Whither Physician Self-Portfolio Management?

Posted on September 29, 2009 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

Do it Yourself Considerations

By Clifton N. McIntire, Jr.; CIMA, CFP®

By Lisa Ellen McIntire; CIMA, CFP®fp-book

In order to self create and monitor an investment portfolio for personal, office, or medical foundation use, the physician investor should ask him/herself three questions:

1. How much do I have invested?

2. How much did I make on my investments?

3. How much risk did I take to get that rate of return?

How Am I Doing?

Most doctors and health care professionals know how much money they have invested. If they don’t, they can add a few statements together to obtain a total. Few actually know the rate of return achieved during last year’s debacle, or so far this year in 2009. Everyone can get this number by simply subtracting the ending balance from the beginning balance and dividing the difference. But, few take the time to do it. Why? A typical response to the question is, “We were doing fine” -or- “We did terrible last year.”

But, ask how much risk is in the portfolio and help is needed. Nobel laureate Harry Markowitz, PhD said, “If you take more risk, you deserve more return.” Using standard deviation, he referred to the “variability of returns” –  in other words, how much the portfolio goes up and down, its volatility.

Your Own Portfolio

How, and even whether or not to create and manage your own portfolio, is what this brief post is about.

First, you must determine what to do with your investments. How much risk can be taken and what is the time frame? You must understand the concept of risk vs. reward and write an investment policy statement.

Next, the assets that will be used for investment must be selected. This involves asset allocation and mixing different styles of investment management to achieve the desired results, and is the point where you go it alone, or professional investment managers are selected.

Be sure to review expenses, like wrap accounts, service fees, AUMs, commissions and compare mutual funds with private money management.

Monitor

Once the initial portfolio is in place, the performance must be monitored to assure compliance with the investment policy.  Here’s where you consider 401k or 403(b) plans, pension plans, retirement accounts, as well as how to change doctor trustees or managers when necessary.

Assessment

Finally, consider the role of professional consultants. Now after all of this, if you still want to do it yourself rather than be a doctor, the entire process will be professionally illustrated. An actual physicians’ financial plan with investing portfolio was reviewed previously, along with the steps taken to improve returns and reduce risk.

Link: https://healthcarefinancials.wordpress.com/2009/09/03/evaluating-a-sample-physician-financial-plan-iii/

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Conclusion

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Advisors Fees vs. Brokerage Commissions

Posted on November 14, 2008 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

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Beware Assets-under-Management [AUMs]

[Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA, CMP™]

dem-thinking

I don’t think that doctor-colleagues realize how much more a fee-based financial planner – or financial advisor – might take from a physician-client using an assets-under-management [AUM] subscription business model; than a traditional commission-based stock broker? Of course, commissions are what stock-brokers earn; and “broker” is a bad word today. The more politically correct term seems to be “planner” or “advisor” or “vice-president” or ‘wealth manager”; and these folks earn “fees” along with their confusing nom de plumes. But should they?

Example:

Look at 1% of $100,000 which comes to $1,000 per year. If a doctor-client is in it “for the long haul,” we can see why financial advisors want this money for the “long haul.” Twenty years of this model comes out to nearly $20,000 in fees [assuming zero growth]. If a financial advisor was going to stick the doctor in some investment and leave him alone, would it not have been better to take a one-time $5,000 commission, say at 5%? This way the doctor-client keeps the remaining $15,000. If the money actually grows over time – which it should in the long run – the advisor earns even more.

False Arguments

Now, don’t try to accept the false argument that this puts financial advisors “on the same side of the fence”, as the physician-client or that it allows advisors to take better care them. First off, clients should be taken care of, well. But, it also encourages the advisor to “risk-more to earn more”, and/or to goad the doctor-client into putting more money into the subscription-based account, rather than paying off the mortgage, for example. In fact, the recent mortgage crisis and stock market meltdown suggests that this deceptive argument may have been more common than realized. So, why not ask your advisor/broker to explain both ways s/he gets paid; and then decide for yourself – fees versus commissions?

Assessment

Of course, in today’s world of “assets-under-management,” the word “commission” is taboo. No “real financial planner” takes commissions; he or she would rather manage investments for a “fee” that lasts forever.

PS: Financial advisors really don’t mange most of these accounts, anyway. They are aggregated and outsourced to other firms, for a small sub-fee [a bit less than the original 1%]. The advisor then sends a nice quarterly report to the doctor, as if they did all the work!  Now, do you realize why the best name for these folks is “asset gatherers”; they often do little more than market and sell.

Conclusion

Your thoughts and comments on this ME-P are appreciated. Feel free to review our top-left column, and top-right sidebar materials, links, URLs and related websites, too. Then, subscribe to the ME-P. It is fast, free and secure.

Speaker: If you need a moderator or speaker for an upcoming event, Dr. David E. Marcinko; MBA – Publisher-in-Chief of the Medical Executive-Post – is available for seminar or speaking engagements. Contact: MarcinkoAdvisors@msn.com

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