“Wisdom is knowing what to do next; skill is knowing how to do it, and virtue is doing it.”

- David Starr Jordan

The decision to work with an investment professional to manage your money can be deceptively complex. Managing your own investments, while intellectually engaging, can be a disaster and time consuming. For those who already work with an advisor, many procrastinate on making a change even if they are unhappy because they don’t want to bother with the paperwork and the time to get to know a new advisor.

You need to ask yourself if an independent investment advisor will:

1. Act as a fiduciary by always putting your interests ahead of others, including their own? (What is the best type of advisor for me?)
   
   
2. Help you re-establish your life vision and goals so your investment portfolio reflects the direction that is best for you and your family? (Do my investments match my goals?)
   
   
3. Facilitate your understanding of your investment choices and market events?
   
   
4. Build the type of relationship where you can ask questions at any time without feeling intimidated?
   
   
5. Provide a combination of experienced securities analysis capability as well as meaningful assistance with other financial matters, e.g. estate planning, college savings, retirement planning, tax planning? (Am I paying more in taxes than I should?)
   
   
6. Maintain a consistent and common sense approach to the portfolio strategy, handling the day-to-day decision-making while keeping you in tune with the big picture?
   
   
7. Proactively arrange regular meetings or conference calls to review your investments, discuss market conditions and update your goals?
   
   
8. Produce concise, informative quarterly reports?
   
   
9. Assist you in evaluating the often “20/20 hindsight” advice received from talk around the water cooler, tips of “sure things” received from friends and family and the advertising bombardment of the latest “fads?” (Am I taking too much risk?)
   
   

If you would like to answer “yes” to these questions, contact Holt-Smith Advisors for more information. Our goal is to provide all of these benefits and more. As an independent firm, we work only for you, the client. We concentrate on your financial success so you can spend your valuable time focused on the areas of your life that are more important than money.