With 2012 underway already, this is a good time to “reassess your Trusted Team — the group you turn to for financial, accounting and legal advice,” said a recent article in The Wall Street Journal.  “If you’re tired of doing it yourself or your pros aren’t performing up to snuff, it may be time for a change,” WSJ said in its Dec. 31-Jan 1 Weekend Edition. “And if you’ve faced a setback this year, like a divorce, death of a spouse or a job loss, you especially want a team that is looking out for you and your best interests.”

Your team might include an investment manager, a Certified Financial Planner (CFP_©), an estate attorney, insurance agent, a company benefits expert and a tax accountant.  It should be no surprise to hear that GTRUST Financial Partners staff includes investment professionals, attorneys, Certified Financial Planners (CFP_©), tax professionals and a large body of institutional knowledge on insurance and employee benefit issues.

Daryl Craft, President of GTRUST Financial Partners, recommends when selecting an investment advisor that you choose a fiduciary advisor, one who places client interests first when making financial decisions.  Not everyone who works in the investment field is a fiduciary.  Stockbrokers and many Registered Investment Advisers (RIA’s) have only an obligation to recommend options that are “suitable” for investors, a far lesser standard than that of a fiduciary.

Suitable investments may be acceptable if you are a fairly sophisticated investor.  However, many investors need the advice and counsel of a trusted advisor who is a fiduciary…someone who will place your interests and wellbeing first in every conversation and in every investment.

Richard Salmen, SVP and Senior Advisor, suggests that a good financial planner will review your entire financial life, including your investments, insurance policies, work benefits, debt and cash-flow. Your financial planner can help you budget, manage debt, plan for both death and taxes, and find the right insurance, plus help you with your investments. They can also provide family dynamics counseling, as it is fairly common that family members may have different attitudes about money and how it is saved, invested and spent.

When choosing a financial planner, The Wall Street Journal recommends that you ask the following questions…How much do you charge? Will you act as a fiduciary? Will you operate with my interests first? How often will we talk?  Have you been disciplined by a professional or regulatory body? What is your money management style?  Those of us at GTRUST welcome such questions, and we believe we have the answers you will want to hear.

GTRUST is an employee-owned, independent trust, investment management and financial planning company, serving clients in more than 25 states.  All services are provided on a fee-only basis.  We help clients use money more effectively to get what they want out of life!

To see the entire article by The Wall Street Journal, go to

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204296804577124662217267128.html

January 19, 2012

While they may be interesting, these questions are irrelevant to the mission of most investors. The meaningful question is “What should I do today in order to attain future investment goals?” The goal may be to ensure a secure, comfortable retirement, or to provide college educations for grandchildren, or something else. The question is the same for any investment goal.

We think there are 2 essential tasks that most investors need to accomplish in order to reach any investment objective. First or foremost is to save, save, save. All other investment issues are meaningless unless we put away money on a regular basis for the purpose of meeting that goal of a secure retirement or that goal of providing education for our grandchildren.

The next task is to build an appropriate diversified portfolio that includes a variety of asset classes designed to reduce portfolio risk and enhance returns. Owning 10 different mutual funds does not mean the portfolio is diversified. To do that each fund must represent a distinct segment of the market.

While we do spend considerable time reviewing and analyzing mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, we devote even more time and effort to building appropriate portfolios for our clients. Building diversified portfolios.

Next time we’ll talk about what we mean by “appropriate” portfolios. Steve Page December 14, 2011

While financial markets worldwide ride a roller coaster of uncertainty about the fate of the Euro, the US Congress should be working tirelessly to avoid the same crisis.
“We can’t afford to sit idly by and not do anything about our own financial problems,” says GTRUST’s Steve Page. “The United States has a $15 trillion debt due to overspending by Congress and the President.”

The leaders of 23 European countries agreed early Friday to bind their nations together in a pact to limit government spending and borrowing but failed to persuade Britain to sign up, according to news reports. Leaders from Germany and France want a unified monetary policy that all EU countries will follow, with the hope such a policy will stabilize the Euro, reduce debt and prevent a recession. But, Britain wants no part of such a policy, partly because it doesn’t want tighter controls over London’s crucial financial services industry (London is home to much of the world’s hedge fund industry). England has never been part of the Euro, choosing instead to remain with its centuries-old Pound.

Europe may spend the next several years trying to improve its sovereign balance sheets, but progress is not guaranteed. It’s possible we may hear rumblings about the European debt crisis a year from now. In the meantime, the United States should not wait to get its own fiscal house in order. December 12, 2011