Seperate Accounts: The Next Frontier

Rapid and continuous change is the most prevalent characteristic of investment markets today. While change creates opportunities, it also creates vulnerability. In an environment of dynamic change, the prudent response must be greater portfolio control.

Now is the time to review your existing investment plan and assess whether or not it is working to achieve your goals:

• Do you have a significant portion of your assets invested in single stocks?
• Did you pay a large tax bill last year, despite the fact that your portfolio lost money?
• Do you feel "in the dark" about where your money is actually invested?
• Do you ever question whether your advisor is making decisions in your best interest?

If you answered "yes" to any of the questions above, it may be time for you to consider an investment solution that provides you with more control, flexibility and insight. I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce you to separately managed accounts, an investment solution that may better suit your evolving needs.

Mutual funds were created to give investors a way to access professional money managers, invest regularly, and diversify their portfolios. And for 50 years, they've been U.S. investor's favorite way to invest. Like you, many investors have enjoyed such success in mutual funds that they are now focusing on preserving their wealth, rather than generating it. As an educated investor, I want to introduce you to separately managed accounts, a solution that may better suit your evolving investment needs. But mutual funds do not offer affluent investors the appropriate degree of control over their investments. Today there may be a better solution for you.

Separately managed accounts provide access to globally prominent asset managers who have traditionally managed the assets of large, prestigious institutions and the nation's wealthiest families. Unlike mutual funds, where your assets are pooled with those of other investors, separate accounts provide direct ownership of the securities in your portfolio. This structure provides substantial control, allowing you and me to customize an investment solution that reflects your individual goals and objectives. Examples include the ability to incorporate stocks you already own in the account and restrict certain stocks, sectors or industries. The flexible structure of separate accounts also allows you to manage the portfolio for after-tax return. For example, with a separately managed account, you pay taxes only on the gains you realize ? you are not affected by the actions of other investors like you would be if you owned shares of a fund. And because you own the underlying securities of the portfolio, you know exactly what is in your portfolio at all times.

We can deliver to you the same level of investment expertise that has been enjoyed for decades exclusively by the nation's largest corporations and wealthiest families. While separately managed accounts have only recently been made available to the individual investor, they have already experienced explosive growth in the marketplace.

Look at it as a way to kick the tires and see for yourself how the combination of the right advisor and a separately managed account solution may better address your complex investment needs.

That being said, not every separately managed account has a good manager. Like many mutual funds, your financial advisor must be selective about the managers that they are using and must still use proper asset allocation techniques in order to ensure diversification. The weighting of the various asset categories that make up a portfolio is one of the most important factors in the successful implementation of any investment strategy. However, asset allocation involves more than just calculating the right blend of stocks, bonds and cash in a portfolio. We can help you balance this mix with changing market conditions and make sure it stays in line with your investment objectives.