Our Approach
The plan comes first.
Every Volta relationship follows the same discipline: understand where you stand, set it out in a written plan, and let each decision follow from it.
Planning
A written plan, prepared for you and reviewed with you.
Your plan sets out where you stand today, including income, spending, assets, debts, and obligations, and what that position can support over time: retirement income and the timing of government benefits, the tax consequences of your decisions, the protection you or your family would need, and how your estate is arranged.
Each plan states the assumptions it rests on, and decisions about investments, insurance, and your estate follow from its findings. We model the tax and estate consequences of each decision. Tax preparation, legal advice, and estate documents remain with your accountant and lawyer. We coordinate with them directly and, if you need one, can introduce you to professionals we work with. Any referral arrangement is disclosed to you in writing.
Investment Approach
Your plan sets the portfolio.
Before any investment is recommended, your financial plan defines what the portfolio is for, how long it has, and the risk it can reasonably carry. Those terms are written into an Investment Policy Statement that you review and sign.
Every recommendation is researched and comes with its reasoning. Changes are made only with your approval, and each investment decision is recorded with its date and rationale. As markets move or your circumstances change, we review your portfolio against the terms you agreed and bring you our recommendation.
Our Process
How we work together.
01Introduction & EngagementA first conversation, then scope agreed in writing.
An introductory conversation about your situation, with no commitment. If we decide to work together, we set out the scope, fees, and terms in an engagement letter for you to review and sign before we begin.
02DiscoveryA complete picture of your financial life.
We’ll ask for the documents that give us a complete view: statements, recent tax returns, pay records, pension and government benefit statements, insurance policies, estate documents, and, if you own a business, its corporate documents. We’ll review what you’ve shared and let you know if anything else would help complete the picture.
03Your PlanPrepared by us, reviewed together.
We prepare your written plan and walk through it with you, including the assumptions it rests on and the recommendations that follow from it.
04ImplementationEach step taken with your approval.
Nothing is put in place without your approval. When you’re ready, we arrange your insurance and investment accounts and work with your accountant and lawyer on the steps they take care of.
05Ongoing StewardshipYour plan, kept current.
We meet at least once a year, and whenever your circumstances change, to update your plan and the recommendations that follow from it.
See what planning first looks like.
We begin with your objectives, build the analysis, and bring the relevant decisions together.
Discuss Your Plan