For some, this goal is still many years away. For others, it’s right around the corner. In either case, we help by being a sounding board and creating an action plan so you’ll know what it will take to make your retirement dream a reality. This includes distribution planning so you know what account to draw from and how much, and the amount of tax to withhold.

The following principles shape our investment recommendations:

Diversification: Asset Allocation is widely accepted as the primary determinant of long-term portfolio returns as well as the volatility of returns.
Perspective: Investors who take a long-term approach to investing and can withstand short-term volatility of markets, historically hold a comparative advantage over investors with a short term view.
Risk Control and Knowledge: The ability to identify and adjust risk exposure is critically important to an investment portfolio. In addition, investors should understand the various shapes and forms of risk they incur with any investment.
Insight: Our advice is based upon well-founded principles and is thoughtfully and consistently applied to our client’s portfolios.

Based on these principles, our portfolio construction process emphasizes the following:

• To define and adhere to strategic asset allocation targets, designed to improve a portfolio’s risk and return profile.
• The potential reduction of fees and taxes, which can serve to enhance portfolio returns over time.
• The inclusion of alternative asset classes, which can enhance the risk-adjusted return of an investment portfolio. Such assets may include investment strategies that are non-correlated to stock and bond markets, as well as commodities and precious metals.

Disclosure:
Please keep in mind that diversification does not assure a profit, or protect against loss, while alternative assets have their own specific risks and potential drawbacks.

Traditional tax firms are backward-looking—merely recording what’s already happened. We take a forward-looking approach. A good tax plan considers all of your options and eliminates surprises. Your financial planner, tax professional and you will work together to plan and implement tax strategies developed during the planning process. Tax planning is especially valuable to clients going through transitions like starting retirement, deciding when to sell rental property, marriage and divorce.

We also pride ourselves on follow-through. Should a client receive a letter or audit notice from a tax authority, we’re here to resolve the issue.

Successful financial management involves finding a balance between self-insuring and transferring risk to an insurance company. At Johnson Bixby, we provide a range of solutions to fit your needs for Long Term Care, Life and Disability insurance from a variety of nationally recognized and highly rated companies. In addition, we review your existing policies to make sure they fit efficiently into your financial plan and work with you to keep your beneficiary designations correct and up to date.

The decisions around pension choices are far-reaching, since they’re irrevocable once elected. Some questions to consider include: Should I reduce my pension in order to provide an ongoing income stream to a survivor? Would it be better to take a guaranteed (but fixed) income stream for life, or to take a lump sum that I can tailor to my needs? Do I feel more comfortable leaving my assets in the company-managed pension plan or managing the money myself? The answers to these questions vary from person to person, and we can help you evaluate for your own preferences and situation.

We find that many people do not fully maximize all of the benefits provided by their employer, mainly because they just aren’t aware of them or don’t understand how they work. By doing a careful analysis of the options, we’ll work with you to uncover untapped resources, reduce tax costs, and look for ways to boost retirement savings.

Anticipating the cost of a child’s college tuition can be intimidating. You might wonder how you’ll ever manage to fund a goal that can be comparable to a home purchase! We’ll help you evaluate college fees and loan offers, compare the pros and cons of various investment vehicles, explain available tax strategies, suggest ways to reduce the overall expense, and support you along the way.

Whether you have an annual giving plan in place or want to establish one, we’ll review strategies that might be more tax efficient or flexible. You may also find it helpful to talk through giving options and how to get involved with causes you connect with and care about as well as understanding your role as a donor.

Wills, powers of attorney and advance directives are an important part of your financial plan. We will partner with you and the attorney as needed in drafting and updating documents to meet your wishes. Once the documents are in place, we will assist in making sure your investments are titled correctly and the beneficiaries on your retirement accounts and insurance policies are in alignment with the estate documents.

Transition can come in many forms – change in job, having children, marriage, divorce, moving, change in health, loss of a loved one, or retirement. Often these are one-time events, so it can be overwhelming to gather necessary information and know how decisions will impact you now and longer term. We’ve lived a lot of life with clients and have been through these transitions many times. We’ll walk you through the decisions and provide input on how you can make the best informed decisions for your circumstances.