Our Philosophy

INVESTMENT PHILOSOPHY

We never try to anticipate or time the market and we certainly don’t act on stock tips. Instead, we create portfolios consisting of low-correlating assets and we choose investments with very low internal expenses. Index funds and exchange traded funds (ETF’s) are perfect choices for this type of investment plan and make up the majority of our recommended portfolios. We understand that certain investments may perform better during different economic conditions, so we allow ourselves to add different sector funds to compliment a core portfolio. This is sometimes referred to as “Core & Satellite Portfolio Management”.

BROKER VS. ADVISOR

Brokers are held to a “suitability standard”. This means that their job is to sell you something that seems suitable to your financial situation. A broker is an employee of a firm and is ALWAYS loyal to the company first and the client second. Advisors are held to a “fiduciary standard”. This means that they are ethically bound to place the financial needs of a client above those of the business. Simply put, advisors act as a steward of your funds.

REBALANCING

This is one of the most important things that a good investment advisor can do for a client. Unfortunately, it is also the most overlooked. To properly re-balance an account, securities which have appreciated or depreciated are bought or sold to bring the account back to the original asset allocation. Without rebalancing, an account is left to drift away from its target risk level and can become more or less risky than a client is comfortable with. Unlike some firms, Lakeland Investment Advisors will take into consideration all tax consequences prior to buying or selling a security.