On behalf of the entire Invariant family, we would like to thank you for taking the time to visit our website. We hope that as you explore the site, you will get a better idea of our values, philosophy, and culture.
I started in Invariant in January of 2014, after eight years in the financial services industry. Equipped with the CFP® designation and experience working in both the broker/dealer and RIA space, I wanted to start a fee-only firm that focused on managing clients' life savings in a fiduciary capacity. The goal was to streamline the investment management process to the extent that we could actively manage our clients' money, while keeping costs lower than firms that generate revenue through selling products or outsourcing the investment process.
Over the years, we have continually refined our investment process with a focus on making data-driven portfolio management decisions. We focus on the long term, incorporating undervalued individual stocks, bonds, and exchange traded funds, and use our portfolio construction expertise to combine them in a manner that aligns with the client’s risk profile and financial goals.
We charge a flat fee based on a percentage of assets, which ensures that our interest is the same as our client – to grow the money in a responsible manner. When clients do well, we do well. And by managing the money in-house, while avoiding investment vehicles with high internal costs, we can provide holistic financial services at a cost that, in some cases, is less than they are paying through their employer sponsored plans, where they are getting no guidance.
At other major Wall Street firms, clients are seen by the firm and the advisors as commodities. Advisors are expected to make as much as 3% off the client through investment fees and product sales. Their mandated focus is to make as much money as possible off each client and recruit new clients. At Invariant we take the opposite approach. We focus on ways to save our clients money and spend our time making sure their needs are met. It is our belief that if we do the right thing for our clients, everything else will fall into place.
Yogi Berra once said, ‘It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.’ At Invariant, we recognize that the future is uncertain and can be scary at times. We have lived through the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 and the COVID pandemic of 2020. We have seen bull markets, bear markets, rising inflationary environments, and rising interest rate environments. There are a lot of variables that are simply out of our control. We plan for these scenarios through rigorous back testing and planning, letting history be our guide. As the world around us changes, we change with it, while staying true to the principles that guide us along the way.
Invariant prides itself on putting the client’s needs first. While other firms may make the same claim, we adhere to it by treating every client like family. We communicate with our clients constantly, letting them know about changes to their portfolio and educating them on financial markets. We will meet with clients as often as they wish and respond to inquiries in a timely manner. While the future may be uncertain, our values and ethics are invariant.
Thank you,
Seth W. Arbogast, CFP®