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Why Investors Need to Consider Their Time Horizon

Chuck Roberts, Managing Director/Investments of the CR Wealth Management Group of Stifel, provides comprehensive wealth management strategies for his clients throughout the United States. One of the factors Chuck Roberts considers before creating a wealth management plan for a Stifel client is his or her time horizon . One of the most important considerations for an investor is how much time he or she is able to dedicate to investing. Simply put, each investor should ask themselves how long they intend to hold an investment. If you are investing with a certain goal in mind, for example, raising your child’s college money or your own retirement savings, then accurately determining your time horizon will help your financial advisor create an appropriate plan for you. The last thing you want to happen is to invest in a long-term, low-return security and fail to accrue enough money for your goal or invest in a high-risk, short-term security, only to have your investment wiped out in a mar

The CR Wealth Management Group and the US Corporate Bond Market

Chuck Roberts is an experienced financial advisor and Managing Director/Investments of The CR Wealth Management Group of Stifel . From his office in New York City, Chuck helps clients invest in securities, such as corporate bonds. In August 2017, Amazon borrowed $16 billion from investors in the corporate bond market. For such a large sum, it was only the fourth largest corporate bond floated in the United States this year. Microsoft set the ball rolling with a $17 billion bond issue in January, followed by AT&T’s mid-year $22.5 billion bond issue, and finally British American Tobacco’s $17.25 billion issue in early August. Going by the recent trends, this will be the third year in a row U.S. corporate bonds issued surpassed the $1 trillion mark. In 2016, total corporate bonds issued hit $1.35 trillion, dwarfing the less than $200 billion equities issued that year. The U.S. corporate bond market has been on an upward track – rising by nearly 50% in the past five years alone –

The Credit Shelter Trust

As Managing Director/Investments of Stifel’s New York branch, Chuck Roberts serves high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients. Chuck Roberts works closely with his clients’ lawyers to incorporate credit shelter trusts (CSTs) into their current trust agreements in an effort to limit estate taxes when a client’s surviving spouse passes away. As of 2016 in the United States, an estate valued at less than $5.45 million is not subject to federal taxation after the estate holder’s death. This maximum effectively doubles when a person is married, as one spouse can choose to use the other’s exemption if that person did not use it prior to passing. However, if the surviving spouse’s estate exceeds the combined exemption, then that estate would owe taxes on any amount over the applicable threshold. The CST serves to preserve the wealth of these individuals so that the exemption of the first spouse to pass away is not forfeited when the surviving spouse ultimately passes. A CST allows the

Pursuing a Balanced Portfolio

As a Managing Director/Investments at Stifel, Chuck Roberts and his team are focused on wealth management. Leveraging more than 25 years of experience, Chuck Roberts and the CR Wealth Management Group strive to design and maintain an investment approach that is both balanced and diversified. Chuck’s wealth management strategy strives to balance risk and return and suggests that the investor have a time horizon generally longer than five years. Chuck also considers the investor’s overall financial objectives to determine the appropriate asset mix, allocation style, and rebalancing guidelines. An asset mix is the combination of fixed income, equity, and other assets used to diversify a portfolio, while allocation style (strategic, tactical, and focused) describes how that asset is put to work. Finally, establishing and maintaining a rebalancing strategy, the predetermined frequency or threshold at which a portfolio is reviewed, allows for the purchase or sale of assets based on their

The Four Seasons Approach to Customer Service

A former financial advisor and managing director with Morgan Stanley, Chuck Roberts now works as Managing Director/Investments in The CR Wealth Management Group of Stifel. Overseeing a 10-member team within his office, Chuck Roberts engages in strategic financial planning on behalf of his clients, placing a focus on customer service.  The CR Wealth Management Group operates on the " Four Seasons ” approach, a customer service strategy established by the Four Seasons hotel chain. This approach involves four key principles: 1. Who we are. The team must understand its own offering and have an objective in place to define itself as a leader in its field.  2. What we believe. Establishing a workplace ethos and culture helps the company pursue those values in its work with clients. All staff members must understand the core beliefs of the team and work cooperatively to satisfy clients based on those beliefs. 3. How we succeed . The team must define what it needs to do to strive for

Applying the Four Seasons Approach to Service

Chuck Roberts works with his clients to create wealth management strategies that focus on objectivity and provide a personalized service. By following the approach to service culture defined by the Four Seasons hospitality brand and applying it to wealth management, Chuck is able to create strategies for clients. The Four Seasons approac h outlines four distinct factors that define the service provided to clients: 1. Define who you are and what separates your offering from competitors. Understand how you satisfy the needs of clients by offering the highest standards. 2. Establish the mission of the company and what you believe as a collective. Following this belief should be paramount in all interactions with others. 3. Create the criterion that defines success for the company. Rooted in who you are and through having belief in what you do, these criteria cover everything from the conditions for successful operation of the company to how you define successful client interactions.

Why Chuck Roberts Offers Exchange Traded Funds

Chuck Roberts serves as Managing Director/Investments for The CR Wealth Management Group of Stifel. Leveraging experience built over several decades in the investment services industry, Chuck offers numerous investment products and services, often incorporating exchange traded funds (ETFs) into a specific investment approach. ETFs represent a portfolio of stocks, bonds, or other investments that are designed to track a corresponding index. Similar to a mutual fund, ETFs offer a diversified investment with a single product. However, ETFs offer liquidity by trading throughout the day like a stock. ETFs are also generally tax efficient. While diversification (or asset allocation) does not ensure a profit and may not protect against loss, it can play a key role in establishing a sound investment strategy and reducing risk. Most wise investors partake in an asset allocation plan of some type. ETFs can be a beneficial tool in most allocation plans since the investor is essentially buying