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Investment Strategies

BenchmarkPlus

A whole-portfolio solution in a single strategy

The BenchmarkPlus strategy often forms the core of a client’s investment plan. In a single portfolio, BenchmarkPlus provides the following potential benefits:

  • Participation in stock and bond market returns, calibrated to the client’s personal return objectives and risk tolerance.
  • Active asset allocation.
  • Multi-level risk management.
  • Growth from equity capital appreciation.
  • Inflation protection through stock market exposure.
  • Ready liquidity – portfolios generally can be converted to cash within three business days.
  • Current income from portfolio dividends and interest.
  • Global diversification.
  • Cost-effective and tax-efficient portfolio management.
BenchmarkPlus offers clients a range of portfolio choices, each reflecting a specific risk/return combination, as illustrated below.

Gould investment professionals work closely with clients to select the implementation that best reflects their return goals and risk tolerance.

BenchmarkPlus portfolios are constructed from a broad universe of 10-15 distinct asset classes, including US and international stocks and bonds, real estate, precious metals, and specific industrial sectors. Most asset classes are implemented using low-cost, tax-efficient index or index-like mutual funds, including exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

Overall market risk levels vary considerably over time, often causing undesirable swings in the risk of a fixed stock-bond allocation. To address this challenge, we allow the portfolio benchmark to vary within a defined range in response to changing market risk levels. The proportion of the benchmark allocated to stocks tends to move inversely to our estimate of market risk. In effect, we seek to “lean into the wind,” with the goal being to add stability to portfolio risk levels over time.

In addition, we have constructed proprietary stock market valuation measures that we monitor on an ongoing basis. From time to time, these measures may indicate a state of substantial over- or under-valuation, relative to historic norms. In such circumstances, we may adjust portfolio equity weightings accordingly.

In summary, the BenchmarkPlus strategy seeks to provide clients with a balanced and diversified portfolio, implemented in a disciplined manner, with rigorous attention to risk management.

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