It’s a truism that the earlier you start investing, the better your results. It’s time in the market –through both up and down cycles – that results in higher returns over time.
But there are some things about investing today that are just different than they were for investors who started in earlier decades. For one thing, it’s not your imagination that everything really is more expensive now. You’ve achieved career success – but owning a home, starting a family, even just taking a vacation – takes so much of your disposable income that there doesn’t seem to be enough left over. You make a good salary, but creating real wealth that will see you through all life’s milestones and a long retirement can seem out of reach.
That’s why it’s even more important to get started with an investing plan that doesn’t follow the traditional pattern, where the number of years from retirement dictates your asset allocation. If you’re starting out now, it’s more important to begin with your goals, work backwards to your risk tolerance – and then come up with a plan that matches the two.
To Self-Direct or Not?
For some investors, a more self-directed approach to investing is preferable to full-service asset management. Whether it’s because you are just starting out, or your assets are primarily in a 401(k) housed at your employer, or just because you have a view on markets, maintaining an independent account can be a solution.
This is in part why the appeal of robo-advisors has grown over the last decade. They offer online access and simplicity, along with a pre-set investment strategy. The downside of these types of options is that the strategies may be limited and inflexible to market conditions, and they lack a comprehensive approach to combining investing with your unique life journey.
A Hybrid Solution
We’ve developed a different solution. Our approach combines the convenience and autonomy of an internet-based investment plan, with high-touch access to actual human-based advice and premium, thoughtful tools to create a comprehensive financial plan. It offers a client portal that allows you to link an outside account as well as invest directly with us, so that even accounts held elsewhere can benefit from our advice.
Your Foundational Plan – The Key to Success
We start with the same one-on-one initial meeting you would get if you signed up for full-service asset management. It’s the only way we know how to do it, and it works. In-person, over the phone, on the web – however it’s convenient for you, but we believe starting with a conversation, not a questionnaire is critical. This the foundation of our risk tolerance assessment, and we follow it up with an interactive online module.
From there you get access to our monthly video newsletter, invitations to our financial forums, and unlimited support by phone or email. We’re here when you need us. And of course, we perform an in-depth annual review.
Through our decades of experience in asset management, we’ve come to understand that it’s not just about building a retirement account or saving for one goal. A tool that only offers you investment management is only seeing a small part of the picture.
Pairing the Plan with Technology
We’ve built a robust platform that starts with cash flow and budgeting analysis, to keep your accounts growing through additional savings – in amounts that work for your situation. We also offer financial goal analysis, and because our view of risk management is that you need to also plan for the things that can derail you, we built an insurance tool to help you create a cost-effective insurance plan that covers life, disability and even long-term care.
The two biggest costs you’ll face – education and retirement – we’ve got them covered, too, with an education funding module and a retirement income strategy that blends accumulating retirement funds, optimizing social security and the Income for Life® plan.
We’ve developed this subscription service because we know you want to take control of your financial life – but we also know that the more you can incorporate the experience and expertise of a trusted financial advisor, the more time you’ll have for everything else in your life.
All investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. There is no assurance that any investment strategy will be successful.
Registered Representative offering securities through First Allied Securities, Inc. a Registered Broker/Dealer Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through First Allied Advisory Services, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser. First Allied entities are under separate ownership from any other named entity.
Lifelong Investments, LLC, 155 Passaic Avenue, Suite 310 Fairfield, NJ 07004