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By Louis Green, CFA®, CFP®, CRPS® Investment Planning Checklist Review your projected risk and return. Do you hold an optimal portfolio? Will your projected returns help you meet your financial goals? Are you comfortable with the level of risk in your portfolio? Consider if alternative investment options (such as private equity, hedge funds, or structured notes) could help optimize your portfolio and if they are appropriate for you. Create an emergency fund to cover unexpec

By Louis Green, CFA®, CFP®, CRPS® Risk Tolerance and Time Horizon When structuring your investment portfolio, be mindful of your risk tolerance and time horizon. We define risk tolerance as your willingness and ability to accept risk. Some investors may have substantial wealth yet are willing to take on only minimal risk due to personal comfort levels. Other investors have a low ability to take on risk because they rely on their portfolio for immediate income needs. Range of

By Louis Green, CFA®, CFP®, CRPS® Investment Planning Investment planning is one of the most important tools you can use to pursue your retirement goals. Investment planning begins with your asset allocation, which plays a big role in both the risk you take and the returns you may receive. Asset allocation is defined as the mix of assets you own, such as stocks (equities), bonds (fixed income), alternative investments, and cash. Understanding Your Investment Options Stocks an

By Louis Green, CFA®, CFP®, CRPS® Emotional Investing Selling in market declines for emotional reasons can often times be a mistake. Market returns can be unpredictable. As highlighted in the chart below, the S&P 500 returned 7.67% on average from 6/30/99 to 6/30/24. However, an investor in the S&P 500 who missed only the best 10 days in those 25 years had a return of 4.36% on average per year. Missing fifty of those best days produced a negative return of -2.30% on average p

By Louis Green, CFA®, CFP®, CRPS® Building a Diversified Portfolio Consider building a diversified portfolio to reduce risk and help balance returns. Be aware of how much of your portfolio is invested in a single asset class, strategy, or company. Consider how each asset class you own contributes to your portfolio. While over-allocating to an asset that has recently outperformed could provide short-term gains, you should consider what may happen if that asset suddenly starts

By Louis Green, CFA®, CFP®, CRPS® Alternative Investments & Structured Notes There are other strategies available for you to consider, provided you meet the minimum suitability criteria. Many of these strategies are highly illiquid and/or hold more risk, so they tend to require a minimum net worth, among other factors, to be deemed suitable for you.1 These strategies include structured notes, hedge funds, private equity, private credit, real estate, and commodities. Structure