David Warshaw, CFP®
Founder & Private Wealth Advisor
The WealthPlan LLC
Our Investment Philosophy
The principles that guide every decision we make together
1
Understanding stocks vs. bonds
Stocks represent ownership in companies and drive long-term growth — with more short-term volatility. Bonds are loans that generate income and stability. Both have a role. The right balance depends on your goals, timeline, and temperament — and it evolves as you move through life. Which is exactly what we build your plan around.
2
Equities are the most “conservative” investment — when you understand the real risk
We are equity-first investors — and for good reason. Inflation and taxes are the two greatest enemies of long-term wealth, quietly eroding what you earn and what you keep. Equities have historically been the most powerful tool to fight both, delivering compounding, exponential growth over time.
3
Your portfolio serves your financial plan
Your portfolio exists to fund your goals — i.e. your needs, wants, and wishes. Every allocation decision flows from your plan, not the other way around.
4
Three principles: Optimism, Patience, and Discipline
Optimism — we believe markets go up over time. Patience — we stay the course through the inevitable ups and downs. Discipline — we buy when markets are down, not when they feel comfortable.
5
Buy, hold, and rebalance annually
The best portfolio is the one you keep. We invest for the long term, rebalance once a year to stay aligned with your plan, and resist the urge to tinker. Staying invested through downturns is where the real returns are earned.
6
No market timing — ever
Market timing is nearly impossible because you have to be right twice — when to get out and when to get back in. Missing just a handful of the market's best days over a decade can cut your returns in half. We stay invested.
7
Invest when you have the money
We invest consistently regardless of market conditions — a strategy known as dollar cost averaging. Whether markets are up or down, new money gets invested — because time in the market beats timing the market.
8
Politics and your portfolio never mix
Markets have grown through every war, recession, and political shift imaginable. Earnings drive stock prices over the long run — not political headlines. We focus on the fundamentals, not the noise.
9
Diversify with a multi-model approach
We don't put all your eggs in one basket — or even one type of basket. Our three-bucket framework spreads your money across strategies that Grow, Protect, and Diversify, each doing a different job so the whole is stronger than any single part.
10
The myth of the guaranteed 10%
You’ve heard that stocks return 10% per year on average. What that number doesn’t tell you: those returns are uneven, lumpy, and require patience to capture. Staying the course and not panicking during the bad years is what actually earns that return. Temperament matters as much as allocation.
Words worth remembering
“This too shall pass.”
— Nick Murray
“If you spend 13 minutes a year on economics, you’ve wasted 10 minutes.”
— Peter Lynch
“The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient.”
— Warren Buffett
David Warshaw, CFP®
Founder & Private Wealth Advisor
The WealthPlan LLC