Investments

Mallery Financial provides investment services for individuals and families, and businesses and institutions.

General Approach
Every investment engagement focuses on the specific needs and circumstances of the investor. Every solution is custom-tailored to the investor’s goals, values, circumstances, and personal preferences.

Most people will say that they want to capture the highest returns possible, with minimum risk. What that means, specifically, to each person will vary from situation to situation. I take a custom approach to design an investment plan that optimizes opportunities for growth while providing a level of risk management appropriate to the client and the circumstances. I take the client’s entire financial situation into consideration to provide a holistic solution that integrates with all aspects of the client’s life.

For more information on the principles behind my approach and how I work with clients, see the Philosophy page.

For more details on my approach to investing and some of the investment strategies used, see the Investment Strategies page.

Investment Products Available
I am pleased to be able to offer a wide range of investment vehicles – a robust toolbox from which I can draw the most appropriate tools for each client’s situation. The toolbox includes not only classic market-based investments, but also insurance-based investments, which offer various guarantees or investment protections.

Mutual funds. Hundreds of individual mutual funds from more than 125 fund families provide options ranging from classic stocks and bonds to alternatives such as emerging markets, commodities- and materials-based funds, precious metals, utilities, and energy and other specialized sector funds.

Annuities. Annuities offer tax benefits outside of the requirements of IRS-qualified retirement plans. Like IRS-qualified retirement plans, growth inside annuities accumulates tax-deferred. Unlike qualified retirement plans, annuities have no contribution limits and therefore offer the opportunity to move large sums of money into tax-deferred investments. These features are potentially important considerations in balancing your overall tax picture.

Annuities also offer optional insurance-based guarantees (for example, protection against loss of principal, or guaranteed minimum withdrawal benefits, or guaranteed minimum death benefits, as well as guaranteed minimum interest rates). Certain annuities combine the protection of fixed-interest investments with a measure of participation in overall stock market performance, offering upside potential, downside protection, and generally lower risk than investing directly in equities.

Annuities are often the workhorse of 403(b) plans (tax-sheltered annuities, or TSAs). I work with many of the carriers authorized to provide TSA investment support to many institutions.

Although I have dozens of annuity products from which to choose, my due diligence generally leads to a set of products that I believe holds the highest value to clients.

Variable life insurance. A hybrid life insurance / investment product, variable life insurance is often used as an alternative to Roth IRAs – offering a broad range of investment options and tax-free access in retirement, as well as a leveraged tax-free death benefit, but no need to meet the IRS-imposed income requirements, and no annual contribution limits.

For Businesses and Institutions
Retirement services. I offer the full range of retirement services for businesses and institutions. The classic list includes:

• 401(k)
  
• Profit sharing, cash balance
  
• 403(b)
  
• SEP IRA
  
• SIMPLE IRA

In addition, I offer alternative approaches that work well for some businesses, especially for business owners and key people:

• 412(i)
  
• Executive bonus arrangements
  
• Supplemental executive retirement arrangements
• Deferred compensation arrangements

Custom-tailored. As with individual investments, business investment plans are custom-tailored to the needs of the business and draw from a wide range of investment options and retirement plan service providers.

Fees. New disclosure laws take effect in July 2011, which will require full disclosure of all fees and compensation as well as descriptions of services and service terms for qualified retirement plans. It’s about time; many retirement plans have layers of fees, many of which are never adequately disclosed.

Cost-efficiency is one of my values at Mallery Financial. I provide detailed analysis of fee structures of any plan, whether an in-force plan or a new plan under consideration.

Help with your compliance requirements. IRS regulation 404(c) requires employers to provide plan participants meaningful information about their investment plan options on an ongoing basis. Most retirement plans are sold to the employer, and never serviced thereafter. Mallery Financial offers ongoing employee education and support to help them make informed choices, thus helping to relieve the employer of responsibility for adverse experience down the road.

This service is available whether or not I initiated the retirement program. Many (if not the majority of) employers are exposed to non-compliance in this area; getting on the right track is a critical step for any business. Call (541.687.7678) or email for more information about how I can help.