The subtitle of Bill Martin’s The Smart Financial Advisor (Harriman House, 2017) says it all: How Financial Advisors Can Thrive by Embracing Fintech and Goals-Based Investing. Martin, the chief investment officer at INTRUST Bank, beats the drum for goal-based investing since it has so many benefits, for both advisors and clients. For instance, it enables advisors to manage more of their clients’ wealth, it better matches assets and liabilities, it determines the optimal asset allocation, it minimizes taxes, and it increases an advisor’s value. He also advocates using fintech within a goals-based investing framework to efficiently manage, monitor, and report goal progress.....
Martin explains the ins and outs of goals-based investing, step by step, element by element. Although he is writing for financial advisors, I consider his book a must-read for the DIY investor as well. Admittedly, it’s a lot harder for the individual investor to stay on track without the assistance of an advisor, but it’s virtually impossible without a viable, forward-looking plan. If you’re acting as your own advisor, you couldn’t ask for a clearer, more useful book than The Smart Financial Advisor.
