Our Approach

Wealth Planning, Grounded in Research and Real Life

At Boutique Wealth Advisors, we believe good financial planning is not about prediction, persuasion, or product selection. It is about helping clients make better decisions, consistently, over time.

Our approach is grounded in well-established financial research and behavioral insights that show where advice actually adds value. The goal is what we refer to as wealth alpha—the improvement in long-term financial outcomes that occurs after disciplined advice is implemented, similar to what academic research has demonstrated through frameworks such as Vanguard’s Advisor Alpha.

This means two things simultaneously:

  • Decisions should not be driven primarily by emotion, short-term market narratives, or noise.

  • Finances are ultimately a means, not an end, and planning must account for real human behavior, values, and constraints.

A plan that only works on paper is not a good plan.

Our Investment Philosophy

We use a strategic, research-driven investment methodology aligned with what academic evidence suggests is the most reliable way to invest over time.

Markets are generally efficient. Persistent outperformance through security selection or market timing is unlikely, unpredictable, and not repeatable. We do not build portfolios around the assumption that we—or anyone else—can consistently outguess the market.

Instead, our investment process focuses on:

  • Long-term asset allocation

  • Broad diversification

  • Cost and tax efficiency

  • Discipline through market cycles

Investment decisions are made according to the methodology, not headlines or emotions. Rebalancing, portfolio changes, and implementation occur when the framework calls for them—not when anxiety or excitement peaks.

Specialization Through Niches

We believe specialization serves both the client and the firm.

By focusing on clearly defined niches, we are able to:

  • Solve specific, recurring problems with greater accuracy

  • Understand the particular rules, benefits, and tradeoffs clients face

  • Reduce the risk of missed details and planning blind spots

Generalist advice often fails not because of bad intentions, but because unfamiliarity leads to mistakes, oversights, or shallow recommendations. Focus allows us to go deeper—and deliver better outcomes.

Advice Requires Direction, Not Delegation

Our role is to provide direction, not to act as a transaction desk.

We do not implement client-directed trades, asset allocation changes, or portfolio shifts unless there is a clear, well-reasoned justification. The planning and investment framework determines when action is warranted.

Clients are not hiring us to execute impulses.
They are hiring us to exercise judgment on their behalf.

Client Relationships by Design

We are selective by necessity, not by marketing.

The best outcomes occur when clients:

  • Meet with us twice per year

  • Implement the advice provided

  • View the relationship as long-term and collaborative

  • Refer friends and family who value the same approach

To preserve planning quality, we:

  • Limit the number of client relationships per advisor

  • Maintain a $250,000 minimum investable asset requirement (with limited exceptions by boutique)

  • Use a tiered fee schedule without discounts

Capacity, alignment, and consistency matter more than scale for its own sake.

Our Principles

The following principles are not aspirational statements. They are constraints on how we practice.

Research Before Opinion

We rely on grounded financial research rather than forecasts, narratives, or persuasion. Advice must be defensible, not just compelling.

Discipline Over Emotion

We respect the emotional reality of money, but we do not let emotion dictate decisions. Structure exists to protect clients from their worst instincts—and ours.

Strategic, Not Tactical

We do not chase outperformance. Portfolios are built to endure markets, not to react to them.

Specialization Matters

We focus on defined niches because depth beats breadth. Familiarity reduces errors and improves outcomes.

Direction Is the Product

Clients hire us for judgment and guidance. Advice is not crowdsourced, delegated, or reactive.

Capacity Protects Quality

We limit growth intentionally. Planning quality, responsiveness, and thoughtfulness come before scale.

Fee Integrity

Our fees are transparent, tiered, and non-negotiable. Advice must never be compromised by pricing pressure.

Alignment Over Accommodation

Our approach is not for everyone. We do not dilute it to fit clients it was never designed to serve.