
SmartPlan Investing, formerly known as Financial Planning Counselors, Inc., is a registered investment advisory firm that has/had offices in Michigan, Georgia, and Florida. SmartPlan Investing focuses on educating investors so they can gain peace of mind about their financial future. This is done by helping investors understand how markets work and how to make money in the market the smart way: eliminating the things that don't work and focusing on what does. We host a variety of investor education events throughout each month. All events are FREE to attend. Don't worry; we're not going to try to sell you an annuity, we really do educate. However, if you're interested in solutions, we can help with that too. First, let's start with dispelling the common myths investors have been led to believe. How do we do that? Investing is a science, not a spectator sport. So we follow Nobel Prize winning philosophies and strategies by eliminating stock picking, market timing, and track record investing. Instead we focus on capturing market returns, diversification, asset allocation while reducing costs and maintaining low turnover. I'd like to attend an upcoming event. Click here for more details.
Once
you understand the basics of how markets work, you will need to
define your investment philosophy. The truth is, there are really
only a few philosophies and discovering which you agree with is
fairly easy once you know what you are comparing! Now that the
background work is done, we can look at concepts such as your
“portfolio”. Most people have heard this term as it relates to
investing, but few have a clear understanding of how to manage it.
What is included in a portfolio and having a system to measure
volatility are keys to successful investing.
Speaking of your
portfolio, things are not always as clear as they seem. Measuring the
total amount of commissions and costs in your portfolio depends on
the account manager's fee structure, trading costs and other
expenses, not to mention some hidden goodies! Knowing your costs can
sometimes be more difficult than you expect. You need a fee only
coach that will analysis your current portfolio and show you what
they are. Check out the "Investment Analysis" tab to find out more about getting an independent analysis done on your portfolio and its benefits.