponsors -- and financial advisors -- invest without this simple, yet beneficial, document.

An IPS helps educated investors and their advisors make better decisions.  Your IPS should talk about what you’re saving for, how you would like to invest and the amount of volatility you feel you can handle.  It discusses your criteria for how you make decisions.  What investments will you allow, and what would you reject (think index funds or stocks vs collateralized debt obligations!).  It also serves to help you monitor your investments on the road ahead, make changes and provides objective criteria in times when emotion-fueled decisions may not be in your best interest.  The criteria can be very detailed, or more general in nature.  The IPS also clarifies roles and responsibilities -- yours, your advisor’s, investment managers, strategists and custodians -- and the frequency for reviews.

Review Options,
Advice and
Investment Policy

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