Investment Journey

It happens to many of us. You get to the point where you decide about your family’s investment management. It can happen when the dollar amounts or time required to manage investments exceed what’s comfortable for a do-it-yourself situation, or the legal, tax or estate planning aspects get too complicated. Four prospective clients are going through that right now: an entrepreneur couple, a lawyer, an independent woman and an investment executive. If you are curious about how they do it, read on about this real-time investment journey with real people.

Wish Fulfillment

The connection between investments and people is complicated, and it doesn’t have to be overwhelming or mysterious. What wishes do you want your money to fulfill or facilitate?

At Osbon Capital we use a three-step process to begin the discussion. Step One is Wish Fulfillment. The question is ‘what wishes would you like fulfilled by your money’ or ‘when you invest in XYZ, what family investment wish are you fulfilling?’ Wish fulfillment is a real human emotion we all experience. Use the emotion for your benefit. ‘Wish’ examples are travel, safety, security, and feeling smart.

Solution Providing

Step Two in the investment journey is the discussion about providing solutions.  Often the discussion centers on the tangible issues, like custodian, reporting, process, communication, discipline and so on. How, when and why do you want to access your account? Solution providing can be intangible too, as in ‘she is well taken care of’, or ‘I no longer have to worry’, and ‘I knew I was smarter than everyone else’.

Practical Above All

Step Three is where Max and I get to work translating wishes and solutions in to a portfolio. The more you learn about investment management, the more you see the detail and nuance required to put it all together to meet your specific goals. In this step we discus what investment success looks like, how we pick or exclude investments, what best in class means, and the many other hard work details of investment management. It’s all well and good to know yourself, to be articulate, engage, and partner with an investment professional. When you are ‘practical’ in addition, you get the results. Practical above all means you get the results and client experience you expect in return for the advisor fee paid. After Step Three is in place, our financial integrator is working firmly for you.

And So It Goes

Investors may think the investment job is now done. In truth, the job and the journey are just starting. Inevitably, there will be change – in the markets, in your family, in your career, in your goals, or in your expectations. Change is why we commit to our clients to go on the investment journey with them, no matter where it leads. To anticipate and understand change, regular discussion is essential.

With regular discussion we learn about who you are, and offer reasonable, rational information that keeps you on track. The investment choice for you is then clear.

These four potential clients are way ahead of the curve, readying themselves for the long investment journey. If you feel like it’s time for you to start your journey, just let us know.

John Osbon – josbon@osboncapital.com