Our team is committed to understanding the intention of your assets. Whether you are curious if your assets will last your life-time, or that of future generations our team is here to assist. Over our two decades of experience, we know that a well-constructed plan provides client confidence, which is why we do not charge an additional fee for this in-depth and continuous service.
Whether you are concerned that your assets last your lifetime, or that of future generations, we believe that it is important to build a personally tailored financial model of your assets and expenses. This model will include all of your finances. This may include: debt, 401(k),stock option strategies, education funding and real estate, illiquid, or private holdings. From this wealth planning model, our team can make assumptions and projections to “put the odds in your favor” of reaching your long-term goals.
Our team works with you to build a model that identifies your lifestyle/financial goals and build a road map for your future:
In addition, we can create multi-scenario plans to help you determine which path may be best for your financial longevity.
Our modern investment approach is driven by an active, transparent, time-tested approach. We believe in process; investing in individual securities around the world that meet our rigorous quantitative and qualitative standards, while actively managing risk. Your portfolio should be something that's easy to understand and that you can take pride in.
We invest primarily in individual securities from all over the world, (stocks and bonds),so we help you avoid the fees and costs of managers that employ mutual funds or exchange traded funds (ETFs) only. ETFs may at times be employed for a small percentage of a portfolio to capture “hard to reach” markets.
By investing in individual securities, you see the stocks you own. By comparison, mutual funds and ETFs don’t offer anything close to transparent.
Managing your equity compensation is a key component to sound financial planning. Understanding vesting schedules and requirements for vesting, important tax considerations and managing concentration risk are a few ways we can help participants develop a strategic plan unique to their specific goals. We take the guess work out of what can be a challenging and deceptively complex decision-making process, to free up your time to do what you do best.
By providing a comprehensive review of grants, vesting schedules and key tax considerations as it fits into the overall financial picture, we put professionals in a better position to achieve their lifetime goals. Our work includes analysis of restricted stock/restricted stock units, stock options, performance shares, employee stock purchase plans, just to name a few. We can also collaborate with your CPA to understand how our work can complement tax efficient strategies.
Key Areas of focus:
· A comprehensive review of your grants, vesting schedules, and disposition methods
· Identify the tax impact and tax-withholding issues to be aware of
· Develop a financial plan to understand the value of your grants and how they fit into achieving your lifetime goals
· Develop a strategic plan for the shares after vesting to reduce concentration risk
· Model multi-hypothetical scenarios to identify risk and important tax considerations
· Partner with your CPA to develop a tax management strategy
Some of the most important pieces of your financial puzzle are not related to a dollar sign. We partner with clients, leveraging our proprietary technology - LifeCase® - to help organize key documents. It is crucial that your assets are properly titled, and that beneficiaries and successor trustees are named to reflect your wishes. We provide comprehensive Estate, Trust and Tax guidance as needed on a client-by-client basis.
Since your estate plan should coordinate with your asset base, we take time and care to ensure that your plan is in place and up to date. It is important that your final wishes be recognized as well as naming guardians for minor children and utilizing estate provisions such as a step up in cost basis and marital exemptions. Not to mention the importance of having updated durable power of attorneys.
We partner with CPA’s throughout the Bay Area and country to best understand how our work can complement tax efficient strategies. This is especially important for those clients with concentrated stock positions, legacy holdings and equity compensation packages. This may include ideas and strategies to enhance pre-tax savings, write-offs or tax matters related to your investment portfolio. We do not, however, complete or execute tax returns.
Our Active Risk Management (ARM) process has stood the test of time to mitigate significant market downside. We believe in an active approach to managing risk throughout the market cycle. Our team recognizes that many market related events are unpredictable. Therefore, our risk management process is essential to protecting your investments at all times. ARM allows our team to manage your exposure to various asset classes and sectors while employing carefully placed stop-loss orders on each security. These disciplined processes and tools remove the behavioral biases that are often the cause of poor investment results.
We believe that successful long-term investment performance is the result of above average investment selection combined with careful risk management. Our Active Risk Management (ARM) is a process employed to manage potential downside risk due to factors that include global economic instability, economic sector or industry weakness, and deterioration in a specific security’s fundamentals. It includes tools and formulas that can affect a portfolio’s asset allocation, sector and stock exposure.
ARM is a process that is continually applied to your investment portfolio depending on the health and stability of financial markets. ARM may cause your portfolio to experience periods of reduced exposure to particular sectors, industries or individual securities, as well as increased cash and fixed income balances. Though risk management does not guarantee against investment loss, we believe that, over the long run, our ARM process mitigates risk and leads to above average investment results.
At Main Street we have a dedicated team focused on helping non-profits, charitable organizations and retirement plans achieve their investment goals. Enhancing the effectiveness of your organization and its governance can have benefits far beyond the balance sheet — saving the organization significant time, money and effort.
In today’s volatile market, endowments and foundations face many challenges related to the organization and the quest for desired return on investment. This environment coupled with multiple industry and sector challenges are driving not-for-profit investors to seek ways to enhance returns and optimize resources. Along with growing the assets, risk management is a fundamental concern for non-profit organizations seeking long-term investment return. Our team works closely with institutions to understand and manage portfolio risk to optimize the overall risk/return of investment portfolios.
Our performance in helping clients meet their objectives is measured by a clear understanding of the foundation’s Investment and Distribution Policy. Our investment performance relative to benchmarks is measured not just in rising markets, but also in declining markets. True success also includes a relationship that the committee and board members feel is adding value and is educational.
Our investment philosophy as a firm also aligns closely with that of our not-for-profit clients. Each quarter, Main Street donates a percentage of our profits to organizations that give back to the local and global community. Therefore, we have an interest and enjoy our work with non-profit organizations and are familiar with the nuances of each.