FAQ

When selecting an advisor, consider the following questions:

• Is your advisor a fiduciary?
  Fiduciary advisors are required by law to act only in your best interest, even above their own. This is in stark contrast to the standards of most broker/advisors, who only need to meet a “suitability” threshold, which basically means anything goes.
• Is your advisor fee-only?
  Fee-only advisors are compensated only by you, the client. If your advisor is also compensated by third parties, you have to wonder if they truly are committed to your best interest. For example, could your advisor be recommending a certain mutual fund or annuity because he or she gets a commission, sales charge (load), or another form of compensation for selling that product? If they are fee-only, then they are only compensated directly by you–never by commissions–minimizing potential conflicts of interest.
• Is your advisor’s approach to investing evidence based?
  We know from decades of research, Nobel Prize-winning ideas, and real-world observations that trying to forecast or beat the markets is futile. The best approach to investing is proven to be with discipline using low-cost, globally diversified portfolios of index funds. Does your advisor use low-cost index funds? If not, then why not? What are the reasons that your advisor is using to pick stocks, mutual funds, and other financial products in your portfolio? Demand data that support the claims, specifically how your portfolio has performed against the underlying indices, net of all fees. Don’t be fooled by comparisons of your account to just any index; make sure it’s an index that tracks the same asset classes. And make sure that the comparison is for your account over a length of time, not just over a selected time frame. These data should be easily generated by your advisor and clearly presented.

If you have the emotional strength to implement and maintain an intelligent portfolio, to remain disciplined, and to rebalance when necessary, then you may not need an advisor. Educated, disciplined, and do-it-yourself investors can construct efficient portfolios and improve the probability of success using a low-cost, diversified, risk-appropriate portfolio allocation of Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund, Vanguard Total International Stock Market Index Fund, and Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund. Many investors don’t need anything else. The majority of investors who don’t have enough knowledge, discipline, or the emotional stamina to invest on their own should consider a Dimensional-approved advisor. Dimensional advisors don’t simply provide access to Dimensional funds. Dimensional clients typically capture higher returns than conventional and index investors because DFA advisors encourage smart behavior and discipline. If interested in learning more, we can chat about this or any other topic. Our goal is to spread the word about rational, evidence-based investing, even if that leads to you investing on your own or finding someone else who may be a better fit.

The first question really is whether you need an investment management advisor at all. Then, it may turn out that we are not the right fit. We are not the typical advisor that uses a conventional approach to investing. We don’t look for mispricing in individual securities or mutual funds, nor do we try to time the market. Based on decades of evidence, we believe that these are cost-generating gimmicks. Instead we use an evidence-based approach to investing, which means that we focus only on actions that add value to help improve your odds of success in the long term. If you are looking for someone to help you speculate, we are not the right advisor for you.

We don’t believe that stock picking or market timing is a winning strategy. We only advise clients to use an evidence-based approach to investing. We offer low-cost, globally-diversified portfolios using Dimensional mutual funds.

We believe that stock picking is a losing strategy. Evidence-based investing relies on years of research, which suggests that markets are efficient, that diversification can reduce the uncompensated risk from individual securities, and that there are dimensions of higher expected returns (see Our Approach). Stock picking is speculation, not investing. We promote buy-and-hold strategy using a low-cost, globally-diversified portfolio. However, you can choose to hold individual stocks in a separate account that is not included as part of our management services.

We provide fiduciary, fee-only investment management and college planning services. Sabela Capital Markets adheres to and advocates for the Fiduciary Standard Best Practices. Our core fiduciary duties include: serving in the client’s best interest; acting in utmost good faith; acting prudently, with the care, skill and judgment of a professional; avoiding conflicts of interest; disclosing all material facts; and controlling investment expenses.

We advise clients to also rely on financial planners, fee-only insurance advisors, and tax accountants in collaboration with our services. If you need help seeking out reputable service providers, we can make recommendations.

Our investment advisory fee is based on percentage of client’s assets that Sabela Capital Markets manages and is calculated and charged in accordance with the following fee schedule:

First $500,000	.80
Next $500,000	.65
Next $1.000,000	.50
Next $2,000,000	.35
Next $5,000,000	.20
Next $5,000,000 (+)	.15

To see how our fees align with industry averages, read our post “Are You Paying Too Much in Fees?”.

Our initial account minimum investment is $100,000. We treat each client independently and may in some cases waive the initial minimum investment requirement. Solely at our discretion, in some cases the fees may be negotiable.

No. Sabela Capital Markets charges a fee based on assets under management only.

As a fiduciary, fee-only investment management advisor, we charge a management fee based upon the assets that we manage. We do not get paid by any third parties, including by brokers, by custodians, or by mutual fund companies for using or promoting their products (this includes Vanguard and Dimensional Fund Advisors), nor do we get paid commissions or get a cut from any transaction. We also don’t sell any financial products. Our firm is structured to align our interests as closely as possible with the interests of our clients. Our loyalty is only to our clients, whose best interest we guard vigorously.

At minimum, we consider each quarter whether your account qualified for rebalancing. However, there is nothing special about a quarterly time frame; indeed it’s just an arbitrary frequency. We monitor your portfolio continuously and weigh the market dynamics against the transaction costs generated by rebalancing. We may actually rebalance intra-quarter and also reserve the right to skip rebalancing altogether.

Buy-and-hold is a long-term, evidence-based strategy that has to do with ignoring day-to-day market fluctuations. It does not have anything to do with discounting your changing risk dimensions. As a client gets older, his or her time frame changes. Since time frame is a dimension of risk, the client’s customized risk tolerance will also adjust. As your risk tolerance adjusts, so should your asset allocation, in this case gradually moving away from equities and into bonds. Keep in mind that even in retirement, clients should have exposure to equities.