Our Philosophy
The following statement will not immunize you to the very real stresses of being an investor, and it isn’t meant to. The purpose of this statement is to keep you from being surprised when the market inevitably does something unpredictable. It is also meant to show you why we believe so strongly in equity investing.
We believe that the only intelligent progression in the creation of a lifetime investment plan is: establishing goals, creating a plan, and only then creating a portfolio. The objective of your portfolio, therefore, will simply be to execute your plan over the course of your lifetime. We will work with you throughout our time together to fully understand your plan, as well as to adapt your plan to changes in your life each year. Your plan will dictate how we manage your money, and therefore the investment portfolio that we establish. Current events, presidential elections, natural disasters, etc. will never dictate how we manage your money, as they are simply temporary distractions that do not dictate market performance over long periods of time.
Our core beliefs:
- One must establish a plan that one can stick to, even in times of high stress, to be a successful investor. The equity (stock) markets present one of the best opportunities for you to achieve your long-term goals, regardless of what they are.
- Investing in the equity markets presents one of the best opportunities to create generational wealth for your family, heirs, and philanthropic wishes.
- The equity markets present one of the best opportunities for you to never run out of money, regardless of how long you live. The less we have in equities, the greater the chance that you outlive your savings and run out of money.
- Nobody can predict the stock market with any repeatable accuracy. Not you, not us, and not anyone on Wall Street.
Below are a few statistics regarding the stock market that have shaped our investment philosophy:
- Equities subject not merely your return but your capital itself to very wide variances. For example, the Standard & Poor's 500-Stock Index has seen temporary intra-year declines of nearly 14% on average since 1980. This means that, at some point throughout every calendar year, we expect the markets to drop 14% or more.
- The Standard & Poor's 500-Stock Index has experienced on average a 33% decrease once in every five-to-six-year period.
- Despite the above, on average the stock market finishes the year higher than where it began over 70% of the time. Over the past 95 years (1926 – 2021), the stock market has finished with positive rates of returns 70 times. Despite the first two bullet points, the stock market finishes the year higher than where it began most of the time.
- Historically, the average rate of return in the stock market has been 10% per year. Looking back at decades of data, the only rate of return that high has been achievable in equities.*
For the reasons detailed above, we will always recommend that the majority of your long-term portfolio be invested in the equity markets.
We've agreed that we will meet to review your goals and investment plan no less than annually, and assuming your goals do not change, we will review your investment portfolio for rebalancing opportunities no less than semi-annually.
There can be no assurance of achieving your financial goals or achieving a desired rate of return on your portfolio. We will use what we believe to be the best money managers/investment funds in the marketplace to help you achieve your goals and will act as fiduciaries in putting your best interests first.
Our firm is compensated by charging an annual management fee on the assets we oversee. This fee is calculated as a percentage of your assets and is reduced accordingly as your wealth grows over time. Please note - this ensures that our interests are directly aligned with yours. The more money you make, the more money our firm makes, and vice versa. If your portfolio temporarily drops in value, our firm temporarily loses revenue.
If you have any questions or concerns about any of the statements above, please reach out to us to discuss this further. We will always take the time, throughout our relationship together, to explain our services and make sure you are comfortable with how we manage your life savings.
Thank you for your confidence and trust in Clarendon Wealth Management.
Ryan McCall and John Nguyen
Partners, Clarendon Wealth Management
*Investments are subject to risk, including the loss of principal. Some investments are not suitable for all investors, and there is no guarantee that any investing goal will be met. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Talk to your financial advisor before making any investing decisions.
Let us take care of all your financial decisions, so you can enjoy what’s most important to you.