Wealth Management Unwrapped, Revised and Expanded

Unwrap What You Need to Know and Enjoy the Present

Charlotte B. Beyer

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781119403678
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Wealth Management
• Index: Business

You are the CEO of My Wealth, Inc. — so Take Charge!

Wealth Management Unwrapped provides you with the tools and tips you need to take back control and more effectively manage your money. Wall Street veteran Charlotte Beyer conducts a tour of the wealth management industry, guiding you through the complexities and jargon with straightforward, no-nonsense expertise. From choosing an advisor and understanding the fine print, to fulfilling your responsibilities as CEO of My Wealth, Inc. this book offers all-in-one guidance for anyone ready to take charge of their finances. This revised and expanded version has been updated with NEW information, for women investors who seek the best advisor, older investors who confront investment choices, and a discussion on both robo-advisors and the impact of your wealth on your children. The companion website includes new interactive diagnostics to help you get started, assess your progress and then see how you compare to others who face similar challenges.

By stripping away industry tech-speak and the all-too-common self-promotion, you will:

• Understand the difference between advisor and money manager
• Learn the best questions to ask when interviewing an advisor
• Dissect fee disclosure statements and conflicts of interest
• Find out if you might be a do-it-yourself investor and learn why that might make sense for your personality

The wealth management industry has undergone massive change over the past 25 years. New services or products spring up, yet impenetrable language and marketing hype leave you with precious little practical information. In two or three hours of reading made easier thanks to the bold, often amusing illustrations, you will be a far smarter investor, not by learning the jargon but by applying common sense and insisting on clearer communications from your advisor. You and your advisor can create an even stronger and long lasting partnership by reading this book together. Wealth Management Unwrapped is like a powerful GPS, whether you're a novice or sophisticated investor, offering you a much clearer view of how to fully realize the dreams and goals your wealth now affords you.

CHAPTER 1
Who’s in Charge of My Wealth, Inc.?

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• Questions investors want to answer
• So, who is responsible?
• Is the customer always right?
• Who’s brave enough to tell a customer, “You’re wrong”?
• Something for nothing
• You’re the boss
• Free lunch, anyone?
• Be a partner, not a victim
• Wealth management is a business

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Overheard inside an online forum for investors:

Investor #1: “Has anyone invested with Bernie Madoff? I have many friends and also know charitable organizations who invest with him. Thanks in advance for your view.”

Investor #2: “My father invested with him a long time ago, and we are very happy. His returns are fantastic—our very best hedge fund!”

Investor #3: “I know his reputation is earning great steady returns, but we just could not get comfortable with how he makes money, and thus we took a pass.”

Eight years after that exchange online, I received a call from investor #1 thanking me. Bernie Madoff had been arrested three months earlier. This investor told me his ultimate decision not to invest was based on this dialogue. He knew he needed to look beyond one fellow member’s recommendation, and said he recalled part of due diligence was: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!”

But not every investor was as fortunate as this one. In fact, many very smart investors invested with Bernie Madoff because they thought they could rely on others to perform the basic due diligence. Now, you may be moaning out loud: “I don’t want to do due diligence!” Or: “I wouldn’t know where to start!”

An unwillingness to learn something just because you don’t want to learn everything invites an unscrupulous salesperson to take advantage of you. Investors who abdicate responsibility for their own education will likely be bitterly disappointed. Think of all those stories we read about an elderly couple who lost everything by relying on their stockbroker, who advised them to make risky investments that became worthless.

Imagine buying a new home without doing at least a little homework. Few would dare! When it comes to managing your wealth, you do need to do your homework. But I promise you that this homework is not the technical gobbledygook you might imagine. You can get an A in this class if you keep reading.

You and those other investors don’t yet realize something important: You know more than you think you do. But first, you need to do a little homework—homework you already know by heart. It entails knowing yourself better and adding a dash of common sense.

Because technical jargon has sometimes been used as a diversion (along with what appear to be wonderful returns), investors have given their life savings to people like Bernie Madoff. Compounding the problem is this: When it comes to your wealth, you and many other investors believe the investment professionals know best. The truth is often quite the opposite.

So, who is responsible?

The professionals know only as much as you can tell them about your needs, desires, and tolerance for risk. Charley Ellis, author of the widely acclaimed book on investing, Winning the Loser’s Game, reminds you that you “own the central responsibility. . . [which] cannot be delegated; it is your job, not theirs.”¹ The good news is you can discover your needs, desires, and tolerance for risk—or find someone to help you learn what they are.

Once you finish reading Wealth Management Unwrapped, not only will you be armed with answers to many questions—you’ll also know which questions to ask those who advise you on your wealth. What is your reward? You can truly begin to enjoy the present.

So let’s begin with our discovery by asking an age‐old question.

Is the customer always right?

You say you want the highest return without taking too much risk. You intend to find the “best” advisor. You expect your advisor to select the “best” money managers, hedge funds, or mutual funds, and to have access to the “best” investment products. You wish to have the “best” asset allocation for today’s market. You may even ask your advisor to tell you exactly what that allocation is at your very first meeting.

Sadly, you are off to a stumbling start—and you won’t get very far. You may even hit a dead end.

This dead end is fraught with rampant conflicts of interest. Advisors are eager to show off their various capabilities. They also have a bottom line and likely a new business goal. Salespeople may paint a beautiful picture of no risk or big rewards. Advertisements may promise you almost anything just to win your business. Investors are eager to find the “best in breed” but don’t want to pay “too much.” You may think you can rely on word of mouth or a golden reputation to point you to the best. Unfortunately, this is just not true. Both you and your advisors get hurt in the process.

Who’s brave enough to tell a customer, “You’re wrong”?

The best advisors recognize you may not be right about everything, and will even dare to say it to your face! The very skilled ones will show you how and why you’re veering off into treacherous thinking, and you will feel grateful—not angry.

• Instead of seeking the very highest return, you learn how to assess risk inside that breathtaking return.
• Instead of asking who are the “best,” you learn how to discern who will work best with you.
• Instead of insisting on “best in breed,” you learn the fallacy of that term. “Best in breed” is a powerful phrase in a sales brochure, but not a reality that stands the test of time.
• Instead of placing yourself onto an assembly line that dispenses template advice, you learn to recognize those advisors who take the time to fully understand you and your goals.

The lesson learned is that finding an advisor who will work well for you is not just a function of good chemistry, good friends’ recommendations, and good intuition.

Something for nothing

Why do certain wealthy investors expect fee concessions, free advice, and first call, preferential treatment, and so on? Why do some individuals cancel appointments with scant notice, feel no obligation to thank firms who entertain them, fail t...