In selecting bonds, exchange-traded funds, mutual funds, stocks, or other securities we screen for important attributes including:
- Risk
- Diversification
- Sectors
- Corporate management track record
- Mutual fund manager performance track record
- Appropriate liquidity
- Suitable internal expense
Sixty years of rigorous academic research has proven that investment costs are one of the most important factors in determining long-term investment returns. Therefore, in our investment selection process, we screen for low investment costs. This does not mean that we will always eliminate a security due to higher expenses. We recognize that some investments may be worth an extra expense. For example, higher internal expenses might be appropriate for a few actively managed mutual funds.
In most cases, we use exchange traded funds due to their low internal expenses, tax efficiency and diversification. In some cases, we use actively managed mutual funds or individual stocks to access the talent of a specific manager or corporate management teams. At times, we also use individual bonds instead of exchange traded funds to build a portfolio bond ladder.
Because Goepper Burkhardt is a fiduciary, you can rest assured that when we select securities, your best interest is at the forefront of our decisions.