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Markets Work
Markets work, and for investment purposes assets are fairly priced. Each day thousands of the most intelligent people on Earth work long hours in an attempt to find stocks or bonds that will outperform the market. Winning often represents more luck than skill. Betting your financial future on any investment advisor’s ability to select a few winning stocks is a loser’s game. Our core belief is that the markets are “efficient”, meaning prices reflect the knowledge and expectations of all investors. Though prices are not always correct, markets are so competitive that it is unlikely any single investor can routinely profit at the expense of all other investors.

Diversification Reduces Risk
Diversification is the antidote to uncertainty. Concentrated investments, betting on countries or industries, and following market predictions all add risk while offering no additional expected return. Diversification is the most important component to helping you reach your long-range financial goals.

Structure Is Out Strategy
Proper asset allocation is the principal determinant of returns in a broadly diversified portfolio. We combine broad diversification and low cost, passive investment strategies with proper asset class exposure among multiple market sectors. Our disciplined strategy includes periodic rebalancing to keep our clients on track.

Risk and Return Are Related
Priced risk factors determine expected return. Bonds historically have a lower level of risk than do stocks. Bonds also have a lower level of historical return. Stocks demand higher levels of return based on their higher levels of risk.

Costs Do Matter
Lower costs magnify investment returns. A to Z Financial Planning LLC uses its institutional purchasing power to provide our clients with access to investments with large minimums that would otherwise not be accessible. By using low cost investments in our client’s portfolios the expense saved adds directly to our client’s return.

Asset Allocation Increases the Certainty of Success
Although many investment categories provide reasonable returns over time, no one can be certain of the future return in any one category. Therefore, combining various categories that historically have not moved in sync with one another offers the best chance for reasonably consistent returns high enough to make your long-term investment plan work. A to Z Financial Planning LLC uses managers investing in a wide variety of market segments and styles. This diversification avoids the risk of choosing any segment or style exclusively.

Market Timing Does Not Work
Market timers must be right 75% of the time to merely match the results of those competitors who do not market time. To do this consistently over time borders on impossible, since clearly no one knows the future. To quote the famous investment advisor, Charles D. Ellis, “The evidence on investment managers’ success with market timing is impressive – and overwhelmingly negative”. A to Z Financial Planning LLC avoids market timing by applying a strict discipline approach to asset allocation and diversification.

Protecting your privacy is very important to us. We value your trust and have policies and procedures in place to maintain the confidentiality and security of your personal information.

For financial planning purposes, we may collect nonpublic information from you such as your name and address, phone number, e-mail address, social security or tax ID number, assets and liabilities, income, account balances, investment activity, and account information at other institutions. This also may include information about your family and health to the extent that it is needed for the financial planning process.

Disclosures to Unaffiliated Third Parties
We do not disclose your information to outside parties. We do not sell your personal information to anyone. We treat information about prospective, current, and former clients and their accounts in a confidential manner unless the information concerns illegal activities, disclosure is required by law, or the client or prospective client provides written permission allowing disclosure of the information. This would include disclosing information to professionals such as attorneys, accountants and/or financial professionals in order to provide services on your behalf.

Protecting Your Information
We maintain a secure office to ensure that your information is not placed at unreasonable risk. This includes physical, electronic and procedural safeguards to limit access to your nonpublic personal information. We have incorporated physical and electronic data security measures such as a computer firewall barrier, backup and recovery procedures in our computer department and secure data processing techniques.

We are required by law to deliver this Privacy Policy to you annually, in writing. If you have any questions or comments about this privacy policy, please call 414-856-9800.