My experience helping investors spans more than 19 years working in the wealth management industry.
I spent the first five years of my career with investment brokerage/insurance firms as a young advisor, before growing into roles in planning, research, and portfolio management.
STEPHEN MILLER
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Hometown: Austin, TX
Family: Married to Kate and we have three kids: Braden, Aubrey and Julia
College: Baylor University
Professional Certifications: Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®)
Hobbies: Most outdoor things associated with REI & Bass Pro Shops; Hiking, Camping, Hunting & Fishing
Favorite Books: Unbroken, Lonesome Dove
history
Meet Stephen
→ I established Forward Wealth Management (FWM) in 2014 to provide goals-based planning and investment strategies that I believe best serve client’s long-term interests. I am a Certified Financial Planner™ and CFA Charterholder and enjoy studying financial markets and their role in managing wealth.
In my current practice, I help mid- to late-career professionals in the legal and medical industries prepare for a transition from full-time work, generally within the next 10 years.
Together, we work to build a successful retirement mindset and a custom wealth management strategy that will carry them to and through this important life transition.
The primary retirement resource for legal and medical professionals is their firm-sponsored 401k plan. These plans are often void of ongoing personalized advice, leaving busy professionals in the driver’s seat to determine timelines, finish lines and the best funding strategy given their goals and priorities.
I work with clients to measure their future retirement objectives and to then map their existing assets and future contributions into a personalized strategy that gives them confidence in managing their financial lives.
Our Core Values
Collaboration
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We serve our client’s best interests and look to establish a long-term partnership requiring deep collective determination from all parties.
Stewardship
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With wealth comes responsibility. We pursue purposeful living on our client’s behalf as well as our own.
Ingenuity
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The pursuit of our client’s goals drives us to be our best and to find new ways to help clients attain their goals.
Integrity
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We will actively uphold a standard of honesty, prudence and care with our words and actions.
Investment Philosophy
Forward Investing
→ Investing is the process of allocating capital with the expectation of future economic benefit, under the condition of uncertainty.
Traditional financial theory represents the future as a long and single period, defined simply as now and forever.
We construct portfolios for clients that match assets with goals and make changes as necessary.
While much of our industry pursues the siren song of alpha, we focus on minimizing expenses and maintaining a preference for proven investment methods over compelling narratives.
In short, we keep things simple and focus on what is in our control by following a defined process.
Financial markets are dynamic systems in which participants move asset prices away from their “fair value,” causing a mispricing of risk and expected returns.
This means long-term investors should manage their investment allocation prudently.
Risk is traditionally defined by portfolio theory as the fluctuation of investment returns around historic averages.
We Integrate both internal (client driven preferences) and external (market driven realities) risk perspectives in our portfolio construction process.
Philosophy + Process = Strategy
Our Investment STRATEGIES Produces Portfolios Which Are:
Matched to the client’s financial goals
Incorporate internal and external risk perspectives
Implemented through low-cost investment vehicles
Held at a third-party custodian
Fee Structure
Asset Managment
→ Our standard advisory fee is based on the market value of the assets under management and is calculated as follows:
Account Value |
Annual Advisory Fee |
|---|---|
| First $2,500,000 | 0.95% |
| Next $2,500,000 | 0.70% |
| $5,000,000 and Above | 0.50% |