Investment Management and Advising
with Agili
At Agili, every investment decision we make is preceded by careful research, due diligence and market analysis. Before choosing any investment for you, we make sure to fully understand your unique circumstances, risk tolerance and time horizon. Our firm is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as a Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) and as such is held to the highest possible ethical standards in the investment industry.
We believe the tenets of a strong investment philosophy are diversification, tax-awareness and patience. We focus on your long-term goals and objectives and customize your investment portfolio accordingly. Together, we work with you to develop your Investment Policy Statement with an eye to your future financial goals. We revisit your Investment Policy Statement regularly, tweak investments as markets change, actively look for growth opportunities, and prune investment positions that have reached their full valuations.
What is an RIA?
RIAs are required by the SEC to work in their clients’ “best interest.” Stockbrokers and other wealth advisors not registered in this way are held to a lesser standard, the “suitability standard,” meaning they must invest in products that are suitable for a client, but not necessarily in their best interest. We were pioneers of the fee-only RIA model and know that it is the best way to serve our clients.
Agili works with you to understand your personal investment goals. We understand that investment goals and objectives differ for each individual or family. Working in your best interest as an RIA, we believe a healthy investment plan means a long-term investment approach, asset diversification, investment monitoring and advising, informed by market analysis and research. We understand that each individual has specific investment objectives and circumstances and we consider the financial factors below when personalizing your investment plan.
A Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) acts as a fiduciary on behalf of clients.
Financial Factors We Use to Customize Your Investment Portfolio:
When we understand your specific financial circumstances and investment goals, we can create an informed investment strategy for you. We act as an investment manager, managing and maintaining your investment portfolio. Additionally, we are your investment advisor, staying apprised of the status of your existing investments, and making investment decisions for you based on market analysis and historical performance.
- Wealth Goals: We help you define your unique goals for building wealth now and in the future. We develop an investment strategy to help you experience financial peace of mind and to enable you to achieve your dreams.
- Risk Tolerance: We select investments for you based on your unique risk tolerance. We want to know your target annual rate of return as well as your maximum tolerable unrealized decline in investment value. Of course, your Agili team includes Chartered Financial Analysts (CFAs) and experienced Investment Analysts who perform research and due diligence to help mitigate risk in the investment recommendations.
- Asset Allocation: At Agili, we believe in a diversified portfolio, featuring investments across asset classes (i.e., individual stocks, mutual funds, Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITS), individual bonds, high yield bonds, commodities, private equity).
- Time Horizon: We make investment planning decisions based on the length of time you have to gain value on an investment. Another way of understanding “time horizon” is the number of years before an investment needs to be liquidated (i.e., early retirement, late retirement, never). We always keep this in mind.
- Tax Status: Before making investment decisions for you, your Financial Strategist will consider your tax bracket and tax status. Since taxes paid are dollars that cannot be invested, it is imperative that your team is knowledgeable about tax developments and investment implications. We have several CPAs on staff who keep us informed about new tax legislation and rules so that we can make tax-aware investment decisions for you.
- Unique Circumstances: Perhaps you have a stock portfolio that you want to grow to a certain point or specific goals in retirement you want to achieve. We consider your personal circumstances and goals to properly inform your investment strategy so that you can plan for your future and the future of your family.
Investment management services are provided to all clients as part of Agili’s holistic approach to financial management. Understanding your full financial landscape helps us provide recommendations for both your unique investment goals as well as your overarching financial goals.
Investment management is not simply monitoring investments but also using a long-term investment approach and proactively advising clients on investment opportunities that are in their best interest.
What’s Included in Investment Management Services at Agili?
Investment management services are included as part of the overall financial strategy services you receive as an Agili client. As your financial advisor, our team of experts provides investment management and investment advising services. We save you the time and headache of investment research and monitoring the market yourself. Agili monitors your investment portfolio and the market to advise you on market changes and new investment opportunities to achieve your financial goals. As part of our investment advising and management services, we provide:
Capital Preservation
- Our aim is to preserve wealth and mitigate investment risk by protecting the money you have accrued in your investments to avoid financial loss, maintain your capital, and strategically invest.
Tax Efficiency
- We identify tax efficiencies for your investments to limit tax liabilities as well as transactional and managerial expenses.
Equity Ownership
- At times, we may deem it advisable for you to purchase a percentage of a business. By owning shares of common stock in a business, we hope to achieve gains.
Macroeconomic Analysis and Market Analysis
- Agili’s CFAs and Investment Analysts perform ongoing economic monitoring to gain awareness of market trends – upticks, downturns and disruptions. Each quarter, our President, Michael Joyce, provides clients with a proprietary market overview, informing them of overall market trends with updates on US stocks, global bonds, international stocks, and non-traditional investments.
Investment Research
- Agili’s team of Chartered Financial Analysts (CFAs) and Investment Analysts meet regularly to discuss possible investment opportunities for our clients. Careful due diligence and market analysis is behind our investment decisions. The team utilizes optimal research tools and databases to aid in their investment analysis.
Evaluating Investment Performance
- We take pride in being knowledgeable when researching new investment opportunities and discerning with investment decisions. We have regularly-scheduled portfolio reviews to monitor the performance of your investments, making adjustments when needed – always keeping your long-term goals in mind.
Investment Asset Allocation to Maximize Risk-Adjusted Returns
- We allocate your investments across asset classes, taking into account the degree of risk that must be accepted in order to achieve gains, as compared to low-risk investments such as U.S. Treasuries.
- As part of the strategic portfolio management we provide to all clients, Agili makes investments in the following categories:
Types of Investments:
- Equity Investments: After careful due diligence, Agili purchases shares in company stock, usually traded on a stock exchange, on behalf of clients. We also invest in well-researched equity funds for clients.
- Bonds: We purchase individual bonds on behalf of clients. These interest-bearing securities obligate the issuer to pay the bondholder a specific sum of money, usually at specific intervals. Among the bond types we recommend are:
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- U.S. Treasury bonds
- Corporate bonds
- High yield bonds
- Municipal bonds
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- Commodities: We may also purchase commodities, or tangible goods, such as oil, lumber, currencies, or precious metals on behalf of clients.
- Alternative Investments: For qualified, high net worth individuals, we offer alternative investments such as real estate, REITs, commercial paper, hedge funds, and private equity. Agili enables clients to diversify beyond investments that are highly correlated to stocks and bonds, thus mitigating risk without compromising return potential.
A Story About Agili’s Investment Management
Since 1993, Agili has helped many clients to diversify, monitor, and grow their investment portfolio to meet their financial goals. One recent example of our expert investment management occurred during the early days of the Covid pandemic. You may recall that at this time the market dropped precipitously, pessimism was widespread and investors were fleeing from risk. At Agili, we saw opportunities during these market lows and chose to be aggressive in our investments. Our knowledge of market trends over time enabled us to manage our clients’ investments to achieve positive outcomes, benefitting their investment portfolios. In addition, we were careful to communicate regularly with our clients during this trying time, allaying concerns and keeping them apprised of our investment strategy.
Benefits of Investment Management with Agili
At Agili, we establish long-term relationships with each of our clients, with a designated Financial Strategist and Investment Analyst on your team, advising and monitoring your individual investment portfolio. Some of the benefits of investment management with Agili include: investing expertise with consistent research and monitoring, fee-only investing, investment guidance and advice that aligns with your financial goals, and holistic financial management from your fiduciary fee-only advisor.
Investing Expertise – Consistent Investment Research and Monitoring:
With Agili as your investment manager, you have a dedicated investment expert keeping an eye on the market and understanding your goals, thus saving you time and effort. Agili’s Investment Policy Committee and Investment Analysts do the market research and monitoring for you, notifying you of factors affecting current investments and advising you about investment opportunities to grow your portfolio, build your wealth, and preserve your capital.
Fee-only Investing:
As a fee-only financial firm that does not receive commissions on or otherwise profit from our investment recommendations, we are an ethical investment advisor to both manage your investments and advise you on potential investments that are in your best interest.
Investment Guidance and Advice that Aligns with Your Financial Goals:
Your team of experts at Agili provides investment guidance and advice that aligns with your specific financial goals and is in your best interest. The variety and number of investment types out there can be overwhelming! Our industry knowledge and investment research enables us to do the heavy lifting for you. We sort through a range of investment possibilities and provide you with opportunities that match your goals.
Holistic Financial Management:
We get to know our clients very well! By fully understanding your complete financial landscape and your unique personal circumstances we’re able to provide recommendations that tie into both your investment goals specifically as well as your overarching long-term financial objectives.
Fiduciary, Fee-Only Investment Advisor:
We’re proud to be a fiduciary, fee-only investment advisor firm. We only charge you for managing and supervising assets. Agili does not receive any payment for recommending financial products and there are no surprises or hidden fees. Additionally, as a fiduciary, we are legally bound to work in our clients’ best interest, allowing us to do what’s best for our clients’ finances.
Providing individualized Investment Management is one of the many ways Agili acts as Your Personal CFO.
Get Started with Agili:
A Registered Investment Adviser and Your Personal CFO
If you’re ready to get started with a Registered Investment Adviser for personalized investment management, we welcome you to fill out our financial questionnaire. Our questionnaire helps us understand your financial life so we can get started together on the right foot, prepare for our first meeting and understand how we can best help you with your financial goals. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
1806 Summit Avenue
Suite 100
Richmond, VA 23230
74 West Broad Street
Suite 320
Bethlehem, PA 18018