Diversify Your Investments for Long-Term Growth: Building a Smarter Portfolio
The percentage of adult Americans who invest toward retirement is nearing an all-time high at over 63%.1 These days it is far easier to pursue different investment instruments to manage and preserve wealth and over the past few decades the average working person has realized that investing isn’t only for the rich. Whether you are new to investing or have some experience, the challenge of creating a portfolio that aligns with your financial goals remains ongoing.
There are several ways to “mix” your investments. You can invest in different instruments which are also broken up into sectors (both listed below). This is generally called “diversification.” The goal of diversification is to help avoid losing significant money from investments that don’t turn out as you may have hoped. However, just because you are diversified doesn’t mean you selected a safe composition of investments. For example, if you have many different high-risk penny stocks, the diversification may not have done much to decrease the risk that you could lose money. You have to be prudent in your investment decision-making and understand how each asset works.
Some of the investment instruments people consider for their portfolio include:
Stocks – Fractional ownership interest in a company. If the company does well, the investor tends to do well, and vice versa.
Bonds – A debt security, like an IOU. Borrowers issue bonds to raise money from investors who earn interest over time.
Mutual Funds – A company that pools money from investors and invests the money in securities such as stocks, bonds, and short-term debt. Unlike ETFs, mutual funds can only be bought and sold at the end of the trading day.
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) – A collection of securities that tracks sectors of the market or seeks to outperform an underlying index. Unlike mutual funds, ETFs trade throughout the day on a stock exchange and their price fluctuates based on supply and demand.
Fixed-income investments (that aren’t bonds, such as certificates of deposit (CDs), money market funds, and commercial paper. Sometimes preferred stock is considered fixed income since it is a hybrid security bringing together equity and debt features) – Debt instruments that pay a fixed rate of interest.
Annuities – Financial products that provide a guaranteed income stream. Investors fund the product with a lump-sum payment or periodic payments.
Derivatives – Financial contracts between two or more parties that determine their value from an underlying asset, a group of assets, or a benchmark. These tend to be higher risk investments and you want to be extremely careful and consult a financial professional before treading in these volatile waters.
Investment Trusts – A public limited company that strives to earn money through investing in other companies. Investment trusts are closed-ended funds with a fixed number of shares and can only be traded once per day at the end of the trading day. Investment trusts generally cost less to own that a similar mutual fund but are typically more expensive than an ETF.
The sectors investors select from include:
Industrials – (Stanley Black & Decker, Caterpillar, A.O. Smith, etc.)
Historically (according to officialdata.org), since the inception of the S&P 500 in 1957 the index has produced an annual return of 10.26%. If you are an individual stock picker you know that it is hard to beat the S&P 500 over time. Even the greatest investor of all time, Warren Buffett didn’t beat the S&P 500 over the past twenty years, missing matching its return by .05%.2
What is the S&P 500 index? The S&P 500 Index or Standard & Poor’s 500 Index is a market-capitalization weighted index (market capitalization is the total dollar market value of a company’s outstanding shares of stock. Market value is the amount for which something can be sold on a given market) of the 500 leading publicly traded companies in the U.S. It is considered one of the best gauges to measure top-tier American equities’ performance and the overall stock market.
Thanks to the advent of ETFs, in 1993, that mirror the S&P 500, investors are now able to buy shares of funds that aim to produce returns equal, or close that of the S&P 500. For an investor who doesn’t have the time to conduct their own research, these investment options could be part of their overall program to assist in their long-term retirement savings goals.
Another aspect of investing that is often overlooked is the power of compounding. Compounding occurs when your investment begins to earn interest on the interest as well as the principal. The longer you hold the investment the more extraordinary the compounding has the opportunity to become. Albert Einstein is credited with saying, “Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it earns it; he who doesn’t pays it.” The secret to compound interest working in your favor is being patient. Morgan Housel, the author of The Psychology of Money, said, you don’t have to be particularly smart or lucky to do well in the stock market. You just have to invest according to your risk tolerance and then be patient. Warren Buffett’s partner, investing legend Charlie Munger once said, “The first rule of compounding: Never interrupt it unnecessarily.” The concept when it comes to compounding and value investing over many decades is to buy and hold and wait. But first you have to figure out your risk tolerance.
Determine your risk tolerance
Everybody has a different risk tolerance based on their income level, lifestyle, life experiences, and many more factors. It is critical that you figure out your own risk tolerance and not somebody else’s because of FOMO (anxiety that something exciting is happening and you are missing out), which can be damaging to your finances and significantly impact your financial condition and strategy.
Allocation of assets
Based on your risk tolerance and your investment goals, you want to decide how you plan to allocate your investments, for example, a percentage in stocks, bonds, etc. This includes how much you want to keep on hand in cash.
While asset allocation does not ensure a profit or protect against a loss, being consistent with your investment allocation helps to lower volatility as you maintain your portfolio diversification. It helps to stay focused on your long-term goals and reduce impulsive decision-making based on speculative news. Remember, it is impossible to predict the future of the market or its volatility as much as it is futile to try and predict natural disasters, wars, and pandemics. Things happen in life, but consistency can help you navigate those unpredictable times.
Invest in What You Know
When it comes to investing, experienced investors often reiterate the importance of investing in what you know.
Choose businesses and companies that you are familiar with their products and services.
Do your research to get an understanding of the various investment vehicles available.
Start with investments that you are familiar with.
As you become more knowledgeable about how investing works you can begin to expand your portfolio with various forms of instruments and strategies.
Work to Master the Fundamentals
It is hard to earn a dollar, but it isn’t as hard as you might believe to build wealth over time with the right guidance and strategy. And, you don’t have to have a high-income job to do it. Think of investing as you would golf, boxing, or any other sport or skilled hobby. We’ll use golf and boxing in this example: The next time you watch either sport, notice each player’s swing looks different and in boxing each fighter’s stance is unique, however, despite their different approaches they still are able to put themselves in the position to win. This is because they understand the fundamentals. Investing is the same thing. You don’t have to have the same stock portfolio as your neighbor, co-worker, relative, or investing guru to do well over time. As long as you understand the fundamentals of investing and create the mix of investments that works for you, you can be unique and manage your wealth using your own strategy.
Everybody’s retirement and financial goals are different, their strategies are unique to them, their life experiences are distinct from their friends and neighbors, and the reasons why they make the decisions they do are personal. There is no right or wrong mix of investments when you are building a portfolio, however, there are strategies that may help you lower some of the risk of investing while preserving and working to grow your wealth.
If you have invested for a while, you probably understand that there are absolutely no guarantees that you will come out on top as an investor. Most great investors from Warren Buffett to Peter Lynch had a mentor that they learned from. They weren’t just born with financial acumen. Warren Buffett learned from Benjamin Graham. Peter Lynch’s lifelong mentor was George Sullivan. Getting help so you can improve your financial situation is a step that highly motivated investors take.
Consider consulting a financial professional
Want to learn more about your retirement planning? Just as history’s most notable investors sought the help they needed, you too can do the same. Consider consulting a financial professional to help you create an investment portfolio and strategy that can align with your retirement goals.
Important Disclosures:
The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.
Investing involves risks including possible loss of principal. No investment strategy or risk management technique can guarantee return or eliminate risk in all market environments. All indexes are unmanaged and cannot be invested into directly
An investment in Exchange Traded Funds (ETF), structured as a mutual fund or unit investment trust, involves the risk of losing money and should be considered as part of an overall program, not a complete investment program. An investment in ETFs involves additional risks such as not diversified, price volatility, competitive industry pressure, international political and economic developments, possible trading halts, and index tracking errors.
Because of their narrow focus, investments concentrated in certain sectors or industries will be subject to greater volatility and specific risks compared with investing more broadly across many sectors, industries, and companies.
There is no guarantee that a diversified portfolio will enhance overall returns or outperform a non-diversified portfolio. Diversification does not protect against market risk.
All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however, LPL Financial makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy.
Footnotes:
1 Hiltzik: Passive investing is facing critics from all sides – Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)
2 Even Warren Buffett is no match for the S&P 500 – MarketWatch
Sources:
Guide to Fixed Income: Types and How to Invest (investopedia.com)
Warren Buffett Has Underperformed the Stock Market for the Last 20 Years (linkedin.com)
Quote by Albert Einstein: “Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the w…” (goodreads.com)
5 Ways Senior Citizens Can Invest Their Savings
Even if you are already retired, it doesn’t mean you should stop trying to grow your savings. Inflation, unexpected medical bills, and changes to your lifestyle or family may result in the need for additional income than you initially anticipated when planning your retirement. While investing is one of the quickest ways to grow your savings, the process may look slightly different when you’re actually actively trying to balance income and savings.
Below are some investment options you might want to consider to make sure your income keeps on growing.
1. CDs
A Certificate of Deposit (CD) is a safe investment tool insured by the FDIC for up to $250,000 and offers a fixed rate of return if held to maturity. To invest in a CD, you would lend your money to a financial institution for a specified period. At the end of the timeframe, you will receive your money back along with interest. While the interest gained is often less than stock investments, it is a great way to safely earn additional money on savings you are not currently using.2
2. Treasury Bills
Treasury bills are another protected investment and are considered one of the safest options in several countries. They are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, meaning that any funds will be honored no matter the circumstances. The only drawback is if you cash them out before they completely mature, you may lose out on some interest.2
3. High-Yield Savings Accounts
If you have money you would like to earn interest on, but want these funds to be accessible when you need them, then a high-yield savings account may be a smart option. Unlike CDs, you will be able to take out money at any opportunity, and will still earn a high interest rate. In some cases, these accounts will have higher interest rates than CDs.2
4. Fixed Annuities
A fixed annuity only carries a heavy penalty if you withdraw before age 59 1/2. So investing in them in your senior years is a good option. The insurance company that issues them will guarantee the investment, making it safer as long as the company’s financial status is sound. Interest will continue to be paid until your death, which will help you supplement your income.1
5. Money Market Accounts
A money market account is a great way to earn extra on your money without restricting its use. It is a hybrid between a savings and a checking account. It will pay the interest you would get with a savings account, but you will be allowed to access it through checks, debit cards, or both. They are considered safe and FDIC insured, like CDs or savings accounts.1
Important Disclosures:
The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. To determine which investment(s) may be appropriate for you, consult your financial professional prior to investing.
Investing involves risks including possible loss of principal. No investment strategy or risk management technique can guarantee return or eliminate risk in all market environments.
Treasury bills are guaranteed by the US government as to the timely payment of principal and interest and, if held to maturity, offer a fixed rate of return and fixed principal value.
Fixed annuities are long-term investment vehicles designed for retirement purposes. Gains from tax-deferred investments are taxable as ordinary income upon withdrawal. Guarantees are based on the claims paying ability of the issuing company. Withdrawals made prior to age 59 ½ are subject to a 10% IRS penalty tax and surrender charges may apply.
All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however, LPL Financial makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy.
Navigating Risk: Understanding Your Ability Vs. Your Willingness
Investing Is Not Just About the Numbers—It’s About Knowing Yourself
Investing is not just about the numbers; it’s about understanding yourself. Two key factors to consider are one’s ability to take risks and willingness to take risks. While both play pivotal roles in shaping your investment strategy, they cater to different aspects of your financial life.
Ability is an objective measure based on financial standing, while willingness is a subjective reflection of personal comfort and experiences. This blog aims to demystify these concepts, offering insights and a self-assessment tool to help you gauge your own risk profile.
The Ability to Take Risks: A Financial Assessment
Your ability to take risks is determined by your financial resilience—the capacity to absorb losses without derailing your financial independence or lifestyle. It’s influenced by several key factors:
Debt Levels: High debt can constrict your ability to weather financial storms, as obligations may necessitate the premature liquidation of investments at a loss.
Emergency Savings: Adequate emergency reserves provide a financial buffer, allowing you to endure investment volatility without needing to cash out investments, especially during down markets.
Time Horizon: The length of time until you need to access your invested funds can significantly affect your ability to take risks. A longer horizon allows more time for recovery from market downturns.
Insurance Protection: Proper insurance coverage (health, life, disability) shields against unforeseen financial hits, indirectly supporting a higher risk capacity.
Income Stability: Consistent and reliable income bolsters your ability to take on investment risks, providing regular contributions to offset potential losses.
Illustrating Ability with Real-World Examples
Consider Anna, a young professional with minimal debt, substantial emergency savings, and a long-term investment outlook. Her stable job and comprehensive insurance coverage position her with a high ability to take investment risks.
In contrast, Brian, nearing retirement with significant debt and limited savings, faces a constrained ability to absorb financial volatility.
Willingness to Take Risks: The Psychological Dimension
Willingness to take risks reflects your psychological comfort with the uncertainty and potential for loss in your investments. It’s shaped by:
Investment Experience: Familiarity with market dynamics can temper fear, potentially increasing your risk tolerance.
Financial Knowledge: Understanding how markets operate can empower you to take calculated risks.
Personal Experiences: Past financial successes or traumas significantly influence one’s comfort with risk.
Risk Perception: Your view of the current economic and market conditions can sway your willingness to invest aggressively or conservatively.
Personalizing Willingness Through Stories
Jennifer, an experienced investor who has weathered several market cycles, possesses a high willingness to take risks, trusting in the market’s long-term growth.
Conversely, Jack, who suffered significant losses in a past downturn, exhibits a cautious approach despite having a solid financial foundation.
Finding Your Equilibrium: Balancing Ability & Willingness
An effective investment strategy aligns your ability and willingness to take risks. Discrepancies between the two can lead to discomfort or missed opportunities. Striking a balance ensures that your investment choices resonate with both your financial reality and your personal comfort level.
Self-Assessment Questionnaire: Gauging Your Risk Profile
To better understand your own risk tolerance, consider the following statements and rate your agreement on a scale of 1 (low) to 3 (high):
My debt-to-income ratio is low, giving me financial flexibility.
I have emergency savings that cover at least six months of living expenses.
My need to withdraw from my investments is more than 10 years away.
I have comprehensive insurance coverage to protect against significant financial losses.
My income source is stable and expected to remain so.
I am comfortable with the potential of losing money in the short term for the possibility of higher returns in the long term.
I have experienced market downturns before and remained calm.
I actively seek to expand my financial knowledge and understanding of investments.
Scoring Risk Tolerance:
Ability to Take Risks: Sum scores from questions 1–5.
Willingness to Take Risks: Sum scores from questions 6–8.
Interpreting Your Scores:
High Ability and Willingness: You’re suited for potentially higher-return, higher-risk investments.
High Ability but Low Willingness: Consider educating yourself on risk management to possibly become more comfortable with taking calculated risks.
Low Ability but High Willingness: Focus on strengthening your financial base to align your investment strategy with your risk appetite.
Low Ability and Willingness: Conservative investments might be more aligned with your current financial situation and risk comfort.
Conclusion
Understanding the distinction between your ability and willingness to take risks is crucial for crafting a personalized investment strategy. By assessing both aspects through honest self-evaluation, you can navigate the investment world with confidence, making decisions that align with both your financial objectives and personal comfort level.
A seasoned advisor can offer expertise, perspective, and customized solutions that cater to your unique circumstances. At Gatewood Wealth Solutions, we stand ready to assist you in understanding and striving to optimize your risk profile.
Our team of experienced advisors is equipped to analyze your financial situation comprehensively, taking into account both your ability and willingness to take risks. We work collaboratively with you to develop a robust investment strategy that aligns with your goals and comfort level. Whether you’re seeking to maximize returns or prioritize capital preservation, we’re committed to helping you seek to achieve financial success.
Take the first step toward a more confident financial future. Reach out to Gatewood Wealth Solutions today to schedule a consultation with one of our knowledgeable advisors. Let us guide you toward a path of confidence and prosperity in your investment journey.
Important Disclosures:
The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. Investing involves risk including loss of principal. No strategy assures success or protects against loss. There is no guarantee that a diversified portfolio will enhance overall returns or outperform a non-diversified portfolio. Diversification does not protect against market risk.
Investing vs. Saving: Key Differences and Why Your Money Mindset Matters
You often hear people discuss “saving for retirement,” but in many cases, they’re actually referring to their investing. The adage “you can’t save your way to wealth” is simplistic, but has a kernel of truth; putting your money in a savings account often won’t be enough to outpace the rate of inflation, which can erode the value of your savings over time. Below, we discuss some of the key differences between investing and saving and how to choose the most optimal course of option for you.
Saving: A Low-Risk Way to Set Aside Funds for the Future
Saving is just a method to set aside money for future use, whether you’re putting it into a general “emergency fund” or earmarking it for a new vehicle, a home down payment, or medical expenses. You can keep savings in a checking account, a regular or high-yield savings account, a certificate of deposit (CD), or even certain types of government bonds.
Investing: Putting Your Money to Work for You
Investing, on the other hand, involves putting your money into financial instruments like stocks, bonds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and mutual funds. Investing is riskier than saving, but can also earn higher returns over the long term. Even accounting for recessions and depressions, the S&P 500 (composed of the U.S.’s 500 largest companies) has averaged just over 11 percent per year in returns since 1980.1
Investing can be one of the most efficient ways to reach your long-term financial goals like paying for a child’s college education, purchasing a home, or retiring. For example, if you’re saving $100 per week toward your retirement and keeping it in a savings account earning a minimal amount of interest, you’ll have about $52,000 in 10 years. If you instead invested this money and achieved an average 10 percent annual rate of return, you’d have around $82,500 in a decade. This is more than a $30,000 increase in value over regular savings.2
Differences Between Saving and Investing
One of the key differences between saving and investing is the security of your funds. Savings is low-risk and low-reward, meaning that over time, you won’t earn enough in interest to overcome inflation, but you also won’t risk losing your initial funds.
With an investment, you have the opportunity to have a double-digit rate of return over time; but if you’re investing in an individual stock and the company goes bankrupt, your funds are gone.
This means it’s a good idea to seek some degree of balance. You’ll want to keep an emergency fund or any money you expect to use over the next couple of years in a low-risk account, like a savings account or CD. This will ensure the money is there and accessible whenever you need it.
But for longer-term funds, like retirement funds, it can be helpful to try and get ahead of inflation by investing these funds in the stock market. You can invest in whatever you’d like, from conservative bond funds to an aggressive growth portfolio. A financial professional can work with you to assess the best investments based on your risk tolerance, desired asset allocation, and retirement timeline.
Important Disclosures:
The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. To determine which investment(s) may be appropriate for you, consult your financial professional prior to investing.
Investing involves risks including possible loss of principal. No investment strategy or risk management technique can guarantee return or eliminate risk in all market environments. All indexes are unmanaged and cannot be invested into directly.
Investing in stock includes numerous specific risks including: the fluctuation of dividend, loss of principal and potential illiquidity of the investment in a falling market.
An investment in Exchange Traded Funds (ETF), structured as a mutual fund or unit investment trust, involves the risk of losing money and should be considered as part of an overall program, not a complete investment program. An investment in ETFs involves additional risks such as not diversified, price volatility, competitive industry pressure, international political and economic developments, possible trading halts, and index tracking errors.
Investing in mutual funds involves risk, including possible loss of principal. The funds value will fluctuate with market conditions and may not achieve its investment objective. Upon redemption, the value of fund shares may be worth more or less than their original cost.
Bonds are subject to market and interest rate risk if sold prior to maturity. Bond values will decline as interest rates rise and bonds are subject to availability and change in price.
CD’s are FDIC Insured and offer a fixed rate of return if held to maturity.
S&P 500 Index: The Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index tracks the performance of 500 widely held, large-capitalization US stocks.
All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however, LPL Financial makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy.
When analyzing stocks, there’s more to evaluate than simply revenue, valuation, and industry trends (i.e., fundamentals). Of course, these factors are essential, but they don’t always show up in the market price. That’s why we also do what’s called technical analysis. You’ve probably heard me refer to technical analysis as reading tea leaves because the process involves a level of subjective prediction based on historical data.
Chris Arends, our Portfolio Analyst, has even more confidence in technicals. He considers technicals “astrology for adults”! We joke, but we do spend a lot of time analyzing technicals. We know that factor investing does work, and a lot of times, reading the charts and technicals will get us a particular element in the market and a signal through the noise.
Let’s jump in and look at the different asset classes we typically review during technical analysis.
Performance of Asset Classes on a Technical Analysis
Looking back to August 20-24th, we see crude oil rebounding quickly. But then, if we look at a seven-day window, we can see that the Russell 2000 is positive, and the NASDAQ composites are up — as well as gold and the core bond. Therefore, there is a quality bias to these types of asset classes.
S&P 500 Large Cap Index
StockCharts
Looking at the images above, you’ll notice how the S&P 500 is moving on the left chart. A point and figure chart are on the right, which is an excellent way to see where support levels are. So, for example, you can see the July bottom was at 42/30, and in June, it was at 41/60. One thing to note is that the S&P 500 is one of the few indexes having a breakout while also making new all-time highs.
Russell 2000
Now, let’s review the Russell 2000 small-cap. You’ll notice it doesn’t have a quality factor like other indexes. We can see that it had been trending up for quite some time and had significant outperformance, but it’s been a flat line since April.
Daily Equity & Market Analysis
Another way to think about this is by dividing the Russell 2000 by the NASDAQ 100. Whenever the Russell 2000 (purple line) moves up, it outperforms the NASDAQ 100. Then, when it’s moving down, the NASDAQ 100 is outperforming the Russell 2000. We can also compare it to the interest rate on the 10-year treasury (on the axis). As you can see, we start below 1%, move up to 1.75%, and then back to 1.2%. The trend that we notice here is when interest rates move up, the Russell 2000 outperforms. Then, as interest rates decrease, the NASDAQ comes back in.
MSCI EAFA compared to the S&P 500 Sector Weighting
Next, when we look at international indexes, we analyze demographics and other characteristics besides the value growth aspect. But you want to be cautious about entering any global indexes because of low price to earnings. So, let’s look at the exposure breakdown of the broad index of international developed companies compared to the S&P 500 based on the sector below.
MSCI and S&P 500
First, cash or derivatives are being minimal on the amount of money they hold. Then, we can see that the EAFA holds 4.68%, while the U.S. holds 11.26% in large-cap. If we go to the biggest holding in the international index, we can see its financials at 16.74%, while the U.S. is 11.12%. Therefore, there is a significant overweight relative to the U.S. markets towards finance. On the other side, if we look at information technology, the S&P 500 has almost 30% waiting while the EAFA has less than 10%.
One Belt, One Road
In the last couple of months, it has become a tough market in China, which makes up about 30% of the emerging market benchmarks and indexes. Some excellent companies look innovative, but as soon as they start looking too good, the communist party overpowers them. This isn’t a political issue but rather geopolitical. The real question is, is China investible?
One Belt Road Initiative
Also, the problems occurring in Afghanistan have a significant impact on the market. China has been working on the ability to create this “one belt, one road.” Historically, the red line represented the Silk Road until the west became a maritime superpower. Then, England went through and built the Suez Canal, where they could control trade. Now, China is trying to make inroads into reopening that Silk Road. But, then, with the power vacuum in Afghanistan, we’re starting to see them approach the Taliban as the U.S. leaves.
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For detailed performance metrics, please don’t hesitate to contact your lead advisor. And, in the meantime, be sure to keep up to date on Gatewood Wealth Solutions through our daily 3x3s and our weekly market insights on our YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook accounts.
Disclosures:
Economic forecasts may not develop as predicted, and there can be no guarantee that strategies promoted will be successful. Therefore, the opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.
All performance references are historical and are no guarantee of future results. In addition, all indices are unmanaged and may not be invested directly.
Securities and advisory services are offered through LPL Financial, a registered investment advisor, Member FINRA/SIPC. All investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. No strategy assures success or protects against loss.
The opinions in this material do not necessarily reflect the views of LPL Financial.
The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index is a capitalization-weighted index of 500 stocks designed to measure the performance of the broad domestic economy through changes in the aggregate market value of 500 stocks representing all major industries. All indices are unmanaged and may not be invested directly. All performance referenced is historical and is no guarantee of future results.
Any company names noted herein are for educational purposes only and not an indication of trading intent or a solicitation of their products or services.
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"Partnering with Gatewood Wealth Solutions has been one of the best decisions we have made in the last five years. I have met with numerous financial planners who’ve all come to me with similar ideas and recommendations that don’t seem to prove that they are thinking outside the box for me individually. But when Gatewood came to me with their plan it was strategically designed with so many aspects taken into consideration that I was surprised at how uniquely competent and professional they were. They brought me many ideas and recommendations that would not bring them profit. They brought me…"
"Gatewood Wealth Solutions gives me confidence that my retirement savings are being monitored and managed with MY best interest in mind. All of the staff is welcoming, friendly and respectful. They have comprehensive knowledge of long-term financial planning, estate planning and tax planning. I have been with Gatewood for many years and hope to be with them for many more years to come."
"I have known John Gatewood, the founder of Gatewood Wealth Solutions, for many years. We became friends well before we talked about business, and it was a natural decision to turn to John for help with our affairs when I needed it because I had grown to know and trust him. It really is true that John and his team at Gatewood Wealth Solutions are completely focused on helping ordinary families like ours to become financially independent. The family part especially means something: One day my 20-something son called to ask if I thought our group would be willing to…"
The statements provided are testimonials by clients of the financial professional. The clients listed have not been paid or received any other compensation for making these statements. As a result, the client does not receive any material incentives or benefits for providing the testimonial. These views may not be representative of the views of other clients and are not indicative of future performance or success.
