Investment Management in Sarasota
CFA-led portfolio management for Gulf Coast families. Your investments, income needs, and longevity, coordinated.
Fee-Only
Compensated solely by our clients. No commissions. No conflicts.
Serving Florida Since 1995
Three decades of fee-only fiduciary wealth management.
The Portfolio That Got You Here Was Built for a Different Purpose
Every portfolio governed by a CFA charterholder. Every decision documented in your Investment Policy Statement.
During your working years, your portfolio's job was to grow. Market declines were recoverable because you had time and income ahead of you. Neither of those is true anymore. A 30% decline in year two of retirement does not recover the same way it does in year two of a career.
Your portfolio now has one job: sustain your family's lifestyle, charitable commitments, and legacy for as long as you need it to, without running out and without taking risks that your financial plan cannot absorb. That requires a framework built around sustainable withdrawal rates, tax-efficient income generation, and the discipline to stay invested during the periods when every instinct says to sell. Your Investment Policy Statement provides that framework before the next downturn arrives. View our investment management approach
Your Sarasota FinancialTeam
Christopher Cannon, CFA
Chris is a CFA charterholder with 33+ years of investment experience spanning institutional trading, arbitrage, and private client management.
William J. Kearney, Jr.
Bill serves as President and Business Manager of FirsTrust, overseeing the firm's day-to-day operations. He is often the first voice to welcome prospective clients to the firm.
Investment Considerations for Gulf Coast Families
Sequence-of-Returns Protection
Early retirement is the highest-risk period for portfolio sustainability. Your Investment Policy accounts for this through withdrawal management, asset allocation, and cash reserve strategy.
Sustainable Income Generation
Bond ladders, dividend strategies, and systematic withdrawals designed for multi-decade sustainability. Income that adapts to your spending needs and tax situation.
Barrier Island Real Estate Modeling
Longboat Key, Siesta Key, and Casey Key properties represent significant concentrated value. Your portfolio is constructed to counterbalance that exposure.
Tax-Efficient Withdrawal Coordination
Drawing from taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-free accounts in the right sequence can meaningfully reduce lifetime tax. Your withdrawals are coordinated with your tax plan year by year.
Common Questions About Investment Management in Sarasota
Sequence-of-returns risk is managed through several complementary strategies. Maintaining one to three years of anticipated spending in liquid reserves (cash, short-duration bonds) reduces the need to sell growth assets during market declines. Your asset allocation balances income stability with growth potential. Flexible withdrawal policies that reduce distributions in down markets and increase them in strong markets can extend portfolio longevity. Your Investment Policy Statement documents these rules so that decisions are made by process, not emotion. Historical analysis suggests these strategies may improve portfolio sustainability, but past performance does not guarantee future results. Learn more about investment management
The commonly cited "4% rule" (withdrawing 4% of initial portfolio value, adjusted for inflation) was derived from historical U.S. market data and may not apply to all future scenarios. Your FinancialTeam determines your sustainable withdrawal rate based on your specific portfolio, asset allocation, tax situation, other income sources, spending flexibility, and time horizon. Withdrawal rates are reviewed annually and adjusted as conditions change. A rate that is sustainable under favorable conditions may not be sustainable under adverse conditions; your plan stress-tests multiple scenarios. This is planning analysis, not a guarantee of outcomes.
Your home is a significant asset but it differs from liquid investments in important ways: it does not generate income (unless rented), it carries ongoing costs (taxes, insurance, maintenance), and it cannot be partially liquidated. Your financial plan models your home's value, carrying costs, and potential future sale scenarios, and your investment portfolio is constructed to provide the liquidity, income, and diversification that your real estate cannot. If your home represents 40% or more of your net worth, this consideration has a meaningful impact on portfolio construction. Real estate values can fluctuate and are not guaranteed.
Reaching for yield (buying higher-yielding but riskier assets to generate more income) can introduce credit risk, interest rate risk, and volatility that undermine the stability retirees need. Your portfolio generates income through a combination of investment-grade bonds, dividend-paying equities, and systematic withdrawals from a diversified portfolio. The total-return approach (drawing from both income and capital appreciation) often provides more sustainable results than a yield-only approach. Your FinancialTeam coordinates income generation with your tax plan to optimize after-tax cash flow. Investment income is not guaranteed. Learn more
Your portfolio is monitored continuously and formally reviewed with your FinancialTeam on a quarterly basis. Between reviews, your team is directly accessible for time-sensitive decisions. Rebalancing occurs when allocations drift beyond the thresholds defined in your Investment Policy Statement, or when changes in your financial plan (spending changes, tax events, estate updates) warrant adjustment. Your FinancialTeam coordinates with your CPA before executing trades that have tax implications. Learn more about our approach