Investment Management Located in Des Moines, Iowa

Syverson Strege, a financial planning and investment management firm, founded in Des Moines, Iowa in 1997, is dedicated to reviewing, understanding, and developing an investment strategy that fits your needs and overall financial plan. Whether it’s time to create a college savings plan or plan how much to save for retirement, Syverson Strege consists of credentialed financial practitioners with investment experience.

Syverson Strege has three NAPFA-registered Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA®) on staff, more than any other fee-only financial planner within a 150-mile radius of West Des Moines (NAPFA, 2024). According to the CFA Institute, the charter gives a strong understanding of advanced investment analysis and real-world portfolio management skills and is the gold standard for the investment industry. To become a CFA® requires more than 900 hours of studying to pass three exams. Does your wealth manager measure up? A CFA® Charterholder does.

Our three NAPFA-registered Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA®) are part of a dedicated and credentialed Investment Committee with wide-ranging experience to guide our clients. The Investment Committee meets on a regular basis to review and analyze the latest investment information that can benefit your portfolio and help you achieve your desired financial success.

Our investment management team serves:

• Individuals and Families
• Endowments and Foundations
• Charitable Trusts
• Non-profit Organizations

Syverson Strege abides by a fiduciary oath signifying we will always act in your best interest. We do not work on a commission basis and our only compensation is paid by you. Ultimately, this means we are not incentivized by any third-party vendor, such as, banks or brokerage firms. Our responsibility is to you!

Investment Philosophy

Our investment philosophy is centered around you, the client. We help identify your goals and objectives, and then develop an investment portfolio to help you meet those goals within your risk tolerance.

Your portfolio is constructed through broad diversification to reduce risk. We look for exposure to a number of asset classes, preferring those that are undervalued and have the best ability to achieve return goals given the level of risk taken.

Investment Philosophy:

• Creating a goal-based investment plan
• Structuring a portfolio around “dimensions” of return
• Diversifying broadly and globally
• Reducing expenses and turnover
• Minimizing taxes

Portfolio Construction

	The first step in constructing a portfolio is to fully understand the client’s unique situation. This includes listening to the client’s goals for the money they are investing, and to evaluate the purpose for the funds and the rate of return that is expected. It also includes an in-depth discussion on risk and determining the magnitude of volatility and loss the client is willing to withstand. We strongly believe in creating a comprehensive financial plan for clients with an integrated investment strategy.
	The next step is to combine the client’s preferred risk and return parameters with our analysis of current financial market conditions. This market analysis includes a valuation and forecast of the stock and bond markets to determine the broad mixture of stocks and bonds that most likely will achieve the client’s goals.
	Once the overall mixture of stocks and bonds is chosen, the sub-asset classes within each broad category are evaluated to achieve proper diversification. Our approach includes tilting stock investments toward companies that have better value (higher book to price ratios), higher profits, and are smaller in size which all have shown to consistently outperform the market as a whole over time. It also includes a globally diversified portfolio that incorporates international stocks and bonds into the allocation.
	We then choose the professional money managers in each asset class that will be selecting the individual stocks and bonds to implement the client’s chosen strategy. As an independent, fee-only investment advisor, we have the freedom to objectively choose from the thousands of managers and investment vehicles that are available. We recommend both “active” and “passive” (enhanced index) management strategies in asset classes where they have historically shown to add consistent value.
	Our investment management process includes monitoring the performance and allocation of our strategies on an ongoing basis. Our investment team meets every month to ensure that our chosen investment managers and vehicles are performing to our standards and the standards of our clients. In addition, our trading team systematically rebalances accounts every quarter to ensure they are in-line with the target allocation outlined in each client’s Investment Policy Statement.

Investment Management Process

Syverson Strege follows a strategic process to create and manage your investment portfolio. Keeping your investment goals in mind, an investment strategy will be implemented, monitored, and rebalanced, with regular reporting back to you. We are dedicated to reviewing, understanding, and developing an investment strategy that fits your needs.

What You Can Expect When You Contact Syverson Strege

When you take the next step to meet with one of our investment management professionals, you will go through a two-step meeting process free of charge and with complete confidentiality.

We will start with an Opportunity Meeting in which our investment management professionals will learn more about your financial situation and have a conversation about what is most important to you.

Next, we will schedule a Proposal Meeting to present custom financial plan and investment management options, a fee schedule, and discuss the process of becoming a client. Throughout these meetings, we focus on YOU as part of our team!

Syverson Strege As Your Investment Management Team

Contact our team today to learn more about our investment philosophy, investment experience, and how we can help to provide peace of mind, clarity, and simplicity for your financial future.