Are We A Good Fit?

Q:  Why does Elevate Wealth Advisors emphasize downside protection?

A: Typically, our clients are five years away from or in a state of financial well-being we call independently wealthy (for some this is retirement).  When we meet new clients, they often say “we don’t want a setback like 2008 or 2000” or “we don’t want to take a haircut on our investments.”  Focusing on strategies that seek to reduce downside risk is our specialty – by our own definition, we are the safe shop.

Q: How does Elevate’s downside protection differ from typical investment shops?

A: Whether you’re looking for predictable income generated from your portfolio or consistent, reliable growth, we approach your investment goals differently than the average investment shop.  Traditionally, our industry has relied on what was once called the “free lunch” – diversification to reduce risk in portfolios.   A rising tide may raise all ships, but a tide going out tends to lower all of them as well.  We employ strategies that seek to effectively minimize the downside.  We’re quite different than the average investment shop in that regard – come and talk to us about our strategies.

Q: Does protecting the downside limit the upside?

A: No, not necessarily.  While we’ll agree there is no “free lunch,” giving up growth isn’t always the case for employing protection strategies.  Then, why haven’t you heard about such strategies? Many investment shops haven’t taken the extra efforts and education to employ strategies that may be more advantageous than traditional models.  From their perspective: If they are already charging fees and getting paid no matter what happens, what is the incentive to make changes?

Q: Am I a good fit for Elevate?

A:

• If you are concerned with keeping your money protected and safe utilizing government guaranteed securities – you might be a good fit.
• If you want to work with a firm that is highly educated in finance but doesn’t use technical jargon to try to impress you – you might be a good fit.
• If you are seeking confidence in a plan to reduce risk and you desire to get your financial household in good order – you might be a good fit.
• If you are tired of the same old investment shop, cuff links, starched-shirt attitude – come meet with us!

Q: Does Elevate provide tax advice or legal advice?

A: We manage your tax liability from investments, but we don’t prepare your tax returns or attempt to give tax advice; such advice should be obtained by dedicated, certified tax professional.  However, since we have significant experience addressing tax and legal issues, we do work closely with your CPA or attorney to ensure the advice they offer is implemented in your plan. 

Q: Why does Elevate use the Playbook?

A: Besides managing and protecting wealth as a primary objective, we want to make sure your financial household is in good order. With decades of experience working with our clients, we’ve fine-tuned a “Playbook” process that helps our clients organize all relevant financial information in one place to effectively manage their wealth.  We find that dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s is so very important.  Come learn about our Playbook and find out what a great solution it can be for your household.

Q: How does the Playbook differ from my current “financial plan”?

A: The common approach in our industry for financial planning is computer software or an online generated report that impressively generates hundreds of pages of what we call meaningless rubbish!  These “financial plans” will often be stored in an expensive leather binder and gather dust in your office space.  This approach typically takes an assessment of your current situation, attempts to plot a direction for your estate and while it might employ modeling strategies like “Monte Carlo Simulations,” its real purpose is to make a guess at the direction you are headed in the long run.  Although traditional financial planning efforts attempt to forecast your life for the next several decades, they typically are insufficient.

The playbook, on the other hand, addresses the most meaningful things in your financial household.  We take a hard look at your net worth, beneficiary designations, registrations of accounts and personal goals. We also study your current insurance coverage and estate plan for effectiveness. We think the Playbook is the best system to organize, double check, and manage your important financial considerations in a working binder that will be part of our process for working together.

Q: Why would I not be a good fit?

A:

• If you believe in asset allocation or that just buying the SP500 is going to accomplish your goals – you might be better off considering a robo-advice platform.
• If you believe in “timing the market” – that’s not what we do.
• If you are looking for special insights into picking the next hot investment that is going to accomplish your goals – that’s not what we do.
• We intend to spend countless hours working for your household, if you don’t have assets sufficient for us to manage – you might not be a good fit.

Q: What does it mean to work with independent financial advisor?  Am I better off at the bank or a large wall street firm?

A: As independent financial advisors, we won’t push an agenda on you.  Rather than serving an employer and using their services for you, we serve you and design and pick the services that are best suited for you.