In March we took a break from our regularly scheduled e-newsletter and blog programming to share an annual Hill Investment Group overview.

Dear Friends,

You’re used to getting the Hill Investment Group newsletter now every month. We put a lot of thought into those newsletters, curating the best stories to help you stay focused and keep the odds of success on your side. I want to do something a little different this time.

The investment industry is in the midst of a major transformation. Independent advisors like Hill Investment Group are growing 15% annually, as investors are becoming smarter than ever and learning to focus on evidence over hype. As our firm evolves alongside the industry, I want you to know that we’re holding on to the core values that have gotten us where we are today—and that we intend to protect, fiercely, for the future.

Since our founding in 2005, we’ve thought of ourselves as a small firm with big ideas. To preserve this mentality even as the firm grows, we’ve worked hard to create a very specific culture that’s rooted in three core areas:

The character of our people – Everyone at Hill Investment Group has authentic passion for our work and our clients. We make new hires very intentionally, looking for people who share that strong desire to serve. Then, we strengthen engagement in many ways throughout the year, such as annual family and team parties and even daily lunches. In fact, lunch here is more than just a meal—it’s a vital work session where we tackle everything from big questions about the future to little details that make our office run better.

[Editor’s note: Speaking of those daily lunches, Matt was pleased to talk about them recently in a BBC Business Daily broadcast exploring today’s business lunch culture. You’ll find his sound bite at (appropriately) around 12:00 in this “Out to Lunch” radio podcast.]

Our dedication to service – We’ve created a client service culture that’s extravagantly thoughtful and detail-oriented. This approach not only ensures a consistent experience for every client, it’s another way to show how much we care. Remember the television show “Cheers” where everybody knows your name and can anticipate what you order? That spirit has been and will always be a part of the fabric of our firm.

Our commitment to the evidence – We are results oriented and data-driven. Everyone on the team—even those with many years of experience—is hungry to learn more. To that end, we strive to be leaders in our community and to forge connections that help us advance our professional development. That way, we can continue offering clients the best possible service.

These values are written into our company mission statement, and more importantly, they underpin every decision we make for our business and our clients. I could reel off hundreds of anecdotes illustrating our culture in action—and actually, I captured a lot of those stories in my book, Odds On. As I was working on this letter in March I headed out to visit Hill Investment Group’s Houston office, which opened in 2014. Sitting in the airport waiting for my flight, I realized that our expansion was another example of how our culture guides our actions.

The challenge of staying true to our values as we grow is both exciting and humbling— it’s why we do what we do. We started Hill Investment Group to help change lives, and we work hard, every day, to live up to that mission. I hope these thoughts on our culture help clarify how we make decisions. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions. I’m always happy to talk.

Take the Long View,

Matt Hall, President
Hill Investment Group

Even though it’s no longer the new year, when “fresh start” resolutions are top of mind, there’s never a bad time to do some good organizing. For that, we are pleased to share this post about Hill Investment Group’s fully mobile client portal.

What’s a portal? I’m glad you asked. Think of it as a cross between a filing cabinet, safety deposit box and personal assistant, rolled together to ensure that everything contributing to your financial life is securely stashed, and readily accessible – whenever you may need it from wherever you may go.

Here’s a short preview to see what we mean.

I know. There are a lot of gadgets out there. It can be hard to imagine how liberating a well-built financial portal can be if you’ve never used one.

Fortunately, we’ve done the due diligence for you, and have selected an innovative tool that combines user-friendly form with powerful function. We’re not just talking about accessing your investment accounts. Think, too: bank accounts and retirement plans, credit cards and collectibles, home interests and insurance policies, payments due and dollars received, financial goals assigned and achieved, emergency paperwork and more … together at last.

The more complicated your financial life becomes, the more critical it is to have a solid portal – your secure, dependable doorway to your financial interests.

PS: It doesn’t hurt to have a wealth manager on board as well, to help you act on the many possibilities that more organized living can reveal. That’s what we’re here for!  Email service@hillinvestmentgroup.com with questions or to get set up.

At Hill Investment Group, we’re big on bringing simplicity to our clients’ financial lives, transitioning their investment world from messy to meaningful.

One way we turn our talk into action is by closely coordinating our efforts with our clients’ other specialized providers. This time of year, that’s often their CPA, as tax season goes into full swing. We pitch in by gathering all the tax documents released for all of the accounts we manage for each client – all those Form 1099s, for example – and sending them in a handy bundle to our clients’ CPA or similar tax professional.

This allows our clients to focus on what is important to them, instead of having to scramble around, hunting down the latest tax documents on their own.

Simply put, we love being a team player by pitching in on behalf of our clients.