Investments

Our goal for your portfolio is to equal or exceed the performance of the appropriate blended benchmark, while lowering risk with our diversification approach. This objective stems from our core philosophy of diversification and asset allocation as the keys to both wealth preservation and consistent long-term growth. We use several different investment vehicles to accomplish our clients' investment objectives.

Mutual Funds
Client mutual fund assets are held in custodial brokerage accounts with Fidelity Investments (Fidelity). We have established a relationship with an institutional-level division of Fidelity dedicated to advisors such as MLFA. For your portfolio, we have the ability to select from thousands of mutual funds offered by many different firms, some of which are not available to retail investors, such as closed funds or the institutional class of funds. We perform significant due diligence and research in order to create and monitor well-diversified portfolios and to ensure that the fund managers responsible for overseeing your investments meet our high standards.

Our strategic relationship with Fidelity allows us direct access to your portfolio information and permits us to place trades electronically. Further, Fidelity provides us with daily information that enhances our ability to manage and monitor your accounts.

Separately Managed Portfolios
Separately managed portfolios are appropriate for some clients. We evaluate and monitor the investment philosophy, process, and performance of investment managers across a wide variety of disciplines and styles, recommending only those who meet our high standards.

We monitor your separate account managers to ensure that our clients' objectives are being met. When necessary, we recommend leaving managers who deviate from the approach or discipline we expect.

Our clients obtain preferred pricing for investment manager services because we use the buying power of our clients' collective assets to negotiate reduced fees and/or lower minimum initial investment requirements. To simplify reporting procedures, produce better data analysis, and reduce custodial costs, we also custody separately managed portfolios through Fidelity.

Alternative Investment Products
Clients with significant assets typically dedicate a portion of their investment portfolio to investment products that are not correlated to the traditional equity and fixed income markets. We meet this objective by offering a wide variety of alternative investment products. Many of our clients currently participate in private alternative vehicles that offer exposure to areas such as real estate, distressed securities, private equity, and/or a diversified hedge fund-of-funds. We are continuously evaluating new products and opportunities as part of our commitment to making quality alternative investments available to clients with larger investment portfolios.