FIDUCIARY INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT BEYOND THE BASICS
Many experienced investors share two fundamental concerns.
1 Protecting what they've built from market drops
2 Participating meaningfully when markets rise
Traditional strategies lean heavily on diversification via broad indexes, which in theory is supposed to balance risk and return, but in practice often leaves investors stuck in the middle. When markets fall, the protection isn't enough. When markets surge, the participation feels incomplete.
For investors who have spent decades building wealth, that middle ground carries a real cost, both financially and emotionally. "Good enough" stops being acceptable when the stakes are this high.
These limitations are especially frustrating for clients who have worked hard to accumulate assets and now need an approach that reflects both meaningful upside opportunity and genuine downside protection.
HOW WE APPROACH INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
We believe investment strategy should account for both opportunity and risk, while always reflecting the specific goals and life circumstances of the investor.
Address Risk Intentionally, Not by Default
We build structures into portfolios that are designed to moderate loss without requiring us to time the market. The goal is meaningful downside protection that doesn't require sacrificing all of your upside opportunity.
Support Participation in Market Growth
Portfolios are designed to capture meaningful upside over time, aligned with your risk tolerance and time horizon. Protection and growth are not mutually exclusive; they just require a more sophisticated framework than standard diversification provides.
Integrate Investment Decisions with Financial Planning
Investment decisions are not made in isolation. They reflect cash flow needs, tax situation, and life goals. Planning is not a separate service or add-on. It is embedded in how every investment decision is made. Learn more about integrated financial planning.→
Our philosophy aligns with the needs of clients who seek both stewardship and growth through an advanced investing strategy without being overly complicated.
​
Because we operate as a fee-only fiduciary with no products to sell and no quotas to meet, every investment decision is evaluated solely on whether it serves your goals and best interest. There is no structural tension between our compensation and your outcomes, which means the advice you receive is always genuinely objective.
INTELLIGENT RISK MANAGEMENT
GOING BEYOND DIVERSIFICATION
As your wealth grows, your relationship with risk changes. The level of exposure you accepted at age 35 to build assets no longer feels appropriate as you approach retirement or after you've reached it. The problem is that most standard strategies don't adapt to that shift. Diversification spreads risk across asset classes, but it doesn't reduce it. And when markets experience genuine stress, correlations between asset classes tend to converge — meaning the protection you thought you had often disappears precisely when you need it most.
Managing risk intelligently requires going beyond diversification. It requires tools that are designed specifically to define and limit downside exposure, not just dilute it.
How We Manage Risk Differently
Our approach incorporates strategies that provide a defined layer of downside protection while preserving meaningful participation in market growth. Rather than simply hoping that asset classes behave as expected, we build structures into portfolios that function more like insurance than guesswork. You know what the protection costs, and you know what it covers.
​
One of the tools we use selectively within this framework is options. We recognize that word can carry a certain connotation for some investors and for good reason. Options have been misused in ways that caused real harm. But used correctly, within a disciplined and transparent framework, they are among the most effective risk management instruments available. It is how institutional investors like pension funds, endowments, and large family offices have managed portfolio risk for decades.
​
We use them only to protect against downside, enhance portfolio efficiency, or pursue a specific client objective. We never use them speculatively or without full client understanding.
​
Our approach is built around the recognition that risk management should be active, adaptive, and tailored. It should not be a default setting applied uniformly across every portfolio. We believe options are the optimal way to give investors upside opportunity while guarding against the downside with customized precision.
WHY THIS MATTERS AT YOUR STAGE OF WEALTH
Growing wealth changes the nature of investing. The decisions become more consequential; tax implications matter more, market drawdowns feel heavier, and alignment with your life goals becomes non-negotiable.
​
Our role is to help you navigate that complexity with confidence, providing oversight, perspective, and a disciplined process that holds up across market cycles and through the life transitions that inevitably affect your financial picture.
The goal is not simply to grow your wealth. It is to grow it in a way that lets you stay invested through volatility, remain on track through life changes, and feel genuinely secure. Not because someone told you to feel that way, but because your strategy was built specifically for your situation.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How is your investment approach different from standard diversification?
Standard diversification spreads assets across asset classes to theoretically balance risk and return. While useful, it is a passive framework that does not adapt to changing market conditions, life circumstances, or a client's evolving risk tolerance. Our approach goes beyond diversification by incorporating active risk management structures — including selective use of options strategies — that are designed to provide meaningful downside protection while still allowing for meaningful upside participation. The result is a portfolio that adapts, rather than one that simply waits.
Do you use options in client portfolios, and is that risky?
We do use options selectively, and we understand why that raises questions. Options have been misused by some advisors in ways that caused real harm, and clients are right to ask about them directly. In our practice, options are used only as risk management tools: to provide defined downside protection, enhance portfolio efficiency, or pursue a specific client objective. They are never used speculatively or for short-term trading. Used this way, they function similarly to how institutional investors — pension funds, endowments, large family offices — have used them for decades. We explain every options position to clients in plain language before implementation.
We've written a detailed explanation of how and why we use options, including an honest discussion of the risks and why we believe they are the right tool when used correctly.Read: Defensive Strategies for Your Wealth →
What does "fee-only fiduciary" actually mean for my investments?
It means our investment decisions are never influenced by what earns us a commission or satisfies a product quota. Fee-only means our only compensation comes from you, not from fund companies, insurance products, or any third party. Fiduciary means we are legally and ethically required to act in your best interest at all times. In practice, that means when we recommend an investment strategy, it is because we genuinely believe it is the right strategy for your situation — not because it benefits us financially.
How does financial planning integrate with investment management?
At Convergent, planning and investment management are not separate services. Every investment decision we make is informed by your full financial picture: your cash flow, your tax situation, your timeline, your goals, and the life transitions you are navigating. This integration matters because the right investment decision in isolation may be the wrong decision when viewed in the context of your broader financial life. For example, tax-loss harvesting, Roth conversion timing, and distribution sequencing in retirement all require investment decisions to be coordinated with planning decisions. We treat them as one discipline, not two.
What size portfolio do you typically work with?
Our strategies are designed for clients with $250,000 or more in investable assets, not including 401(k) or other employer-sponsored retirement accounts. This threshold reflects the portfolio size required to fully implement our risk management and investment strategies in a way that is both cost-effective and meaningful. That said, we evaluate each client relationship individually, and the right fit is about more than portfolio size — it is also about the complexity of your financial situation and whether our approach is genuinely the right one for your goals.
What can I expect from the investment management relationship over time?
Once your portfolio is implemented, our relationship is ongoing and responsive. We meet with clients at minimum twice per year in person or via video. We review performance, revisit goals, and make any adjustments the strategy requires. Between scheduled reviews, we monitor your portfolio continuously and reach out when meaningful changes warrant your attention. As your life evolves — career transitions, inheritance, retirement, tax events — we adjust the strategy accordingly. You are never handed off to a junior associate or a call center. The advisor you meet at the start is the advisor managing your wealth.
If your wealth has grown to the point where you need a more sophisticated, coordinated approach — not just more diversification — we would welcome a conversation. There is no obligation and no sales pitch. It begins as a mutual exchange to understand your situation and determine honestly whether we are the right partner for you.