Best Brokerage Firms for High Net Worth
Best Investment Firms for High-Net-Worth Individuals: A Comparison Guide Are you searching for the best investment firms for high-net-worth individuals to help manage and grow your assets effectively? Taking the time to understand your options, define your financial priorities, and compare available firms is a smart and necessary step. For individuals and families with significant … Read more
How to Hire a Financial Advisor for Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individuals
How to Hire a Financial Advisor for Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individuals When evaluating potential financial advisors for high-net-worth families, it’s important to go beyond basic questions about background, education, and credentials. Look for an advisor who understands the complexities of your financial situation and has experience working with individuals who have a similar net worth. The insights … Read more
My wealth article
My Wealth Article What if, the next time you visit your financial advisor, you don’t ask about your portfolio’s performance? What if instead, you ask your advisor each quarter to give you the latest odds on reaching your long-term goals? Most experienced investors have been trained to focus on their portfolio’s quarterly and annual returns. … Read more
10 Emotions That Can Wreck Your Ultra-High Net Worth Portfolio
One primary reason for this is emotion. We are emotional beings, and emotions tend to make terrible investment decisions. Recently, several research studies have started to explore why and how this is true. Leaning heavily on a terrific summary of some of this research from The Globe and Mail, we’ll be exploring ten emotions that work against … Read more
5 Secrets what about Risk Tolerance Your Advisor Won’t Tell You
5 Secrets what about Risk Tolerance Your Advisor Won’t Tell You What Your Wealth Manager Should Be Asking About Instead One of the first things most financial advisors and wealth managers ask potential clients is, “What is your risk tolerance?” This is a loaded question. Behind it lies a whole host of assumptions, guesses, feelings, … Read more
How Families Can Be Ready For the Early Death of a Loved One
All of this is made much worse when the loss comes unexpectedly early. You were planning for years of life, income, and enjoyment, and then suddenly, someone very close to you is gone. How do you react? What do you do now? There are several stages of grief. But at some point, you will have … Read more
Certified Financial Planner Near Me
Amidst the volatility, personal finance professionals have the challenge of convincing their clients to stick to their short or long-term plans and not let emotions get the better of them. Investors are asking their financial advisors questions about risk management strategies and steps to take to protect their assets. The pandemic has led, according to a survey conducted by … Read more
Private Wealth Management Firms
Related posts: 10 Reasons Private Wealth Management Works Best in San FranciscoLooking for a Local Wealth Manager? Here’s Why You Should Go Small Looking for the… Best Investment FirmsTable of Contents5 Best Investment Firms by AUMAll About The Best Investment FirmsInvesting in The… How Do Private Business Owners Define Risk?ULTRA HIGH NET WORTH STRATEGIES How … Read more
What Is an Independent Financial Advisor?
Understanding Independent Financial Advisors These days, making significant financial decisions can feel increasingly complicated, especially as the financial landscape evolves rapidly. With so many investment options and constant shifts in the market, managing finances, reviewing statements, and making investment decisions often becomes overwhelming for many individuals. In such situations, working with an independent financial advisor … Read more
What Does A Personal Financial Advisor Do?
Firms specializing in wealth management help clients who need to invest substantial liquid assets to better prepare for their financial futures. These are just a few examples of how unfavorable financial outcomes can impact lives. To live comfortably today, individuals must often earn significant income to afford necessities and maintain their standard of living. Beyond … Read more
Best Investment Firms
Table of Contents5 Best Investment Firms by AUMAll About The Best Investment FirmsInvesting in The Biggest and Best Investment Firms5 Pros and Cons of Best Investment CompaniesWho Are the Best Investment Firms? 5 Best Investment Firms by AUM The following firms rank among the largest investment companies in the world based on assets under management … Read more
Your Millions Are At Stake! Why Ultra-Affluent Investors
Hi, Chris Snyder here, Co-founder of Pillar Wealth Management. I am here to share with you why families with liquid portfolios of at least $5 Million and up to $500 Million seek our advice. Some come to us because they’re planning for retirement. Others are looking to invest large cash windfalls from a business or real … Read more
Protecting Ultra-High Net Worth Portfolios
Protecting Ultra-High Net Worth Portfolios Hi, Chris Snyder here, Co-founder of Pillar Wealth Management and I am here with a message for families with liquid portfolios of at least $5 Million and up to $500 Million. Years of experience managing our clients’ wealth has given us a wealth of knowledge. The insights you’ll discover from … Read more
Covid-19 Action Plan With $5 Million to $500 Million
Hi, Chris Snyder here, Co-founder of Pillar Wealth Management and I am here with a message for families with liquid portfolios of at least $5 Million and up to $500 Million. It’s official. The coronavirus black swan market crash is here. And just about everyone especially financial advisors to the affluent are acting like a … Read more
Coronavirus Market Crash – What’s Your Wealth Manager Doing?
When market crashes like this happen, most people wonder act like a deer in the headlights and wonder how they should be responding. Do nothing and wait it out? Sell and take the losses? Buy low and capture gains? Fire your financial advisor? Hire a financial advisor? Market crashes are confusing. They test our risk tolerance. Here’s … Read more
Survive the Next Financial Meltdown for High Net Worth
But when times turn bad, most financial advisors – including the fiduciaries – are exposed for what they really are: Button pushers just following the herd, doing what everyone else does, telling you that “markets always go up over time” and “just wait this out and you’ll make it all back.” If you followed the … Read more
Why We’d Turn Away Clients Worth Millions – Fiduciary Duty
Case Study Reveals What the Fiduciary Duty Means for Your Financial Serenity Just like oaths,vows,and commitments, the fiduciary duty is not a trite calling, but has great power over behavior, when properly adhered to – even in today’s world. The fiduciary duty is not just a checkbox you sign on a form as one of … Read more
How to Determine State Residency and Avoid Double Taxation
Table of ContentsHow to Determine State Residency for Tax PurposesHow States Try to Determine ResidencyNew York Statutory Residency RulesCalifornia Statutory Residency RulesBest State Residency Advice How to Determine State Residency for Tax Purposes Avoid Double Taxation – Know what It Really Means to “Move” to Another State For high net worth individuals looking to move … Read more
How UHNW Pre-Retirees Can Protect Wealth Even In a Bear Market
And while bear markets spread their pain to nearly everyone, how they affect you as an ultra-high net worth pre-retiree is particularly unique. The reason is because an inordinately wide chasm exists between how much you could lose and how much you ‘need’ to lose, if any. This gap is much wider for you than for most … Read more
9 Ways the Wrong Financial Advisor Can Wreck Your Life’s Work
Spouse. Kids. Financial Advisor. The Most Important People in Your Life (in that Order) 9 Reasons Why Having the Wrong Financial Advisor Can Bring to Ruin Your Lifetime of Hard Work A lot can go wrong. You or someone in your family can suffer costly and traumatic health problems. Your business could fail. Your real … Read more
3 Steps to Secure Your Ultra-High Net Worth Retirement
The surprising truth is, you won’t likely avoid those unwanted feelings in retirement if you use the methods that almost everyone else uses – the ones developed and employed by Wall Street, big banks, and brokerage houses. Keeping reading to discover the three specific steps you can take to secure a retirement of financial serenity … Read more
The Risks of Holding Stock Options Too Long for High Net Worth
If you held concentrated amounts of your wealth in stock in any of those companies and had to sell at the wrong time, you would have lost huge amounts of your wealth. Those companies, including Martha Stewart, have since rebounded from their low points. But the lesson remains true because the timing is often out of … Read more
How To Survive A Recession – For High & Ultra-High Net Worth Eyes Only
When a recession happens, does your portfolio start tumbling? Does this make you think about changing your wealth manager, investments, or plan? As someone with high or ultra high net worth, the reality you should be aiming for is one of stability – even in the midst of recessions. It does you no good to … Read more
Top 6 Goals for Initial Business Sale Negotiation Meetings
When you’re ready to sit down with potential buyers, you have at least six goals – things you want to learn about the buyer – during these meetings. However, before you can begin business sale negotiations, you must prepare four business exit assets. You need a business exit strategy, a team of experts, a clear … Read more
6-Step Plan for How to Determine the Value of Your Business
Determining the value of your business is the 4th step in the business exit process. Before we get to the six factors that will help you finalize the value of your business, you’ll want to work through the first three steps, which you can access below. Step 1: Use this 17-point checklist to develop your business exit strategy … Read more
10 Reasons Private Wealth Management Works Best in San Francisco
Looking for a Local Wealth Manager? Here’s Why You Should Go Small Looking for the best San Francisco wealth management companies? These days, it seems nearly every big bank, investment firm, and discount brokerage now offers wealth management as one of their services. Many of these big companies are also publicly traded. Pillar Wealth Management is a … Read more
High Net Worth Investment Performance: How to Steer Clear of Worry
These investors persist in searching out those rarefied savants, gifted with exceptional foresight and creativity, unparalleled understanding about markets, companies, and trends, and peerless research skills with an army of loyal workers behind them. So, someone like Gru from Despicable Me. [ideally, you would put a small headshot of him here] But in all seriousness, people go … Read more
Maximizing The Benefit of Selling a Private Business
ULTRA HIGH NET WORTH BUSINESS WEALTH STRATEGIES Maximizing the benefit of selling a private business is a lot like improving portfolio performance. It’s a matter of determining exactly what you want to accomplish. That what (whatever it is) is different for every business owner and every investor. Meet Mary, Steve, and Bob. All three are private business … Read more
How Do Private Business Owners Define Risk?
ULTRA HIGH NET WORTH STRATEGIES How Do Private Business Owners Define Risk? Risk is an ambiguous term. It means something completely different to an attorney than it does to an accountant. Ask an insurance agent to define risk and you’ll hear something that sounds nothing like what a physician would tell you. And forget about … Read more
Care for Aging Relatives While Preserving Your Portfolio
The surprising truth is – no one is immune from the risk of skyrocketing costs from caring for their aging relatives or friends. Even more surprising, these costs can outpace the costs of caring for children, even those with special needs. Forbes reported on a study estimating that from birth through age 17, the average family … Read more
How to Sell a Business – the Story Your Buyers Need to Hear
The process for how to sell a business with this much value begins with learning how to tell the story of your business. There are five components to this story. To help you navigate the business sale process, you will also need a financial advisor. Pillar Wealth Management has extensive experience in helping high net … Read more
See What Holistic Wealth Management Looks Like in San Francisco
For young investors with hardly any assets just starting out at the Schwab, Fidelity or robo-advisor level, cookie-cutters are fine. But for high net worth families – especially those living in the high-priced San Francisco Bay area – your finances and future plans simply don’t fit into standard checklists and fill-in-the-blanks. Yet, that is what … Read more
Financial Planning Lessons from WeWork’s IPO Downfall
In case you missed the backstory or haven’t heard of the company, WeWork rents office space in prime real estate areas such as their location currently in downtown San Francisco, and then rents them out to startups, freelancers, entrepreneurs, and even established companies as community working spaces. On the positive side, it’s a smart business … Read more
The 3 Pillars of Reliable Portfolio Growth Projections
But one lesson from his article is pertinent to you, the ultra-high net worth investor looking for long term growth and security in your portfolio. Here’s your key takeaway: Though it wasn’t his article’s purpose, Dalio reveals the essential importance of using historical data dating back over 100 years when making portfolio growth projections.Why is … Read more
Planning for Unexpected Medical Costs – for Ultra-High Net Worth
Table of ContentsWhat Ultra-High Net Worth Households Need to Know About Planning for Unexpected Medical Costs in RetirementPerfect Storm: How Financial Costs of Medical Unknowns Get CompoundedHow Unplanned Medical Costs Can Box You In to a CornerShould I Buy a New Business? Should I Sell My Current Business?Should I Buy New Real Estate? Sell Some … Read more
7-Step High Net Worth Inheritance Planning Guide
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Table of ContentsAdvice to High Net Worth Heirs: Don’t Be Part of This 90%3 Responses to Inheriting WealthThe Most Important Thing about High Net Worth Inheritance Advice to High Net Worth Heirs: Don’t Be Part of This 90% Are You Going to Receive a Large Inheritance? Here’s Your 7-Step Inheritance Wealth Management Planning Guide. If you are an … Read more
See How It Feels to Have – and Not Have – a Wealth Manager
Table of ContentsTo Have or Not to Have – How It Should Feel for Ultra High Net Worth And High Net Worth Families to Have a Wealth ManagerHow It Feels To NOT Have a Wealth ManagerOverwhelmed By Decisions with Unknown RamificationsFumbling In the Dark Toward an Unknown FuturePressured to Perform on Your InvestmentsStressed and insecure.How … Read more
Why Index Annuities Are Targeted at High Net Worth Households
Table of ContentsThe Annuity Warning Every Ultra-High Net Worth And High Net Worth Household Must Heed!There’s Something Fishy with Your Guaranteed AnnuityThe Rider – Making the Deal that Gives Away Your FreedomThe Shocking Truth about the Annuity Rider RevealedWhy Ultra High Net Worth Households Make Good Targets for AnnuitiesBut Wait, There’s More Horrible News For … Read more
10 Strategies for High Net Worth Tax Planning and Minimization
It’s no secret. High net worth individuals pay the most money in taxes, and this is unlikely to change anytime soon.However, because you pay the most, you also stand to save the most when you implement smart tax planning strategies to minimize your losses.If you are a high net worth individual with over $10 million … Read more
How To Choose A Wealth Manager Financial Planner
However, since you pay the most, you also stand to save the most when you implement smart tax planning strategies to minimize your losses. For thirty years, Pillar Wealth Management has helped families just like yours (with assets ranging from $5 million up to $500 million) make the most of their money. We want to help you … Read more
How to Remove Hindsight Bias from Your Investment Plan
Discover the Financial Planning Process That Locks Costly Emotions in a Box “They should have known.” That’s a common reaction whenever something terrible happens. We look for someone to blame, and the blame eventually falls on whoever ‘should have known’ of the impending threat. The same hindsight bias runs rampant in investment planning. When a … Read more
Where to Find the Best Financial Advisor for You – Pillar WM
Sounds great… until you start looking for a financial advisor. Where do you start? How do you find them? Most of all, where do you find a financial advisor who is most suited to help you achieve financial security and serenity with your unique situation? Let’s begin with where to find them. Top 10 Financial Advisor Firm Rank … Read more
How To Find the Right Wealth Management Company – 4 Step Guide
But there’s a lot more than that to consider. The 4-step process you’re about to see will help you narrow down your search criteria so you can find the wealth management company that most aligns with your unique needs, goals, life situation, and values. Step 1: Evaluate Yourself – Know What You Want You want … Read more
Why Market Timing Is the Wrong Approach for High Net Worth Investors
Sometimes a bit of luck, intuition, and common sense may make timing work for investors on a few occasions. However with statistics and the dangers around this approach, high net worth investors have little to gain and much to lose by pursuing a strategy of market timing. What is market timing? It’s an attempt to … Read more
Research Reveals Why So Few Money Managers Beat the Market
By “consistently,” we mean over five or more years. Anything less than that doesn’t do you much good if you’re trying to develop a plan for the remainder of your working life and all the way through retirement. And by that standard, your odds look pretty bad if you’re counting on money managers to beat the … Read more
Avoiding Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves while retaining
Avoiding Shirtsleeves To Shirtsleeves While Retaining There is an old saying, “shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations,” which means that the older generation started out doing manual labor, worked hard, and amassed wealth—and by the time their great-grandchildren are in charge, the family is back where they started, with the wealth all gone. STRATEGIES FOR … Read more
Watch Helplessly: 6 Hidden & Avoidable Investment Costs
There’s a second and related truth to that. Investment performance rises and falls. No one earns market-defying gains year after year. But investment costs – those just keep on coming. While some investment costs are tied to performance, many are not. As you’re about to see, you should stop asking so many questions about performance, … Read more
Be Ready for Unexpected Major Expenses – High Net Worth Families
These include things like new cars, second or third homes, boats, college tuitions, and things of that sort. Even in retirement, you’ll have some major distributions that you’ll likely know about well in advance. Any competent wealth management firm for high net worth individuals should have a system that accounts for these planned major expenses in a … Read more
4 Ultra High Net Worth Strategies to Protect Your Wealth from Major Life Events
Table of ContentsHow Ultra High Net Worth Individuals Can Protect Their Wealth Even When Life HappensWhat About Key Life Events BEFORE Death?Life-Enriching EventsThis is the most important principle you must hear:4 UHNW Strategies to Protect Your WealthDiscover How to Choose the Best Wealth Advisor for Ultra High Net Worth IndividualsWant This Kind of Ultra High … Read more
What Is a Wealth Manager and How Do I Find One?
Table of ContentsFind Out What Kind of Wealth Manager Is Right for YouHow Is a Wealth Manager Different?What Extra Services Do Wealth Managers Offer?The Many Hats of a Wealth ManagerHow Wealth Managers Differ from Money ManagersWhat Kinds of Fees Do Wealth Managers Charge?How Do I Find the Wealth Manager Who Is Best for My Situation?The … Read more
How to Withdraw Retirement Funds as a Single Monthly Check
Withdrawing money from your savings accounts for retirement is more complicated than saving the actual money. Understanding how and when to make these withdrawals becomes a huge problem. You’re up against what we could call ‘The Lord of the IRS: The Two Towers.’ In this case, the towers are required minimum distributions (RMDs) and taxes. … Read more
How Business Owners And C-Level Executives Secure Their Wealth
How Business Owners And C-Level Executives Secure Their Wealth While it is important to work for your business and to build it up, you also need to know when the time to let it go is. In the pursuit of your financial success, you must realize that your investments are simply the stepping stones towards … Read more
The Difference Between Investment Management and Financial Planning
Understanding The Difference Between Investment Management and Financial Planning Is Critical To Securing Your Lifestyle You‘ve probably spent most of your life trying to get to a point where you can live the life you always dreamed of. Having a liquid net worth of $1 million, $10 million, or $300 million is not easy; all … Read more
Demystifying Life-Long Retirement Income Planning
Demystifying Life-Long Retirement Income Planning Regardless of how much money you save for retirement, the real challenge for a High Net-Worth (HNW) family is to save enough money to live without compromising their lifestyles in retirement. Stabilizing your financial condition once you stop working is the culmination of a well-thought out financial plan. There is … Read more
High Net Worth Strategies To Help Affluent Investors Sleep
High Net Worth Strategies To Help Affluent Investors Sleep As a High Net Worth (HNW) individual with between 1 million and 500 million dollars of liquid investable assets, the time is past when you had to make risky investments for the returns. It is wise to begin stabilizing your portfolio once you reach a high … Read more
High Net Worth Services
High Net Worth Services Now that you’ve achieved a high level of financial success, the next step as a High Net Worth (HNW) individual is to focus on sustaining and building upon that success. Creating a plan to reach HNW status is only the beginning—equally important is having a strategy in place to protect and … Read more
Family office or Independant cohesive team?
Family Office Or Independant Cohesive Team? Managing family wealth has a set of unique situations. There’s a need to integrate different capabilities. After you recognize these challenges, you’ll likely opt for a family office to manage assets that aren’t related to the business operations. STRATEGIES FOR FAMILIES WORTH $5 MILLION TO $500 MILLION 7 Secrets … Read more
How to hire your go-to financial advisor
How To Hire Your Go-To Financial Advisor When interviewing potential advisors to work on your family’s behalf, you should ask a number of pertinent questions, beyond just getting basic contact and bio information, education, and credentials. You want to hire an advisor who is familiar and capable of dealing with someone of your net worth. … Read more
The role of a financial advisor within your family
The Role Of A Financial Advisor Within Your Family There comes a point in the life of an ultra-high net worth family, as it grows in wealth and sophistication when it realizes it needs professional help in dealing with the wide range of concerns it faces—investments, insurance, real estate, and tax and legal issues, to … Read more
Why Protection is Paramount
Why Protection is Paramount Many families remember when life was far more humble for them, and they fear that unless they protect their wealth, those days could return. By far, their deepest financial worry is suffering a personal financial crisis—and thereby losing the life electives and choices their wealth has availed them. “I want to … Read more
Will My Money Run Out? 4 Levels of Misfortune – Pillar WM
Will My Money Run Out? 4 Levels of Misfortune – Pillar WM Scary Questions Series: Will My Money Run Out Before I Die? See How Your Money Holds Up Against 4 Escalating Levels of Misfortune No matter how much you have, it’s possible to lose it all. We’ve all seen it happen on the celebrity … Read more
Securing YOUR Ultra-High Net Worth Portfolio And Estate Part 2
Securing YOUR Ultra-High Net Worth Portfolio And Estate Part 2 In part one of this two-part series, we highlighted that policy changes by the Federal Reserve, in combination with policy and regulatory changes by the incoming 2017 Trump Administration, present investors with either an obstacles and possibly opportunities. Naturally, ultra-high net worth investors want to … Read more
Securing YOUR Ultra-High Net Worth Portfolio And Estate
Securing YOUR Ultra-High Net Worth Portfolio And Estate It is always wise to evaluate portfolios and strategies on an ongoing basis. However, in times of change, the need is even greater. And with the Federal Reserve’s change in policy and the incoming 2017 Trump Administration, it is safe to say that ultra-high net worth families … Read more
With the Incoming Trump Administration and Impending Interest Rates
With The Incoming Trump Administration And Impending Interest Rates As we explore in our recently published book “The Art Of Protecting Ultra-High Net Worth Portfolios And Estates, Strategies For Families Worth $25 Million to $500 Million,” each family’s Investment Policy Statement should establish what is expected of money managers, and how and when the family … Read more
Where the Investment Policy Statement & Family Constitution Intersect
Where The Investment Policy Statement & Family Constitution Intersect In a previous article, we discussed the role and importance of the Investment Policy Statement. To recap, this document is a unifying statement of financial objectives that focuses on “hard” money issues. It differs from a Family Constitution, which is a document that seeks solidarity of … Read more
Investment Policy Statement — Biggest element to consider
Investment Policy Statement — Biggest element to consider In a previous article we explored why investors must have an investment policy statement, which is a unifying statement of financial goals and objectives. And while this key document concerns itself with net returns after taxes, expenses, fees and inflation, today we are looking at another key … Read more
Investing is War and Demands a Battle Strategy
Investing Is War And Demands A Battle Strategy In our life-long experience as wealth management advisers, we have observed that investors of all kinds – including some ultra-high net worth investors — tend to focus entirely on the return of their individual investments. However, this approach is fundamentally flawed and puts investors at serious risk.Simply put: investing … Read more
High Net Worth Investors: 4 Beliefs Which Threaten Your Lifestyle
High Net Worth Investors: 4 Beliefs Which Threaten Your Lifestyle Let us start with this: ultra-high net worth investors get far more right than they get wrong. They also typically have a tremendous amount of discipline, determination and drive. All of these characteristics translate into uncommon levels of wealth and success. When Risks Turn into … Read more
Ultra-High Net Worth Families Plan
Ultra-High Net Worth Families Plan While today’s market volatility is certainly newsworthy, it is by no means new. We have seen this story play out many times before, and we will see it again. Yes, the so-called unpredictable shocks have different titles, but rest assured they are predictable and recurring. See if you recognize the … Read more
Ultra-High Net Worth Portfolio Protection Strategies
Ultra-High Net Worth Portfolio Protection Strategies The headlines scream out like something from the front page of a supermarket tabloid: “Stock Prices Sink in a Rising Ocean of Oil”, “Dow Tumbles 391 Points Amid Global Rout”, “Fears Rise that Plunging U.S. Stocks Could Pose Risk to Economy if Volatility Continues”, and so on. However, these … Read more
Traditional Financial Planning Is Hazardous To your Wealth
Traditional Financial Planning Is Hazardous To Your Wealth We have heard and seen many stories over our 18 years as wealth managers. From widows and widowers forced to reduce their retirement income by 30 percent to 50 percent to make their wealth last their lifetime; to retired couples having to sell their homes when their … Read more
How Taxes And Fees May be Taking Huge Chunks of The Affluent’s Wealth
How Taxes And Fees May be Taking Huge Chunks of The Affluent’s Wealth When it comes to costs associated with investment management and financial services for the affluent, there are two critical issues. First, let’s make sure they are reasonable and, secondly, if they are reasonable, let’s make sure you get the biggest bang for … Read more
Prudent investors focus on data, not noise
Prudent Investors Focus On Data, Not Noise Intelligent investing All of us have different dreams. You may want to achieve financial freedom so that you never have to work again – even if you plan on working the rest of your life. You may want to make a top-level college education possible for your children … Read more
Why Everyone Needs an “Incapacity Plan”
Why Everyone Needs An “Incapacity Plan” 3 Experts Share Tips for Protecting Yourself & Your Assets Dementia has become the No. 1 cause of disability globally, according to the World Health Organization. Characterized by symptoms like cognitive decline such as memory loss, dementia is a tough condition to deal with, whether you’re personally facing a … Read more
Choosing the right wealth adviser, strategy could save millions.
Choosing The Right Wealth Adviser, Strategy Could Save Millions Whether you’ve sold your business for $30 million, inherited $6 million, are a senior executive at a corporation with stock options worth millions, or you’ve accumulated your wealth steadily over many years, there comes a time when you’ll want to enjoy your hard-earned money and make … Read more
Asset-Protection Policies That Help You Sleep
Asset-Protection Policies That Help You Sleep By Hutch Ashoo & Christopher Snyder At A Glance Families with vast wealth require high-end asset insurance to cover unique custom-made or acquired materials like Italian marble or church logs imported from Europe, as well as valuable personal arts and jewelry. The authors of this article do not provide such insurance … Read more
Portfolio performance may not be best check on progress
Portfolio performance may not be best check on progress What if, the next time you visit your financial advisor, you don’t ask about your portfolio’s performance? What if instead, you ask your advisor each quarter to give you the latest odds on reaching your long-term goals? Most experienced investors have been trained to focus on their … Read more
Discover what 500 multi-millionaires think of estate taxes.
Discover What 500 Multi-Millionaires Think Of Estate Taxes Not long ago, we came across a survey on one of the most important subjects for all wealthy individuals – the federal estate tax. A topic of perpetual debate since it was first introduced in 1797, the estate tax – or “death tax” as some call it … Read more
Traditional investment, financial planning disastrous your wealth.
Traditional Investment, Financial Planning Disastrous Your Wealth We have heard and seen many stories over our 18 years as top wealth managers: widows and widowers forced to reduce their retirement income by 30 percent to 50 percent to make their wealth last their lifetimes; retired couples having to sell their homes when their financial planning went awry; entrepreneurs … Read more
Wealth preservation: Protect your IRA or retirement plan from taxes.
Wealth Preservation: Protect Your IRA Or Retirement Plan From Taxes If you’ve worked hard and amassed a large IRA or retirement plan, don’t think it’s all smooth sailing from here on out. There is still work to be done. Protect the wealth you have built up in your IRA so that what you don’t use … Read more
What should smart investors do? Part II
What Should Smart Investors Do? Part II East Bay Business TimesBy Hutch Ashoo & Christopher Snyder Smart Investors Last month (Sept. 14), we discussed how smart investing is about rising above the investment noise from Wall Street, newspapers, friends/family and TV. We concluded by advising smart investors to focus on managing investments for the sake of … Read more
What should smart investors do?
What Should Smart Investors Do? Subprime woes, hedge fund collapses, market volatility East Bay Business Times | September 14, 2007By Hutch Ashoo & Christopher Snyder smart investors As sure as the sun will rise and set tomorrow smart investors know that subprime woes, the real estate bubble popping, the Internet boom blowing up, the savings and … Read more
Here’s what millionaires have to say about estate taxes.
Here’s What Millionaires Have To Say About Estate Taxes Whether they made $10 million by running their own businesses, buying investment companies or they inherited their millions, one topic that interests every wealthy American is the federal estate tax. Essentially, it’s the right you have to transfer property after death. It’s a topic that we … Read more
Managing Taxes – Five major events critical to your financial freedom.
Managing Taxes – Five Major Events Critical To Your Financial Freedom By Hutch Ashoo At a Glance 1. taxes are one of the biggest expenses eightand nine-figure estates incur. 2. Great wealth advisers will have your pulse and pre-plan for your future major financial events. 3. Without pre-planning many of your most effective tax reduction … Read more
Preserve your substantial estate for future generations.
Preserve Your Substantial Estate For Future Generations Consider your values, your dreams and goals for your family’s future, and the causes and concerns that generate passion and energy for you: “It’s not just about growing the money. It’s about how you want to use the money beyond just your family and how you want your … Read more
Diversification as a wealth tool isn’t as easy as it seems.
Diversification As A Wealth Tool Isn’t As Easy As It Seems Early this year, we were referred to a gentleman, who we’ll call “Harry.” He and his wife owned an East Bay business for 15 years, and his life was turned upside down when his wife died unexpectedly. Alone for the first time in more … Read more
Managing for a worry-free retirement.
Managing For A Worry-Free Retirement East Bay Business Times A million dollars may have sufficed for our parents to maintain their standard of living in retirement. As baby boomers we will need millions to achieve a financially secure retirement. Many successful San Francisco Bay Area families earn incomes well into the six and even seven figures. This income … Read more
Investors, advisers both make mistakes
Investors, Advisers Both Make Mistakes By Hutch Ashoo & Christopher Snyder Several years ago Dalbar published a shocking study of investor behavior titled “Quantitative Analysis of Investor Behavior.” In 2005, Morningstar, the most widely followed mutual fund evaluation service, published its own study of investor behavior and how it affected investors’ rates of return. What … Read more
Right strategies can help lower taxes.
Right Strategies Can Help Lower Taxes As top wealth managers we know many very high-end professionals such as CPAs, M&As and attorneys. In this article we will share some strategies that can be utilized by the ultra wealthy to lower overall tax rates. We will also cover topics like family foundations and consolidating liquid family wealth — … Read more
What you should know about family wealth
What You Should Know About Family Wealth At A Glance • Substantial family wealth is completely depleted by the third generation 90 percent of the time • Private family foundations are a great tool to make a difference and involve your loved ones in causes that are near and dear to your heart • Communication … Read more
What to do about your January portfolio disaster
What To Do About Your January Portfolio Disaster Stories Told from Experience Things to ponder Although the overall news is bad we wouldn’t be writing about this if we didn’t have something of value for you. Let us start with the bad news. As of this writing, Jan. 23, 2008, the S&P 500 is down … Read more
How to make wealth management expertise pay off for you.
How To Make Wealth Management Expertise Pay Off For You For a year we have written articles on wealth management. Our goal is to provide powerful real life scenarios with actual issues and challenges. Some stories were of financial disasters and others were of financial successes. Either way, we want you to learn from what … Read more
Selling Your Business Successfully – (part 7)
Selling Your Business Successfully – (Part 7) Because the sale of a business is usually an emotional experience, it is best to involve a trusted adviser (wealth manager, CPA, lawyer, investment banker or consultant) who has been through this process many times before. It is difficult to make rational, logical decisions in an emotionally charged … Read more
Could you sell your Google shares for billions of dollars?
Could You Sell Your Google Shares For Billions Of Dollars? Few of us are as fortunate as insiders like venture capitalist John Doerr, who in this month alone has sold Google shares worth about $30 million. The reality is you don’t need to be a Google director to be financially secure. Whether you’re an entrepreneur … Read more
Selling Your Business Successfully – (parts 5&6)
Selling Your Business Successfully – (Parts 5&6) Sizing up your situation One of the most important things you can do as a CEO is to ensure that your exit plan is current. Your plan should examine where you are now and where you need to go to realize your financial goals. It should also identify … Read more
Selling Your Business Successfully – (parts 3&4)
Selling Your Business Successfully – (Parts 3&4) We believe it would be a big mistake to sell your business on your own, assuming you have a business worth seven or eight figures. We recommend the remaining steps only be accomplished with the help of your team. Back in December 2006, we were brought in to … Read more
Selling Your Business Successfully – (part 2)
Selling Your Business Successfully – (Part 2) Wealth management is about making smart decisions with our wealth in order to achieve all that is important to us. We would argue that wealth in itself isn’t enough to help us achieve our goals and dreams. We must be proactive in managing taxation, investing, as well as … Read more
Selling Your Business Successfully – (part 1)
Selling Your Business Successfully – (Part 1) Profitable, well-managed privately held businesses sell for tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of dollars. So what steps should you follow to orchestrate a successful and profitable exit for yourself? Here are some critical success factors for a cash-out event: When entrepreneurs consider exit strategies, they tend … Read more
Where financial advice falls short, and can leave you short
Where Financial Advice Falls Short, And Can Leave You Short Is your financial advisor asking the right questions? Is your portfolio routinely stress tested to keep you on course? The typical advisor is quick to find an appropriate asset allocation based on a client’s objectives, risk tolerance and time horizon. That’s the easy part. Take-aways … Read more
VC investing requires $10M, patience
VC Investing Requires $10M, Patience How would you like to invest in future startups that may become the new Google, Yahoo, FedEx, Apple, or Intel? Through venture capital partnerships you may be able to participate in such rewarding companies of the future. According to the December 2007 National Venture Capital Association estimates, venture capital investments amounted to … Read more
Hedge funds: Are the huge profits real or an illusion?
Hedge Funds: Are The Huge Profits Real Or An Illusion? Whether you own a hedge fund or are contemplating investing in one, we would advise that you fully understand the benefits as well as the pitfalls of this type of investing. Hedge funds became popular when their returns shined during the market collapse at the … Read more
Your poor planning could make Uncle Sam your biggest heir
Your Poor Planning Could Make Uncle Sam Your Biggest Heir Did you know that without proper planning, a $15-million estate can lose about $7.5 million to estate taxes, leaving the heirs to split the other $7.5 million? Instead, why not give your entire estate away twice – first to a charity, then to your heirs. … Read more
Strategic Asset Allocation for Ultra High Net Worth Individuals
Strategic Asset Allocation for Ultra High Net Worth Individuals In the long run, concentrating your investments is unwise Wealth management and strategic asset allocation analysis assumes that roughly every three years we will experience a decline in the stock market and that every five years or so we will see a decline of 20 percent … Read more
Affluent Investor
Affluent Investor What Every Affluent Investor Must Know About Money Management If you as an affluent investor knew you had money managers, investment techniques, or mutual funds that on average tilted the odds in your favor (relative to passive management/indexing), you would bet on those managers all day long and as many times as you … Read more
Selling Inherited Stock for Ultra High Net Worth Individuals
Selling Inherited Stock for Ultra High Net Worth Individuals Diversification: Concentrated stock, selling real estate, and inheritance. – Pillar Wealth Management Are your searching for Selling Inherited Stock in google? Diversification in an investment portfolio is critical as it helps to ensure that sizeable gains offset losses in other areas. You should note that diversification … Read more
Financial Survival for Ultra High Net Worth Investor in Down Markets
Financial Survival for Ultra High Net Worth Investor in Down Markets Financial, mental survival in down markets Things to consider for financial survival The recent stock market volatility is not uncommon. Many similar, or even worse, environments have transpired in the past. In fact, such occurrences will almost certainly repeat themselves in the future; therefore you should … Read more
Avoid financial disaster from high net worth divorce
Avoid Financial Disaster From High Net Worth Divorce Things to know about high net worth divorce STRATEGIES FOR FAMILIES WORTH $5 MILLION TO $500 MILLION 7 Secrets To High Net Worth Investment Management, Estate, Tax and Financial Planning The insights you’ll discover from our published book will help you integrate a variety of wealth management … Read more
Achieving a secure retirement and carefree lifestyle
Achieving a secure retirement and carefree lifestyle Secure retirement is something you may look forward to as it’s time to enjoy the benefits of your hard work over the years. However, life is unpredictable and your retirement plan may be derailed. Interest rates have risen 17 times since June 2004. The stock market is as … Read more