Investment Philosophy

The goal at Tomassi Financial Planning is to help my clients make wise investment decisions with their hard-earned money. To consistently share in the gains of the market – while avoiding some of its losses.

I use the time-tested principles of valuation, inflation, economic cycles, corporate governance, and growth opportunities to build my clients’ portfolios. Principled design helps to safeguard against performance chasing and emotional decision making.

My goal is to grow my clients’ wealth in such a way as to satisfy both their heads and their hearts. I seek to create investment strategies that will help my clients reach their goals and sleep well at night. I think investment management is an integral part of a comprehensive financial plan, rather than a standalone process.


Investment strategies work best when they are created, implemented, and managed in harmony with a client’s plan. Without a plan to guide the investment strategy, risks are often miscalculated, needed rates of return unknown, cash flow timing overlooked, and success difficult to measure. A sound investment strategy acts as a blueprint to guide all investment decisions.

Before my clients invest with me, I take the time to learn three essentials about them. Essentials that help me design an investment strategy that flows from their financial plan.

First and foremost, I find out when they need to begin withdrawing some or all of the money from their investments. I use time-to-withdrawal as the primary factor when building portfolios. Diversification is essential not only in reducing risk and enhancing returns, but also in planning for the return of capital. To help ensure that my clients are not investing money they might need next year, into an investment that is better suited for money they don’t need for many years, my client portfolios are segregated into short, intermediate, and long-term “buckets”. Once in the proper time-frame buckets, I select investments based on fees, growth opportunities, inflation expectations, valuation comparisons, interest rate forecasts, and country dynamics.

Second, I calculate the rates of return necessary in order to meet my clients’ financial goals. I think an investor should take on no more risk than is needed for the return required to meet those goals. When calculating return rates I consider inflation, taxation, and fees so that the figures are accurate. I also prefer to use investment return ranges rather than exact targets when building my clients’ financial plans. A range affords a broader and safer zone for financial success. I really don’t think anyone can accurately predict the exact return on any given investment over time.

Third, I gauge my clients’ appetite for stock and bond market volatility. It’s important that my clients know and feel that their investments are well suited to both their financial plans and emotional well being. I recognize the powerful role emotions can play in the investment realm and I plan accordingly. My goal is to help my clients resist the urges of euphoria when the markets are soaring and the temptations of anxiety when the markets are in decline. I think the path of investment success that leads to financial freedom is paved with stones of perseverance.

“WINGING IT” IS NOT A FINANCIAL PLAN FOR THE FUTURE LIFE YOU ENVISION.

Let me help you get on the path to financial security, confidence, and peace of mind.