SERVICES

Portfolio Management

Fees for management services are listed below:

Bonds

Our bond objective is to receive a superior income return while assuming a minimal amount of risk. We maintain a conservative strategy in our bond portfolios, using high credit quality taxable and tax-free bonds. The portfolio utilizes a ladder strategy that under most circumstances will be short term. The conservative bond portfolio goes hand in hand with our approach of weighting an investor’s accounts as heavily into equities as his or her risk tolerance will allow. The growth potential of equities is much higher, while bond performance will approach the coupon rates available overtime.

Gross & Hartman Investments uses a short-term, laddered approach to its fixed income investing. This approach entails buying securities of differing maturities: a six-month security, a one-year, an eighteen-month, a two-year and so on. The length of the ladder will depend on our interest rate forecast.

Stocks

Our stock objective is to outperform the Standard and Poor’s 500 Index/S&P 500 Value index. We use a disciplined approach to equity management. By utilizing fundamental analysis, the firm looks for quality companies that have a compelling relationship between their growth rate and their price/earnings ratio.

One of the biggest advantages offered by Gross & Hartman Investment’s management style is the focus on long-term results. Too many managers and funds focus on the short-term. This increases trading and tax costs. The long-term investor benefits from both lower taxes and the long-term positive trend of the stock market.

Gross & Hartman Investments runs many of its stock portfolios in concert with a bond portfolio. The allocation between these two portfolios is determined based on your investment objectives.

Mutual Funds

Gross & Hartman Investments uses a disciplined approach and a diversified portfolio by utilizing a variety of investment styles. All decisions are research driven with selections based on 15 specific characteristics including fees, performance, peer group ranking and risk. Your mutual fund portfolio can be designed in conjunction with stocks or stand-alone. All funds are monitored for performance versus benchmarks and peers in the asset class or segment.

Asset Allocation

At Gross & Hartman Investments, we believe that asset allocation is one of the most important decisions you will make with your advisor. We review the risks involved with various asset classes and their effects on your portfolio over the investment period.

It is important to us that you are fully knowledgeable and comfortable with the risks you may be taking. We review the possible gains and losses, discuss your comfort/risk tolerance level and take into consideration your time horizon. We also take into account any liquidity needs that may arise. Based on this information, we customize a portfolio tailored to your individual needs.

Retirement Planning

Gross & Hartman Investments will help you set your asset allocation and savings to meet your retirement goals with inflation predictions, return and income predictions, protections, and  various simulations. We create plans so that our clients never worry about running out of money in their future years. 

401 K Services

We offer 401k services that are tailored to the needs of the company and/or participants. We can help employees set their asset allocation, plan for retirement, choose investment options and monitor actual allocation versus target. Advice can be given through group seminars or individual meetings with employees.

Portfolio Analysis

Many investors hold more than one account with various brokers. Often times, investors are not aware of their exposure in the market at the top level. We review your investments and complete an analysis of all holdings so that we can determine where you may need to diversify and if you have too much exposure in a given stock, sector, region or market capitalization. This top side view is important, as it will allow you to reduce your risk through proper asset allocation. We can perform an optimization on the portfolio to determine how your assets might be better allocated. This can be done a number of ways, which include - scenario analysis, and stress tests.

Manager/Mutual Funds Analysis

At Gross & Hartman Investments, all of our research is done in-house. We select and monitor our fund managers on the following criteria: fees, performance, peer group ranking, and risk. After analyzing these criteria, we place the findings into our proprietary in-house created matrix to select a fund manager that we feel will meet your needs. All selected managers are added to an Approved Investment List and monitored going forward. We evaluate changes to the funds and provide quarterly reviews to our clients.

Risk Analysis

When evaluating a risk analysis we use a variety of techniques. Our main methods are: the standard deviation of the total portfolio (through aggregation of assets), sector exposure, currency exposure, market capitalization weightings, asset class weightings and regional exposure. We also perform optimization to see how assets can be better allocated.

Performance Measurement

Performance measurement is one of the most effective ways to evaluate a manager. By providing quarterly analysis and review of your portfolio, we are able to assign specific benchmarks to each asset so that underperformance can be addressed quickly. These benchmarks are highly correlated to the manager’s style and give a clearer picture of the returns.

Consulting Services

We offer investment consultations on an hourly basis. Consultations allow our clients to make the final decision on their investment portfolio, but have the support of a trusted professional. Also, this maybe a better way for some types of clients to get investment advice. One example of who may benefit would be investors just getting started. The consultation would give them a framework on how to structure their investments. Others that would benefit from consultations are investors with existing advisor relationships.   

College Savings

We offer a variety of college planning options with lump sum savings, annual savings, recommended asset allocation, recommended investments, and analysis of various 529 plans to meet savings goals. Planning ahead helps ease the financial pressure of college expenses.