June 16, 2020

Each of our coaching clients receives customized advice and guidance that’s tailored to his or her unique needs and preferences. We follow a similar process in working with all new clients. Our one-to-one coaching service includes all of these elements.

Define your financial goals. How much money will you need when you stop working? What rate of return do you need in order to get there safely?

Determine an appropriate level of risk . Consider your ABILITY (time horizon), WILLINGNESS (personal comfort level), and NEED (returns necessary to reach goals), to take risk.

Develop your asset allocation. Investing is a long-term endeavor; a written Strategic Investment Plan will guide you through the many short-term decisions you’ll need to make along the way.

Select the lowest cost investments for your portfolio. Once the asset allocation and diversification decisions are made, the next step is to carefully select the specific vehicles to use in building the portfolio.

Document everything in your Strategic Investment Plan. This will provide clarity, discipline, and accountability.  It will reduce the chances of making mistakes or straying from your original strategy.

Evaluate how well your current investments fit this plan. Consider the investments’ asset class, cost, risk, and expected performance.

Implement the plan. Use the best available combination of your current investments and newly chosen assets as building blocks.

Monitor the plan. Use detailed quarterly reporting and quarterly meetings with you to help maintain the discipline of adhering to the plan in both positive and adverse market conditions.

Regularly rebalance your portfolio.  This will ensure that you are keeping your plan in balance, while taking advantage of market opportunities.

Provide continuing support. Through our continuing education, email alerts, blog posts, and newsletters, we emphasize long-term client relationships.  Our commitment to our clients never ends.

How to write a Strategic Investment Plan

About the author 

Erik Conley

Former head of equity trading, Northern Trust Bank, Chicago. Teacher, trainer, mentor, market historian, and perpetual student of all things related to the stock market and excellence in investing.

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