Our Clients

Each client comes to Gould with unique circumstances. Age, assets, investment experience, life and financial goals, and risk tolerance are just a few of the factors. We craft solutions for each client, based on careful consideration of these and other factors.

At Gould, we help clients as they traverse a variety of important life events. Common challenges include:

Client Phases


Challenges and Solutions: Gould Client Case Studies*

Neal and Judith M.
College professors, married, approaching retirement
$2.3 million portfolio
Claremont, California

Neal and Judy, both about 60 years old, still work and enjoy visits from their children and grandchildren. The couple approached Gould seeking a portfolio that would properly balance their need for continued growth of assets earmarked for retirement, against a moderate tolerance for fluctuations in portfolio value in the near and medium term. (more...)

Gould recommended a combination of three strategies:

i) a risk-controlled approach to absolute return (TargetReturn)

ii) a conservative balanced strategy for income and modest growth (BenchmarkPlus – Conservative)

iii) participation in equity market growth over the long term with lower volatility along the way (Equity Index Plus – Core)

Gould took advantage of the couple’s retirement accounts (IRAs and their college’s TIAA-CREF retirement plan) to place less tax-efficient strategies inside these tax-deferred accounts.

David L.
 Orthopedist, retired
$5.7 million portfolio
Boca Raton, Florida

Gould helped this high net worth individual establish a portfolio designed to provide long-term safety of principal and meaningful current income, with some potential for capital appreciation. (more...)

We implemented our Quality Fixed Income and Equity Index Plus strategies as the portfolio foundation, but still faced additional challenges that required creative solutions. In response, we recommended:

i) a strategy to diversify out of a concentrated position in a single stock over time through the disciplined monthly sale of call options.

ii) the establishment of a donor-advised fund account to function like a family foundation to receive a portion of David’s estate and make grants to his favored charities into the future.

Julie P.
Graphic designer, retired
$1.4 million portfolio
Santa Monica, California

This recently widowed woman, the mother of three grown children, came to Gould seeking a conservative approach for the management of her assets, with three primary objectives. (more...)

  • additional monthly income to supplement her pension income and help support an active lifestyle that includes frequent travel at home and abroad
  • preservation of purchasing power over the long run, given the impact of inflation and ever-longer life expectancies
  • portfolio of sufficiently low volatility to enable sleep at night
Our response combined three strategies:

i) Quality Fixed Income portfolio of individual tax-free municipal bonds from which she takes a regular monthly income distribution

ii) TargetReturn portfolio that aims solely at achieving a positive return, net of inflation, over time

iii) Benchmark Plus – Moderate Conservative portfolio to provide participation in potential equity market appreciation, within the context of a balanced asset allocation.

Mark R. and Amy M.
Professionals, married, mid-career
$650,000 portfolio
Irvine, California

Gould provided this working couple in their early 40s a plan that addresses their primary goal – accumulating for retirement and funding college for two young children – as well as their desire for exposure to investments in rapidly growing emerging markets around the world. (more...)

We recommended our BenchmarkPlus – Global Growth strategy.

This strategy is broadly diversified across the world’s equity markets, and includes a modest fixed-income allocation to provide some balance and risk reduction. Regular in-person “check-ups” review progress towards long-term goals, taking into account assets held elsewhere, such as each spouse’s employer 401(k) accounts.

*Note: the case studies above do not represent actual clients, but are intended for illustrative purposes and are drawn from a variety of Gould client experiences.

Our Clients