Investments

Why should you pay someone to manage your investments?

Anyone can manage their own investments. And maybe you should.

Like eating well or exercising, investing well can be quite simple, if you are so inclined. Whether it’s a small Roth IRA, consolidating old retirement plans from previous employers or sophisticated investment portfolio construction, Pistone Wealth Advisors know that building an investment portfolio requires more than simply filling out a questionnaire and having a computer algorithm tell you how you should invest.

So why would you hire Pistone Wealth Advisors to manage your investments?

You prefer to focus on your life’s passions instead of researching investments and spending time trading and rebalancing your investments.
You have concerns and fears about losing money in the market, and you need someone to help keep you disciplined when everything seems scary or euphoric, and everyone around you is running in one direction.
You want access to institutional investments that may not be available to all investors.
You sometimes avoid dealing with your money because you don’t enjoy the process or it scares you.
You want a third party to give you the confidence that you’re not missing something.

Services

Experience. Intuition. Ingenuity.

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Asset Allocation

Pistone Wealth Advisors uses a sophisticated, multi-tiered approach to asset allocation. The initial level of diversification is among the three basic asset classes, which are equities, fixed income investments and cash equivalents. An additional tier of diversification may add alternative investments if deemed to be appropriate for your individual risk tolerance and circumstances — such as real estate and inflation hedges — which do not correlate closely with the stock or bond markets. We believe this degree of diversification can be effective as a strategy to help reduce the two major investment risks — inflation (loss of purchasing power) and volatility (loss of principal)*.

*Asset allocation and diversification do not assure a profit or protect against a loss in a declining market.

Managing Risk

Pistone Wealth Advisors pays particular attention to mitigating the risk in portfolios. The three main areas that we focus on are volatility, downside risk, and broad (or beta) exposure. We measure these on an individual account level and the overall portfolio for all our investment advisory clients. As we re-balance portfolios, consideration is given to how certain asset classes will affect the overall volatility and performance of the portfolio.

Working to Controlling Costs and Taxes

We believe the cost of your investments is critical in portfolio construction and performance. Pistone Wealth Advisors aims to represent the asset classes and markets we target at the least expensive cost, relative to fund quality.

We construct portfolios with the impact of taxes in mind and consider the differences between types of accounts that a client may hold: taxable, tax-deferred retirement vehicle, trusts and not-for-profit foundations. Each of these accounts may have differing tax consequences, so it is important to take all your investments into consideration. We also employ tax loss harvesting strategies when appropriate.

*This information in this section as tax or legal advise. Please consult a tax or legal professional for specific information regarding your individual situation.

The Big Picture

Your major investment decisions should take into account all the other important elements of your financial situation. Pistone Wealth Advisors takes a holistic approach to investment portfolio construction, tying in your investments with financial planning in order to help ensure that your portfolio’s performance will be appropriate based on your risk tolerance. Understanding who you are as an investor is the foundation of the Pistone Wealth Advisors’ investment process.

Research has demonstrated the importance of strategic asset allocation over a long-term time horizon. Choosing what percentage of your assets to put in different asset classes (such as equities, fixed income, international or alternatives) can have a greater impact on portfolio returns than either market timing or the selection of individual investments.

First, we will help you analyze your objectives, time horizon, and risk tolerance using a specialized questionnaire that helps us build the foundation of your customized investment strategy and an asset allocation model.

PWA uses, what we believe to be, a sophisticated multi-tiered approach to asset allocation. The initial level of diversification is amongst the three most basic asset classes: equities, fixed income investments, and cash equivalents. Alternative investment asset classes can then add an additional layer of diversification.

For equities, additional diversification is achieved through different market capitalizations (large cap, mid cap, small cap), styles (value, growth, blend), and geographic regions (domestic, international, emerging markets). For fixed income investments, further diversification is gained by maturity, credit quality, industry groups, and geographic regions.

The next tier of diversification, if deemed appropriate for your individual situation, adds alternative investments - such as real estate, commodities, managed futures, and inflation hedges - which do not correlate closely with the stock or bond markets. This additional layer of diversification could help to dampen the volatility of your portfolio and potentially enhance returns.

Splitting your assets among different asset classes may help you weather the storms that are part of the investing cycle. For instance, bonds and cash may add stability and balance to your portfolio while equities may add growth. Commodities may help to protect you from a significant increase in inflation, while managed futures could help in the event of a significant downturn. A properly balanced portfolio with non-correlated alternatives can help insulate you from severe market fluctuations.

*This information in this section as tax or legal advise. Please consult a tax or legal professional for specific information regarding your individual situation.