Personal Financial Planning for Dentists & Specialists

At Dentist Advisors, we believe markets can create remarkable value for investors. For those who stick around long enough to capture the returns, history shows that markets provide disciplined investors with a unique value proposition, including high expected returns (compared to other assets classes) with virtually no requirement of individual effort or time commitment. Few investments can boast those kinds of dynamics.

Our investment roots are most influenced by the science of investing and behavioral economics. We subscribe to the theories of widely respected economists, professors, Nobel Prize winners, and psychologists. The consensus of a variety of experts, along with other financial thought leaders, has helped us adhere to certain core investment values:

1. While it’s true that markets go up and down, it’s also true that prices are quite fair because they represent the objective viewpoints of buyers and sellers all over the world who trade billions of dollars each day.
2. Investors who attempt to “beat” the market essentially believe their own knowledge outweighs the combined wisdom of all market participants. In most cases, those investors usually fall short. Beating the market often involves taking above-average risk and incurring above-average costs—and most often those two trade-offs are simply not worth the potential reward.
3. Behind every investable security are companies, governments—and ultimately people—who are motivated by self-interest to make economic gains. Some will succeed and some will fail, but on the whole markets expand over time as competition drives innovation.

Instead of chasing returns, we take a more systematic approach to trading and investing. Our philosophy is to build a portfolio that owns a share of the “entire market.” To achieve this, and to keep the odds in your favor, we most often use mutual funds and ETFs (exchange-traded funds) that provide exposure to countries and securities across the globe. Simply owning one index fund is not enough to achieve a properly diversified portfolio—and despite general public opinion, the cheapest index funds are not always the best performers as they may not have the specific attributes (e.g. country or accounting metric) you’re seeking to replicate.

In addition to following research-based principles, we build portfolios of diversified investments across countries, companies, and currencies that are specific to your individual age, need for liquidity, personal spending and major purchase goals. Your timelines, risk requirements, and savings objectives are specific to you, and must be understood before any decisions are made with your money.

Beyond the mechanics of a well-constructed portfolio, we believe the biggest factor in your overall investment success is how you behave during tough markets. Natural human emotions like fear and greed are the enemy of consistency, and often lead to reactive cycles of buying high and selling low. Of all the ways an experienced investment advisor can help you achieve better returns, behavioral coaching to help you stay the course is the most impactful. See Vanguard’s “Advisor’s Alpha” report.

We also understand your practice is the engine that powers your growth. A thriving business provides the cash flow to pay down your debt faster, support the lifestyle you want for your family, and save more money for the future. By accumulating assets in the right order, you can enjoy maximum flexibility during your career and throughout retirement.