MWS Financial Planning & Investment Policy Statement Info

Investment Policy Statement

We believe any comprehensive investment plan begins with a detailed and customized financial plan. We get to know you and your goals. Achieving your goals and dreams is our benchmark, not the S&P 500. Rather than focusing exclusively on rates of return, we take into account your desired lifestyle, your legacy, and how your portfolio can help you accomplish your goals. We make decisions guided by time tested investment principles, not fear or emotion. We follow the fiduciary standard for our advisory relationships, which means we place your interests before our own when providing professional services. We have a well-thought-out and detailed system of investment management. As assets grow and wealth is created, we help preserve it with our well-rounded investment process and wealth-management approach.

Investor Behavior + the Performance of the Investment = Investor Return

Most investors don’t achieve the long-term rate of return of the investments they have their money in.

Our investment strategy is constructed with a long-term perspective in mind and strives to weather short-term volatility and outlast declines. We believe time in the market, not timing the market, is the best way to capitalize on stock market gains, and so we do not trade or act on short-term or politically driven sentiment. In order to help educate clients, we will have you take a risk assessment to gauge your ability to handle market fluctuations. This process will give you a Risk Score that we align with the appropriate investment strategy, i.e., Balanced, balanced with Growth, Conservative Balanced, Equity Income, etc. Each strategy is designed with a goal to achieve the appropriate returns given each person's risk tolerance.

At Massow Wealth Strategies, we adhere to a disciplined, five-step process that is designed with a goal to ensure that every client receives a portfolio carefully tailored to meet your needs.

Our Responsibility:

• Listen to you
• Educate you
• Make sure we clearly understand your goals and objectives.
• Routinely review your investments and communicate with you on a regular basis.
• Design a quality and balanced portfolio designed to help you pursue your goals.
• Help you set realistic expectations
• Only discuss with you the things that we can control, and do not waste your time on things beyond our control.
• Provide calm and dedicated advice during times when you may get emotional about your money.
• Not follow "hot trends" that are popular but unproven and speculative.

Your Responsibility:

• Clearly explain your goals and objectives.
• Try to be patient with your investments.
• Do not panic when (not if) the market drops.
• Notify us when something in your life happens that affects your financial life.
• Consider the advice and counsel that we provide.
• Show us everything, including 401(k)s and other investment assets we do not manage, so that we can provide appropriate recommendations.
• Reciprocate our communication.

1. We get to know you, your family, and your financial situation.
2. We help you think about areas of your financial life you may not have considered.
3. We strive to help clients get further ahead than they would if left to their own devices.
4. We discuss the risk of long-term care costs and help you decide the best way to prepare for them.
5. We monitor changes in your life and family matters.
6. We develop a customized and comprehensive financial plan for your family.
7. We help plan for problems of different kinds.
8. We are a wise sounding board for ideas you are considering.
9. We aim to protect you from making the wrong investment and financial decisions.
10. We prepare an asset allocation customized to your risk tolerance and family goals.
11. We identify your savings shortfalls.
12. We guide you on the appropriate order and timing of taking income from different account types, including monitoring your required minimum distributions.
13. We simplify your financial lives by organizing and keeping up to date all of your financial documents.
14. We discuss, formalize, and prioritize your goals.
15. We proactively keep in touch with you.
16. We offer collaborative financial advice.
17. Because we constantly evaluate the markets and your investments, we attempt to take the stress and worry away from you.
18. We serve as a human glossary of financial terms.
19. We speak in understandable language.
20. We don't spend a lot of time discussing or worrying about things outside of our control.
21. We strive to earn our keep by providing much more value than you will pay in fees.
22. We educate you on the investments you own.
23. We show you how to access your statements and other information online.
24. We reassure and educate you on investing through tough times.
25. We save you time.
26. We are honest with you.
27. We share the experience of dozens of clients who have faced circumstances similar to yours.
28. We work with your legal advisors to help you work toward your financial goals.
29. We provide referrals to other professionals such as accountants, attorneys, real estate agents, and mortgage professionals.
30. We work with your CPA to help minimize the taxes on your investments.
31. We review your tax returns.
32. We position investments to take full advantage of your tax returns.
33. We offer guidance on social security strategies.
34. We check with you before the end of the year to identify any last-minute financial planning needs.
35. We record and research your cost basis and securities.
36. We help with the continuity of your family's financial plan through generations.
37. We review and recommend life insurance policies to protect your family.
38. We discuss your estate plans.
39. We ensure beneficiaries are properly set up.
40. We build a cost-effective way to implement our investment strategy.
41. We develop strategies for debt reduction.
42. We suggest possible alternatives that could work toward your goals that you may not have considered.
43. We strive to make sure your money is accessible and liquid.
44. We help you consolidate and simplify your investments.
45. We help you turn your retirement assets into retirement income.
46. We monitor the markets to determine portfolio adjustments and keep you up to date.
47. We review your investments in your company's 401(k) and 403(b) plans.
48. We refer you to banking establishments for loan options.
49. We determine the risk level of your existing portfolio.
50. We help keep you on track.