Investment Advice and Management

It is always important to have a properly constructed and explicit investment strategy.  The more financial assets you have, the more important this becomes.

An explicitly stated investment policy helps you check that you're heading in the right direction, and targeting the right financial objectives.  It also serves to guide your investment advisor by setting parameters that are laid out clearly, mutually agreed and understood.

Every client is unique, and I build your personal investment strategy specifically for you.  A custom-built investment portfolio will take account of a huge range of factors, including:

1. Your personal appetite for investment risk - to what extent are you adventurous or cautious as an investor?

2. Your ability to take investment risk - how close to retirement are you?  How many years of employment do you have ahead of you?  What is your capacity to handle an unexpected financial shock?

3. Your objectives for investing - Are you a young investor seeking outright growth?  Or perhaps mid-career seeking growth but with an eye on capital preservation?  Or perhaps you're retired and seeking a sustainable income for the years ahead?

4. Your time horizon and likelihood of needing early access to funds - If your time horizon is short, then investing may not even be right for you.  If your time horizon is long, you may consider an adventurous investment portfolio to deliver higher expected returns.

5. Your planned countries of residence in the future - Will you be internationally mobile over the years ahead?  In which case, a tax-wrapped investment platform is probably appropriate.  Where will you live later on in life?  What tax-planning benefits can be gained by good decisions now?

6. Your base investment currency and target currencies of withdrawals - these factors directly affect the currency strategy within your investment portfolio.  And yes, you should definitely have one, and make sure it's appropriate for your future plans.

7. The percentage of your net worth you are investing - I don't like the expression 'play money', but for some clients, the portion of their net worth that I look after is small.  For most though, we want a sensible, professionally-minded approach to understanding goals and planning to achieve them.

8. The extent to which you are internationally diversified or not - Most new clients are not sufficiently diversified when we first meet.  Common mistakes include home-bias (investing predominantly in our home country and not internationally), property-bias (when individuals stick to mostly to property, because they feel they understand it better than global investing), and sector-bias (when people invest mostly in specific industries, usually the one in which they are employed).

9. Your investment knowledge and previous experience - you've probably heard the expression 'don't invest in what you don't understand', but think about what this wise logic actually means.  It really means, 'don't miss out on opportunities by not bothering to learn about them'.  Working with a knowledgeable investment professional gives you the chance to better understand the essentials of investing, make better decisions, and feel more relaxed that your strategy is the correct one.

To find out more, and discuss whether I may be able to help you meet your investment goals, please contact me.