DIY Financial Advisor: A Simple Solution to Build and Protect Your Wealth - Hardcover

by Wesley R. Gray (Author), Jack R. Vogel (Author), David P. Foulke (Author)

DIY Financial Advisor: A Simple Solution to Build and Protect Your Wealth

DIY Financial Advisor is a synopsis of our research findings developed while serving as a consultant and asset manager for family offices. By way of background, a family office is a company, or group of people, who manage the wealth a family has gained over generations. The term 'family office' has an element of cachet, and even mystique, because it is usually associated with the mega-wealthy. However, practically speaking, virtually any family that manages its investments--independent of the size of the investment pool--could be considered a family office. The difference is mainly semantic.

DIY Financial Advisor outlines a step-by-step process through which investors can take control of their hard-earned wealth and manage their own family office. Our research indicates that what matters in investing are minimizing psychology traps and managing fees and taxes. These simple concepts apply to all families, not just the ultra-wealthy.

But can--or should--we be managing our own wealth?

Our natural inclination is to succumb to the challenge of portfolio management and let an 'expert' deal with the problem. For a variety of reasons we discuss in this book, we should resist the gut reaction to hire experts. We suggest that investors maintain direct control, or at least a thorough understanding, of how their hard-earned wealth is managed. Our book is meant to be an educational journey that slowly builds confidence in one's own ability to manage a portfolio. We end our book with a potential solution that could be applicable to a wide-variety of investors, from the ultra-high net worth to middle class individuals, all of whom are focused on similar goals of preserving and growing their capital over time.

DIY Financial Advisor is a unique resource. This book is the only comprehensive guide to implementing simple quantitative models that can beat the experts. And it comes at the perfect time, as the investment industry is undergoing a significant shift due in part to the use of automated investment strategies that do not require a financial advisor's involvement. DIY Financial Advisor is an essential text that guides you in making your money work for you--not for someone else

Front Jacket

DIY Financial Advisor gives individual investors the information and tools they need to take control of their hard-earned money and manage their own wealth--no matter how much or how little they have. The key advantage any individual investor has over so-called "institutional" investors is the ability to make long-term investment decisions that maximize after-tax, after-fee, and risk-adjusted performance, without fear of a misalignment of incentives. Those who own the money are the best stewards of the money.

In this essential resource, Wesley R. Gray, Jack R. Vogel, and David P. Foulke show what it takes to stop relying on so-called experts and become a savvy investor. The authors outline an investment strategy that reduces fees, banishes psychological fears and traps, and shows how to minimize taxes by limiting trading activity, engaging in smart planning, and by following some simple rules.

DIY Financial Advisor empowers investors to maintain direct control of their portfolios and shows how to implement simple quantitative models that can beat the experts. In easy-to-understand terms, they explain the vital importance of sticking to the FACTS (fees, access, complexity, taxes, and search). This proven framework outlines straightforward concepts that apply to everyone, from the middle-class to the mega-rich.

DIY Financial Advisor is as timely as it is informative. The investment industry is undergoing a significant shift due in part to the use of automated investment strategies that do not require a financial advisor's involvement. Let DIY Financial Advisor be your hands-on guide for making your money work for you--not for someone else!

Author Biography

WESLEY R. GRAY, PHD, is the founder of Alpha Architect, LLC, where he is the executive managing member. Dr. Gray is the co-author of Quantitative Value: A Practitioner's Guide to Automating Intelligent Investment and Eliminating Behavioral Errors.

JACK R. VOGEL, PHD, is a managing member of Alpha Architect, LLC, where he heads the research department, writes papers on empirical asset pricing, and serves as the Chief Financial Officer.

DAVID P. FOULKE is a managing member of Alpha Architect, LLC. He assists in business development, firm operations, strategic initiatives, and developing papers on quantitative investing and behavioral finance topics.