We Are Professional Wealth Managers

Our professional credentials and designations—and our extensive background in law, taxation, estate planning and real estate—benefit clients who are seeking a fully-integrated and holistic approach to their complex financial needs, whether retired or in transition.

• Registered Investment Advisor – Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

• Accredited Estate Planner® (AEP®).

• Real Fiduciary™ Practices Board—Institute for the Fiduciary Standard.

• Master Registered Financial Consultant (MRFC®).

• Series 65 Uniform Investment Advisor Exam.

• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana.

• Master’s Degree in Health Administration, St. Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri.

• Juris Doctor in Law, St. Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri.

• Member; New York, District of Columbia and Florida Bars.

• Former Visiting Professor, John Wiley Jones School of Business, State University of New York at Geneseo, NY. Courses taught: Tax Accounting for Individuals; Tax Accounting for Corporations, Partnerships and Estates; Business Law.

• Former Adjunct Professor of Business Law, Rochester Institute of Technology.

• Former Adjunct Professor of Tax Accounting and Business Law, St. John Fisher College, Pittsford, NY.

Our overall investment philosophy

“You don’t need to buy a product to get financial advice”

The days of the traditional product-driven financial services model are rapidly disappearing. Independent Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) provide a custom analysis personally tailored to each client as an individual:

• The independent RIA model (one NOT affiliated with a broker-dealer) is client-centered and advice-driven, not product-driven.

• We believe firmly in the theme of increased transparency for all investment-related expenses and fees. In other words, clients should know exactly what they are paying their advisor for financial advice.

• As an independent RIA firm, we promote a greater sensitivity on the part of clients to fees they are paying and show clients how they may be paying hidden fees which diminish their performance over time.

  The following three points summarize our overall investment philosophy:

  • The key to successful investing is not just to make money in rising markets but also to avoid losing big in down markets. Therefore, we manage money actively to participate in gains and also to preserve capital.

  • More than 90% of the variation among investment portfolios historically has been caused by allocation choices among various asset classes. Therefore, we believe that investors are best served by using mutual funds and ETFs to participate in asset class performance, without excessive exposure to specific stock and individual stock risk.

  • We understand fully that each Client is unique, especially with respect to risk tolerance. Therefore, we work continuously to assess each Client’s attitude toward risk and tailor an individual, personalized portfolio with an appropriate level of risk. Implementation is accomplished through a diversified mix of mutual funds and our focus on a risk-managed approach to investing targets a specified level of risk in relation to the stock market averages using technical data points such as beta, standard deviation and mean.

Our objective is to allow clients to participate in gains during rising market periods, and to focus on preserving capital in declining markets, to the extent reasonably permitted by changing market conditions.

• We invest assets without taking specific and individual stock risk and without the responsibility of selecting individual securities.

• We deliver to each Client a fully personalized and individual portfolio consisting of no-load investments tailored specifically to that individual’s investment objectives. All portfolios are managed on a fully discretionary basis, with regular, ongoing monitoring of each portfolio. We will make periodic adjustments, as applicable, based upon client-specific factors.

• We work closely with each Client to develop a personalized, individual investment program which is unique to that Client and tailored to their individual investment objectives. These objectives are reviewed on a regular and ongoing basis to insure that each portfolio remains properly positioned for the Client’s objectives

We are not short-term traders. However, our clients may benefit from our asset allocation strategies combined with detailed knowledge of specific no-load mutual funds and their specific mandates.

• Fama Wealth Management LLC is compensated through a fee schedule based on assets under management. This means that our incentive is aligned with the goals of our clients, and our compensation can increase only as a client portfolio grows in value.

• Since we are not compensated for trades, we are free to provide totally objective advice that helps clients pursue long-range financial goals.

• We work only for our clients and do not manage or advise any mutual fund group or receive money from them.

• Each portfolio is populated with the highest quality no-load funds, which we objectively choose from the thousands available, based upon our insights and expertise.

• We exercise discretion to execute trades based upon our analyses of fund performance, current market conditions, and expectations of future conditions.

Our investment advisory services include the following:

• Asset allocation design and implementation.

• Superior fund selection based on researched-based fund performance.

• Diversification by investment style and strategy.

• Risk adjustment according to market conditions (as may be applicable).

• Low-turnover, tax-efficient portfolios, if required by the Client.

We are committed to using no-load mutual funds to implement fully-managed investment strategies tailored to personal objectives. As a valued Client of our firm, you can benefit from our services in the following NINE ways:

1. After you discuss your goals with us, we tailor a unique and individually customized program for you using top-performing mutual funds or ETFs held in your own third party custodial account. You enjoy all the advantages of no-load funds without having to select and monitor the funds yourself.

2. We protect your capital by diversifying assets across several no-load funds, different fund managers and a variety of fund objectives.

3. We monitor investment markets daily and make fund switches when conditions warrant or when your portfolio needs to be rebalanced to correct for market-driven changes.

4. Because we are discretionary investment advisors, we can identify both opportunities and risks and take immediate and effective action. The client doesn’t need to be in sync with the markets (or in communications with our firm) in order for the portfolio to remain dynamic and flexible in any market environment.

5. We seek to enhance results with an eye towards the preservation of capital by utilizing asset allocation strategies combined with an overlay of tax planning and asset “location” for each Client.

6. We do not “fall in love” with funds or fund managers, as so many individual investors are prone to do. Our decisions are based on objective data combined with experience and we leave our emotions out of this decision-making process.

7. We save our Clients time, effort and worry by handling all administrative details associated with the management of your portfolio. We manage all aspects of your investments and report to you quarterly on account positions and valuations. This allows the Client to devote full-time attention to his or her personal life, business life or other activities.

8. We do not limit client portfolios to any fund family or pre-determined group of families. We use Fidelity Investments’ Institutional Wealth Services platform as a flexible base of operations to move a Client’s money among many top-quality funds, including funds available only to institutional investors as well as “load funds” which we are able to purchase at net asset value (without loads).

9. Last, but not least, we NEVER take possession or custody of a Client’s assets! All assets are held at Fidelity Investments, Charles Schwab, Vanguard, TIAA-CREF or another independent, third-party custodian.