You may have had the opportunity to meet our 2014 summer intern, Matt Brugner, who spent the last two months in the Hill Investment Group office. As he returns to Baylor University in Waco, TX, for his junior year, he’ll also spend time on the golf course managing and competing with the Baylor club golf team. Matt spent most of his free time this summer on the golf course and even caddied for the 2014 Curtis Cup at St. Louis Country Club in June. Click here to read his account of the experience on the NCCGA blog.

Once prospective clients have a sense of our firm and philosophy, the next step is understanding what’s involved in becoming a client of Hill Investment Group. We have a simple, four-step process: 1) Discovery, 2) Planning, 3) Commitment, and 4) Review.

Over the coming months I’ll detail each step of the process, but for now let’s start at the beginning.

DISCOVERY
In order to build the most accurate and complete long-term financial plan, we believe it’s critically important for us to learn as much as we can about you and your family. Why? Our experience has taught us that no two families are alike, and, therefore, no two investment plans are alike. Our goal is to create a completely custom plan that fits you and your goals.

Using a comprehensive mapping process, we capture details about financial and non-financial aspects of your life—key relationships, goals and life priorities. We visually organize the information, and the resulting document becomes a living, breathing tool to capture changes in your plan over the course of our relationship. Seeing everything in one place allows you—and us—to identify gaps that need to be closed.

Done properly, we will know you better than anyone that doesn’t share your last name. It’s a great long-term fit for those who want to feel understood.

Click here to read a detailed description of the entire process.

The core challenge as an investor is setting aside instinctive physiological and emotional responses at the root of our brain’s decision-making processes. Though they are perfectly suited to protect us from physical harm, they have little value in modern investing.