Tucson Panorama

Our Services

All of our services share the same goal - to reduce financial anxiety so you can enjoy other aspects of your life. We identify options and assist you in making the best decisions for your situation. Then we monitor these solutions to ensure they remain appropriate as circumstances change.

We maintain relationships with legal, tax and insurance professionals and will refer clients when specialized work in these areas is required. As with investment products, Gordian Advisors receives no remuneration for these referrals, so we are able to make use of these specialists’ expertise in the most appropriate and cost-effective way.



Investment Management

Most investment managers claim to have some special magic to "beat the market" and if you pay them enough they'll let you in on it. We disagree - we believe a portfolio does not stand alone but is determined by your goals and circumstances. We base our investment philosophy on diversification, reasonable return expectations, discipline and a long-term view.

Retirement Planning

It's not retirement, it's another stage of your life, and we can help you embrace it. We use your net worth, investment attitudes, and life goals to create a spending plan which gives you an excellent chance of living comfortably and securely.

College Finances

The rising cost of education does not necessarily make it out of reach. We can project savings requirements, suggest tax efficient vehicles to help achieve funding goals and work to maximize financial aid opportunities.

Tax Planning

There are few things more befuddling than taxes, and the rules change every year. We work with tax professionals and use our knowledge of your complete financial picture to suggest tax saving approaches.

Estate Planning

The absence of an estate plan, even for single people, can create a real burden for the loved ones. We lend a practical point of view to the complex issues and language of estate planning. We collaborate with legal professionals to keep the estate plan current when laws, net worth or beneficiaries change.

Insurance Analysis

When used properly, insurance can protect against risks and financial gaps. We analyze life, medical, property and casualty and long-term care insurance needs to protect the assets you need to achieve financial goals.

The Planning Process

Our financial planning process is similar to most other comprehensive planners - in fact, it is a six-step process prescribed by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. One significant difference with our approach is that we do not pad the plan with useless pie charts and endless disclosures. We distill the planning process into the issues that are most important to you and present the results in a clear, direct way that you can understand and use.

Our advice can only be effective if it considers your overall circumstances. We conduct candid, confidential interviews to determine your financial history, your concerns, your temperament, and your feelings about investment and financial matters. These discussions are critical to your education, your understanding of our approach and recommendations as well as the realization of your goals and plans.

1

Establish the relationship – We clearly explain our philosophy, services and fees while you describe your goals and concerns. Ultimately, you decide if there is a good fit.

2

Gather information – We will ask you for lots of information, including your objectives and values, and then we’ll ask for more. We don’t leave any stones unturned.

3

Analysis and evaluation – We will take all the pieces and create a consolidated picture to identify and explain the merits and shortcomings in your current situation.

4

Recommendations – We will present ways to address those shortcomings to create a cohesive long-term plan. We will often present several options for a given issue and will make sure you understand the implications of all the options.

5

Implementation – We will either guide you in implementing your plan choices or will do the work for you, depending on the terms of our relationship.

6

Monitor progress – We will work together to track your progress, including financial or life changes, then go back to step 2 and make adjustments as necessary.



For more details on the CFP process visit Letsmakeaplan.org

Investment Philosophy

General Philosophy

  • We base our investment philosophy on diversification, discipline, and a long-term view
  • We believe a portfolio is determined by your goals and circumstances, not age-based formulas
  • Investment discipline is the best weapon to defeat fear and greed.
  • We educate clients on cyclical nature of market and characteristics of various asset classes to foster reasonable return expectations
  • We practice strategic asset allocation based on long-term trends with infrequent portfolio changes
  • We rebalance portfolios if they drift away from target allocation
  • We do not advocate “market timing” or tactical portfolio shifts among sectors or investment style

Investment Products

  • We use both index funds and active managers depending on asset class and market characteristics
  • We avoid "trendy" investment areas, such as liquid alternatives, smart beta, and tactical strategies
  • We analyze new and popular products but rarely find any compelling reasons to use them in client portfolios
  • We accommodate existing positions by client request and consider taxable gains when making changes

Expenses

  • We feel strongly that expenses are a significant factor and we utilize cost-effective vehicles to construct our portfolios
  • We work to minimize transaction charges paid to our custodian (Charles Schwab)
  • We receive no compensation whatsoever from any investment products or transactions to maintain an objective selection process