Highland Private Wealth Management

About - Values

Values are the heart of our business

At Highland, we stand by our core values. These are the principles that guide us through all aspects of our business and relationships:

• Caring for People: We do whatever we can to care for our clients, our team members, our business partners, our families, and the community as a whole. We want strong, healthy, positive relationships.
• Pursuing Excellence: We strive for excellence in everything we do, from the smallest task to the largest project. We view each new challenge as an opportunity to learn and grow, professionally and personally.
• Living Fully: We maintain a balance between work and life that keeps us passionate and energized about each new day. We encourage our clients to do the same.

About - Team

Working together for you

Collaboration and communication are essential to the Highland mission, as is fostering an environment of mutual commitment and trust. Each of us brings a unique set of experiences, skills, and passions to the table and we work tirelessly to ensure alignment internally and externally allowing us to operate as a finely tuned machine on behalf of our clients. Click on a thumbnail to learn more about the Highland team:

About - Awards & Recognition

Recognition for exemplary service & excellence

While client satisfaction means more to us than any external reward, we are proud of the awards, press, and attention we’ve garnered over the years. This recognition reflects and promotes our core values, and we intend to expand this list by continuing to do what we do best – providing a high-level of personal service and strategic vision for our clients.

About - In The Community

Caring for the community

One of Highland’s core values is Caring for People. This expands beyond our clients and business partners to include the community as a whole. Both Highland and its team members support vital community organizations through donations and volunteer work. These are a few of the groups and causes we support:

Family Law CASA Climate Solutions Boy Scouts of America National Christian Foundation Social Venture Partners Washington State University Seattle Pacific University Susan G. Komen for the Cure Union Gospel Mission Childhaven African Hospitality Institute Powerful Voices Seattle Theatre Group

About - FAQs About Highland

Frequently Asked Questions

About - FAQs About Highland

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Highland? - Decision Points

Wealth brings new freedoms - and new challenges

Life is rarely static. Times change and perspectives shift. Priorities are re-evaluated and new challenges arise. Wealth brings an extra dimension to the decision points we all face in life, making the stakes higher and forcing us to consider new possibilities and risks that were previously unimaginable. Where do you go from here?

Highland specializes in decision points. We’ll work with you to understand not only where you stand financially, but what’s next in your life. What are you truly passionate about? How can you live your life fully while planning for uncertainty and accounting for risk? Highland will help you form realistic personal and financial goals, investment objectives, and tax strategies to make the most of your wealth and help you live life inspired.

Why Highland? - Right For Me?

Finding the right match for you

Private wealth management is highly personal—every individual and family has different needs. It’s important to work with professionals who fit your personality and style, because they need to understand you deeply in order to help you make the best possible choices and give you the best probability for achieving your ideal outcomes.

Highland offers a very intimate and personal service. Over the years we’ve found that the clients who are happiest with us are the ones who are comfortable letting us handle a wide variety of tasks and responsibilities. We “go deep” with our clients, fostering personal relationships and nurturing frank, confidential communication regarding finances and life goals. The best way to understand if Highland will be a good fit for your personal style and family is to give us a call and set up a time to talk.

Why Highland? - Wealth Clarity System

A system to restore clarity and peace of mind.

Wealth can be a wonderful tool, empowering you with choice and security. But there’s a darker side of wealth. The added complexity can cause stress, fear – even strain relationships. Effectively managing, or even eliminating, the complexity of wealth is critical to living the life you want to live. That’s why we’ve developed the Wealth Clarity System to transform that confusion into comfort. And as circumstances evolve, we’ll help you manage change and get you back on the path toward peace of mind.

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Why Highland? - Wealth Clarity System

Your Wealth Picture

Your wealth picture provides clarity, helping us see where you are today, and where you’d like to be tomorrow. And it starts with a real conversation. A potentially life-changing, honest discussion about your hopes and dreams, your fears – maybe even your weaknesses. Together we’ll identify the challenges, barriers and risks that stand between you and your goals and help you gain a complete understanding of your current financial situation.

Your Wealth Picture can provide peace of mind by giving you a clear idea of where you stand.

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Why Highland? - Wealth Clarity System

Your Wealth Roadmap

With your Wealth Picture complete you can begin to see the gaps between your ideal outcomes and your present circumstances. In designing your Wealth Roadmap we’ll address those gaps, suggesting courses of action to bring you closer to your goals. More than a financial plan, your Wealth Roadmap filters out the irrelevant, brings the most important issues into focus and aligns your wealth with your personal interests and ambitions.

Your Wealth Roadmap gives you the confidence of a concrete plan of action toward your goals.

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Why Highland - Wealth Clarity System

Your Wealth Guide

Success is a journey, not a destination. Over time, priorities can change and new challenges may arise. And we’ll be there with you, acting as your Wealth Guide. We’ll provide guidance and direction as you manage wealth’s complex web of decisions and trade-offs. We’ll help you react to change and create a new plan of action, providing you with a sense of ease, knowing that your finances are once again under control.

Your Wealth Guide, Highland is a committed partner, helping restore peace of mind as your needs evolve.

Why Highland? - Case Studies

How Highland Works

Though every one of our clients has different goals and faces unique challenges, we offer them a process and a path toward clarity, direction, and peace of mind. Our years of experience and close relationships ensure that Highland clients make informed decisions regarding their financial lives.

Learn more about how Highland helps its clients create more time to do what they love and while limiting the time spent worrying about their money.

Why Highland? - Case Studies

Mike

These are fictitious stories that are
inspired by common client situations

Ambitious and smart, Mike quickly rose to the role of CEO at his firm. He’d come from a wealthy family, was very knowledgeable about money and investing, and ran his family’s personal business with the same attention to detail and strategic focus he used in running his company. However, Mike’s busy schedule meant that he sometimes missed opportunities, as his attention was divided between his job, his family and their finances.

As Mike’s parents grew older, new issues began to surface. Mike wanted to coordinate his estate planning with theirs, but realized his parents lacked a cohesive plan. The added complexity of multi-generational estate planning, coupled with the emotional issues surrounding his parents’ decline, led Mike to realize he needed outside help.

Mike’s decision point questions:

• How can I live my life and still have time to manage my parent’s financial life?
• How does the family transfer wealth efficiently?
• How can my financial life be managed more efficiently?
• How do I delegate while still getting results?
• How do I get access to quality investment partners?
• As a CEO, who can I confidentially talk to about personal and business issues?

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Why Highland? - Case Studies

Anne

These are fictitious stories that are
inspired by common client situations

One fall, after more than 20 years of marriage, Anne and her husband filed for divorce. Anne had never paid much attention to their finances before, preferring time in her garden to following the family’s accounts. Her husband had been an entrepreneur and had managed all of their finances, investing in real estate, partnerships as well as other financial vehicles and over time they had built a sizeable portfolio.

Suddenly, Anne was forced to make decisions about budgeting, taxes, estate planning, and investments that she knew little about. It was hard enough to try to think of the future being single, but now she had to make complex decisions on things that she knew little about and the risk of poor choices could be expensive and potentially disastrous for her. The divorce was easily the biggest financial negotiation she had ever been involved with and, frankly, Anne found it overwhelming.

Anne’s decision point questions:

• How will divorce impact my children and my relationship with them?
• What do I own? How much can I spend?
• How do I learn what I need to know about all these new topics?
• What does life look like after divorce?
• Am I getting enough to sustain my life? Do I have to work?
• What advisors do I need to have?
• Who can I trust?

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Why Highland? - Case Studies

Hillary

These are fictitious stories that are
inspired by common client situations

A successful businesswoman, Hillary had risen to be a senior executive at a publicly traded corporation and served on the boards of a half a dozen start-up ventures. Known for her work ethic and capacity to digest and analyze large amounts of information quickly, Hillary had never sought out comprehensive financial services before. As her assets grew, so did the complexity in her life. She had a financial advisor but he was really only there to manage her money and didn’t address other financial questions and concerns.

So when Hillary decided it was time to retire and start the next chapter of her life, she didn’t want to spend her time and energy managing her wealth. With her second life to plan, Hillary realized it was time to delegate her wealth management to a professional team that would free her to do other things. She wanted the freedom to pursue a second career based on her passions, not income and to be able to give away large sums of wealth during her lifetime.

Hillary’s decision point questions:

• Can I afford to pursue my passions instead of income?
• Do I need an income at all? How will we pay our bills?
• How much can I give away? How much should we give to our kids?
• What is the most tax efficient way to give money away? What do I care about?
• What type of health insurance do we need?  What will we need later?
• How do I set my financial life up in a way that I won’t be a burden to my kids?
• What should I do next?

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Why Highland? - Case Studies

Peter

These are fictitious stories that are
inspired by common client situations

Peter was an engineer and had done well in his career. He had risen through the ranks and found himself a leader of a high growth company. Financially, he had been conservative and comfortable; he had saved and thought he had prepared his family for the future.

That all changed when Peter learned that his company had been acquired by a large global company and he was now in position to gain substantially due to the stock and options position he had earned over the years. Instantly, he was put into a situation where he needed to quickly put in place strategies and action plans that he’d only vaguely considered before. For Peter “someday” became “today” overnight.

Peter’s decision point questions:

• How much stock and how many options should I sell? How?
• I’ve never had a financial advisor, what do they do? How do I choose?
• What value can a financial advisor provide? Can I do this myself?
• Do we have enough to qualify for Wealth Management?
• I am not sure about the new company; what happens if I leave?
• What is significance after retirement? Who am I if I don’t work?
• What does making a difference really mean?

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Why Highland? - Case Studies

William

These are fictitious stories that are
inspired by common client situations

The realization that he needed comprehensive financial guidance came slowly to William. A retired executive who’d spent most of his career with one company, he had amassed significant wealth, almost all of which was kept in a large concentrated stock holding that had historically performed well. He was emotionally connected to the stock (after all he helped make it successful) and was struggling to gain clarity on how to diversify and reduce his risk. Perhaps more importantly, William was determined to raise his children to have strong family values and work ethics.

The situation came to a head as William and his wife, Carol, began construction on a second home.  He didn’t have enough liquidity to take on the project unless it was funded through debt. He realized that it was time to address his liquidity and asset allocation issues and stop avoiding them.

William’s decision point questions:

• How do I diversify our position and over what period? 
• What do I do with the money if I sell stock?
• How do I proactively teach my children my values?
• How do we bring our values into our investments?
• What example will we be to our children if we don’t work?
• How do we support our extended family without sapping their will to work?
• How do we start living without worrying about money?

Private Wealth Services - What is Private Wealth Management?

What is Private Management?

Private wealth management is a comprehensive, highly customized approach to managing wealth for high net worth individuals that encompasses a wide range of financial services, from financial planning to risk management, investment strategies to behavioral finance. A private wealth manager will often coordinate services between attorneys, accountants, brokerage firms, bankers and insurance agents, ensuring that all work is performed in concert toward achieving the clients’ goals.

At Highland we work closely with our clients to manage all facets of their finances, providing strategic guidance and advice, as well as collaborating with a wide network of professionals. The result for our clients is a clear, comprehensive picture of their finances and the peace of mind that comes from knowing that someone they trust is keeping an eye on the big picture.

Private Wealth Services - Financial Planning

Planning for the future

At Highland, we build enduring, trusting relationships with our clients, allowing them to spend more time doing what they love and pursuing deeper significance in the world through the choices they make. We begin by getting to know each client personally, then guide them through comprehensive financial counseling to determine the keys to their long-term financial success, stability, and peace of mind.

A vital aspect of our advisory role is developing a clear understanding of a client’s financial picture, finding hidden gaps and discovering pathways and solutions that enable them to achieve their goals. This complete financial review takes into account barriers as well as opportunities, as clarity and openness are essential. Over the years we have developed straightforward tools to assist our clients in compiling the information we need to fully understand their specific circumstances.

We aim to build collaborative relationships with you and your other professional team members (such as accountants, attorneys, and insurance agents) in the development and execution of your financial plan. Please note that while our planning advice is comprehensive, Highland does not provide legal or tax advice.

Private Wealth Services - Investment Philosophy

Security and growth, for today and tomorrow.

Over the years we’ve developed an investment philosophy geared toward helping our clients live their lives fully, free from worry or complexity. This investment philosophy is built upon the following pillars:

Wealth Preservation: We believe in protecting against risk first, encouraging growth second. Many of our clients acquire wealth suddenly in one-time events making the preservation and optimization of wealth our top priority.

Long Term Perspective: We believe in the power of long-term investing. Wealth is created and accumulated by taking a long-term view and investing wisely and patiently. The total return to the portfolio over a full economic cycle, including cash flow and asset appreciation, is the best measure of success.

Diversification: We believe in balanced portfolios. Modern Portfolio Theory suggests that proper diversification provides the highest probability of maximizing risk-adjusted returns. Through the use of the efficient frontier and strategic asset allocation, we are able to weigh and manage the inevitable tradeoffs between growth and income, risk and return, and liquidity and illiquidity, to create optimal portfolio strategies for our clients.

Tax Aware: We believe taxes can be minimized through diligent attention to the tax implications of investment decisions.  We actively look for opportunities to create tax benefits as well as minimize tax costs, working in concert with your overall tax and estate planning strategies.

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Private Wealth Services - Investment Philosophy

Investment Philosophy Continued…

Dynamic Portfolio Management: We believe that all investments should be managed according to the unique circumstances that surround them. At Highland we deploy both passive and active managers, in strategic and tactical allocations, in pursuit of the highest long-term risk-adjusted portfolio returns. We derive our strategic allocations from our outlook for each asset class over the next three to five years, incorporating historical and forward-looking return and risk assumptions. Then, in response to constantly changing market conditions, we tactically overweight or underweight our strategic targets based on our viewpoint over the next three to six months. We believe we can add incremental return and/or risk reduction through these tactical adjustments.

Open Architecture Platform: We believe in the freedom to buy what’s best for our clients. At Highland we look for a broad selection of investment solutions and opportunities that are unconstrained and free from many of the conflicts found in proprietary products.

Private Wealth Services - Investment Strategy

Smart, creative, and effective investment solutions.

Behind all of our investments is a clear, consistent investment strategy that defines how we apply our investment philosophy to generate maximized results for our clients.

Credentialed Professionals: Our investment team is comprised of Chartered Financial Analysts who bring a rigorous discipline and analytical prowess to our collaborative decision making environment. Our detailed due diligence process ensures we consistently make well-informed investment decisions.

Quality: We are relentless in seeking out and securing quality investments, funds and managers in order to offer our clients access to world-class investment opportunities. Through these relationships we’re able to rely upon a roster of resources with a unique breadth of scope.

Research: Our investment analysis begins with systematic research of current economic themes that can create and influence investment cycles. This research keeps our focus on the future and tethered to the big picture of global realities while the use of tactical asset allocation allows us to tailor our investment exposures to our current thinking.

Pursuit of Alpha: We keep our focus squarely on the risk-adjusted return (alpha) that each investment provides. Using fundamental analysis we identify the potential return of each investment and weigh it against the inherent risk before making investment recommendations.

Entrepreneurial Culture: At Highland we think creatively and strategically, seeking potential investments before they become popular, and researching opportunities that aim to add value to client portfolios. We strive to find our clients practical, cost-effective alternatives that will bring them exposure to desired markets.

Private Wealth Services - Portfolio Management

Putting it all to work.

While Highland’s portfolios are designed with your long-term goals in mind, it’s our regular monitoring and fine-tuning that keeps your money strategy fresh and aligned with an evolving world. Here’s how Highland turns investment philosophy into action:

Risk Assessment: We get to know each of our clients on a personal level, speaking with them in depth about their personal tolerance for risk, their ideal outcomes and their goals. Armed with this understanding and knowledge of any other portfolio constraints, we create a working document we call an Investment Policy Statement (IPS). Tailored to your unique circumstances, your IPS records each of these factors and expresses in detail the plan by which we will construct your portfolio, measure its performance, and evaluate its effectiveness in helping you reach your goals.

Portfolio Development: Based upon the portfolio objective described in your IPS, Highland determines the specific security holdings and weightings for your account, taking into consideration your existing investment assets. Your portfolio will typically include a mix of passively- and actively-managed holdings, and depending upon portfolio size and suitability may also include exposure to illiquid vehicles such as private equity, real estate partnerships and hedge funds. We recognize and construct our portfolios from the following seven asset classes: cash, fixed income (bonds), global equities (US & foreign), concentrated positions (such as employee stock options), real assets (e.g. real estate/natural resources), private equity and absolute return/hedge funds.

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Private Wealth Services - Portfolio Management

Portfolio Management Continued…

Implementation Style: Highland takes an opportunistic approach to building portfolios. We consider and act upon economic micro-influences, market behaviors and timing issues when investing client funds toward their targets, while remaining sensitive to taxes and other impacts. Highland’s intentional awareness of these factors informs our strategic management of portfolio transitions, which can add value over and above a simplistic, “all-in” approach.

Monitoring and Reporting: We stringently monitor the performance of investments and managers based on our own internal metrics and traditional industry benchmarks. Our clients receive regular custodial reports on a monthly basis as well as consolidated portfolio reports each quarter that take into account all the investment assets we are involved with.

Rebalancing: Each year, we take a close look at your portfolio and make adjustments designed to re-align your portfolio with our strategic vision, accounting for broad economic themes or risks that we’ve identified. When viewed over the course of our relationships with clients, this systematic approach reduces risk and enhances returns over time.

Resources - Market Reports

The latest market information and analysis.

Highland offers current and prospective clients insight into the global market, drawing on our solid experience and cutting-edge analytical tools. Please feel free to print, email, or share these reports with anyone you feel would benefit from it. Older market reports are also available for download.

		Fourth Quarter 2012 Investment Snapshot Report
		Third Quarter 2012 Investment Snapshot Report
		Summer 2012 Investor Insight
		Summer 2012 Investment Snapshot Report
		Second Quarter 2012 Investment Snapshot Report
		First Quarter 2012 Investment Snapshot Report

Resources - Assessment Tools

Understanding where you stand today.

Sudden wealth or another major life event marks a decision point in your life. Where will you go from here? It’s a unique opportunity to direct the rest of your life with purpose and vision. The first step toward gaining clarity and focus is to get an accurate picture of where you stand today and what your ideal outcomes might be. These assessment tools help our team here at Highland begin to understand your situation, goals and objectives and form your Wealth Picture, the first step in our Wealth Clarity System. These are not meant to be a substitute for a frank conversation – but rather the beginning of one.

Resources - Video Library

Get to know Highland and how we work to bring you clarity.

Learn more about who we are, what we do for you, and how all the pieces fit together through these brief, engaging video clips. This library is constantly growing - check back often.

		John Christianson gives an introduction to the topic of Decision Points.
		Highland Private Wealth Management serves clients facing decision points. In this video, Ben Johnson discusses the excitement and anxiety with Sudden Wealth.
		At Highland, we stand by our core values. These are the principles that guide us through all aspects of our business and relationships.

Resources - Decision Point Resources

What do you do now?

Wealth brings new complexity and challenges as well as new freedoms and opportunities. Learn more about what to expect, how best to handle the changes to come, and what others have experienced during this time of transition.

	The 3 Ms of Divorce--Myths, Mistakes and Misconceptions Understand the financial and emotional implications of divorce. This article by Highland explores the dissolution process and its impacts.
	What Makes Divorce Different? Highland takes a look at how divorce differs from other major life events and decision points.
	Getting On With Your Life After Divorce How do you figure out, “What’s next?” after a divorce? Highland offers advice and guidance for people beginning the next chapter of their lives.
	1st Annual NW Estate Planning Round Table Brochure
	In the 2012 Political Climate, What's an Investor to do? John was featured in the February 17th 2012 edition of the Puget Sound Business Journal.
	Estate Planning & Charitable Bequests: A blueprint for your future In the Puget Sound Business Journal's March 16th edition, John discusses estate and gift taxes.

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Sitemap

This is an overview of the Highland site. If you can’t find the page you’re looking for here, try the main page or contact us directly.

• Home
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  • Values
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  • Awards & Recognition
  • In The Community
  • FAQs About Highland
• Why Highland?
  • Decision Points
  • Right For Me?
  • Wealth Clarity System
  • Case Studies
• Private Wealth Services
  • What is Private Wealth Management?
  • Financial Planning
  • Investment Philosophy
  • Investment Strategy
  • Investment Management
• Resources
  • Market Reports
  • Assessment Tools
  • Video Library
  • Decision Point Resources
• Contact
• Wealth Clarity Blog
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Legal Info

Highlandprivate.com (the “Site”)

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