|
|
Opening an AccountIt’s easy to open an account with us. It’s also easy to follow the progress of your savings and investments with Internet access, statements and performance reports. Just e-mail or contact us by more traditional means, and we’ll get you the right application to start working with us. We also require instructions on how much risk you wish to take. Note that reward is a direct function of risk. Perhaps the most useful variable in gauging how much risk is appropriate for you is the length of time you have before needing some or all of the funds in the account. Feel free to consult with us if you’re not sure. Accounts are registered to you. We have a Limited Power of Attorney to make purchasing and sales decisions on your behalf, vote your shares in elections, withdraw funds for you and collect our fees. We have no power of any kind to change your address or to divert funds away from the address of record. We are bonded to further protect your account. Account ReportingYou’re never in the dark about the progress of your money. That said, our variable form of investing is meant to be long term and may fluctuate in the shorter term. The more conservative an account, the less fluctuation there is (and the less potential gain). It may be tempting to check accounts daily or weekly, but we believe that monthly or quarterly is more appropriate. We will keep you informed if we think that a particular event or some outside force is shaping markets in an unexpected way. Accounts held at Fidelity Investments and Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. get monthly statements; accounts held at Fiserv ISS get quarterly statements. We send quarterly statements and account performance reports. In most cases, you can also access your account on-line. Links are provided below for Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., Fiserv ISS and Fidelity Investments. Taxable accounts are issued 1099-DIV reports each year by the account custodian. Our office follows up with a Realized Gain/Loss Report and Income/Expense report each February to aid in tax preparation. Account LinksBelow are links to investment firms, where your investments may be held. Click on the company name to go that site's account login. To access account information, you may need to first contact the company to obtain a user name and password.
|
