“Why should I work with Benefit Financial Services Group?”
The Phoenix office (PacWest) was founded in 1997 by Grace Lau, CFA. In early 2017, PacWest Financial Management became part of Benefit Financial Services Group (BFSG, LLC). Grace Lau, Managing Principal of the Phoenix office, has been a part of the investment community since 1979.
The investment platform is built on open architecture because we do not have any proprietary products. We are fee-only which means that we do not sell products of any kind.
We are service driven. We meet and communicate with our clients frequently. We do not use voice mail during office hours, so when you call, you will always talk to a live person.
We are flexible and adapt to meet our client’s needs. We know all our clients and understand what is important to them.
We have a team of professionals that have advance credentials to offer solutions in critical areas of our clients’ financial lives. Designations include Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®), MBAs, and Certified Financial Planner (CFP®).
Finally, we do our own investment research so we are fully accountable for our investment decisions
“Who are your clients?”
Our clients are predominantly high net-worth individuals focused on wealth preservation and wealth enhancement. They created their wealth through many years of hard work. We know the importance of these assets and we invest them with care and caution. We also manage assets for a number of institutions.
“What is it like to work with Benefit Financial Services Group?”
We want you to have an exceptional client experience from the very beginning of our relationship. You will be able to share with us what is important to you in the management of your portfolio. An action plan will be created to help you achieve success in your financial goals. We will design a custom portfolio for your review and approval.
Regular meetings will be scheduled for continuous update and reporting. In the interim you will receive our monthly newsletter which describes our current outlook on the financial markets and asset allocation. You will also receive quarterly statements with performance data, a holdings report and a fee invoice.
Clients can call us at any time if there are additional questions. We will respond in a timely manner.
“How do I know if I need professional wealth and money management?”
You may want to consider hiring a professional money manager if you do not have the time, interest or knowledge to manage your portfolio. We know that your pool of assets represents years of hard work and savings by you or someone you love. We would be honored if you chose us to manage those assets for you and ease your burden of having to worry about whether you are making smart financial decisions. We will ensure that your money is being managed prudently for the long-term. We can also assist you in certain areas of tax, estate, insurance and retirement planning.
Regular meetings will be scheduled for continuous update and reporting. In the interim you will receive our monthly newsletter which describes our current outlook on the financial markets and asset allocation. You will also receive quarterly statements with performance data, a holdings report and a fee invoice.
Clients can call us at any time if there are additional questions. We will respond in a timely manner.
“Is my money safe?”
Benefit Financial Services Group is not a broker/dealer and is not the custodian of any of our clients’ assets.
Your assets are held by third party custodians (Schwab, Fidelity or National Advisors Trust). Benefit Financial Services Group only holds limited power of attorney to act as your investment advisor. Money movement will have to be authorized by you in writing and sent to the custodians for their processing.
“How do you select investments?”
Each portfolio can include stocks, bonds, ETFs, and mutual funds. We select investments based upon in-house research, valuation models, company-specific and industry-specific news and trends, as well as reports from outside analysts.
Individual stocks are selected from a database of 6600 stocks. We narrow the list down to approximately 150 companies that we believe will be the successful competitors in their respective industry. From this list, about 65 companies are selected for the portfolio based upon consistency of earnings, earnings growth, and relative valuation.
If our clients need income or want less volatility in their portfolio, we may use government, corporate, municipal bonds, exchange traded bond funds and bond mutual funds to lower volatility and generate cash flow. We select bonds based upon attractive yields relative to their credit ratings, maturities and other criteria.
All investments in the portfolios are liquid. Benefit Financial Services Group only selects securities that are listed and clients can tell what their portfolios are worth on a daily basis. Cash can be raised daily and is available for withdrawal in three to five business days.