With our investing philosophy, by and large, we recommend a set it and forget it mindset as it relates to your investment plan, which generally doesn’t benefit from excess activity. Tax planning, on the other hand, offers more frequent opportunities to actively add value (even above and beyond the extreme tax-efficiency of the investments themselves).

Here are three examples:

1. Guiding the sequence of additions to your various accounts during your career and, likewise, ensuring that withdrawals are taken in proper order from those accounts in retirement

2. Matching the right type of asset (equity, fixed income, real estate) with the appropriate account registration (be it taxable, tax-deferred, or tax-exempt)

3. Making creative suggestions based on our understanding of your situation and goals (i.e. IRA contributions, Roth conversions, charitable giving)

As the CPA on the team, I can assure you that we all work together to minimize the impact of taxes on your portfolio and maximize opportunities to leverage tax planning. Tax sensitivity is one of the things that helps us support you in your goals.

Watch in future newsletters for detailed discussions on each of the items listed above.

As our summer internship with Baylor undergrad, Matt Brugner, came to a close, we asked Matt to share his perspective on the experience.

What surprises did you encounter during your time as our intern?

I did not expect the team to be so receptive and willing to take time out of their days just to teach me. I never felt excluded, which made waking up to go to work all the more exciting.

What was the highlight of your experience?

When I spent time one-on-one with each member of the team. We would sit for an hour and talk about everything from career advice, to investment philosophy basics, to what allocation I should use when saving for an engagement ring. I enjoyed these personalized sessions because everyone sacrificed valuable time to help me improve. During one of these sessions, Rick ran a Monte Carlo simulation with projections for my own retirement (I’d better start saving now).

What kind of job do you think you’ll pursue after college?

This internship reaffirmed my dream to start my own company or work for a small, young firm. I think I will thrive in that environment. I want the ability to make my own decisions and see a company go from nothing to something.

I loved the team/family environment at Hill Investment Group. Everyone cares for one another and for the long-term success of the firm. No one here is clocking in and out just to get a paycheck. I hope for the same in whatever career I find after college.

Any thoughts to summarize the experience?

Professionally, I think I understand more about what it takes to be successful in the real world. You have to be a hard worker and willing to sacrifice to get things done. At the same time, you have to be an idea generator and a forward thinker to have a long-term impact on a firm. You also have to know what is most important in life and how to balance that with your work. I had to actively carve out time with my family and friends, a luxury I take for granted in college.

Also, I think differently about financial services. I wanted to find a field that was more about helping others than earning the biggest commissions. I thought that didn’t really exist, but I was definitely wrong.

We are big believers in carrying our philosophies through all aspects of our work, including the workspace itself. It’s important to us that when clients walk into our office, they feel the trust, attention and transparency that is at the core of our relationships—not to mention the impact it has on each of us as a day-to-day work environment.

Amie Corley of Amie Corley Interiors recently guided us through a redesign of our office space. We are more than pleased with the results and flattered to be highlighted in St. Louis Magazine’s “First View” section this month.