Frequently Asked Money Management Questions

Frequently Asked Questions


What is Adviser Investments?
Adviser Investments is an independent, private money management firm specializing in Vanguard and Fidelity mutual funds.

Our team of investment professionals has been helping individual investors, trusts, and institutions select top funds and top managers to achieve their goals since 1994. Our diversified, risk-adjusted approach has been thoroughly tested through Bull and Bear markets.

With $1.2 billion dollars in assets under management and 1,400 clients worldwide, Adviser Investments is one of the largest investment advisers specializing in Vanguard and Fidelity funds. With size comes access to fund managers and a dedicated service team responsible for servicing our clients.

We are not market timers. We do not earn commissions on trades. We do not jump on every investment bandwagon that comes along. We specialize in mutual funds and our first and only loyalty is to you—our client.
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Who are Daniel P. Wiener and James H. Lowell III?
Daniel P. Wiener is chairman and founder of Adviser Investments. He also edits one of the nation’s leading financial newsletters, the five-time award-winning Independent Adviser for Vanguard Investors. Dan is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading independent authorities on Vanguard funds. His views and opinions appear regularly in such publications as the Wall Street Journal and Barron’s and on CNBC and PBS’s Nightly Business Report.

James H. Lowell III is a partner and chief investment strategist with Adviser Investments. A prolific author—most recently of Smart Money Moves and Investing from Scratch (Penguin, USA)—and editor and owner of the award-winning Fidelity Investor newsletter, Jim is widely regarded as one of the nation’s leading experts on Fidelity funds. You may have seen his insights in the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, and the Boston Globe, or on CNBC, Fox news, and PBS’s Nightly Business Report.
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What are the advantages of working with Adviser Investments?

  • Active portfolio management by two of the nation’s leading mutual fund experts, Daniel P. Wiener and James H. Lowell III
  • A personalized investment strategy that consists of seasoned Vanguard and Fidelity managers available to meet your objectives
  • Unbiased, independent advice on Vanguard and Fidelity funds. We don’t have an axe to grind; our first and only loyalty is to you—our client
  • Vigilant, professional monitoring of your investments so you can enjoy your nest egg
  • Quarterly reports and reviews
  • High-level service from your own personal portfolio executive, who knows you, your objectives, and the appropriate funds to meet them
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Why specialize in Fidelity and Vanguard funds?
We believe Vanguard and Fidelity provide all the tools an investor needs to create an intelligent, well-diversified portfolio-at low cost. In fact, we use the different characteristics of each fund family to your advantage-and offer you the Best of Both Worlds.

At Vanguard that means low costs, no nonsense funds, and a bevy of outstanding actively managed funds which are complimented by the company's renowned equity index and low-cost bond funds.

At Fidelity it means some of the best minds, best funds, best research, and best support services anywhere.
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What is Adviser Investments track record?
Every account at Adviser Investments is customized to fit our clients’ individual needs.

That said, Dan and Jim publish the performance of their newsletter model portfolios on a monthly basis. These figures are reviewed and ranked regularly by the leading newsletter watchdog, Hulbert Financial Digest. The Independent Adviser for Vanguard Investors five-year performance consistently ranks in the top 5 of all mutual fund newsletters on a risk-adjusted basis. Fidelity Investor was among the top-ranked Fidelity newsletters.*
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How would my account relationship with Adviser Investments work?
When you’re ready, you designate us to manage your account by giving us limited trading authority. Your account remains in your name. Your money is always available to you. In fact, we never take possession of your assets.

Based on the risk and asset allocation strategy you help us design, we make the investment decisions for you. We do not notify you of every trade before it’s made (which enables us to respond to opportunities more quickly), although you will be issued a trade confirmation the day after each transaction is executed. We also send you a comprehensive report summarizing your returns and your holdings with us on a quarterly basis.
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Is Adviser Investments affiliated with the Vanguard Group or Fidelity Investments?
As a privately owned firm, we are completely independent of Vanguard and Fidelity. Consequently, we accept no commissions or compensation of any kind from Vanguard and Fidelity. Our investment process integrates a disciplined asset allocation strategy with our objective, unbiased investment analysis to determine the most effective strategy for each client. Again, our first and only loyalty is to you.
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Who makes the investment decisions for my portfolio?
As chief investment strategists, Dan Wiener and Jim Lowell make the ultimate decisions regarding which investments are made on your behalf. The process involves both economic and market analysis to determine the most effective allocation of your assets. Actual fund selections are made after a careful review of each fund manager’s track record, discipline, and actual fund holdings. Your portfolio executive will serve as your liaison to make sure the underlying strategy for your portfolio is appropriate for your needs at all times.
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What is your minimum account size?
Our services are most appropriate for investors with at least $350,000 in investable assets.
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How do I establish an account with Adviser Investments?
To get started, simply fill out the confidential application and questionnaire. Or better yet, give us a call today at (800) 492-6868, and we'll walk you through the process.
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* These results represent the performance of Dan Wiener’s model portfolios in the Independent Adviser for Vanguard Investors which is owned and operated by Phillips Publishing, Inc. of Potomac, MD, and Jim Lowell’s Fidelity Investor newsletter, which is owned and operated by FundWorks Inc. of Needham, MA. The returns do not represent actual trading done of behalf of clients of Adviser Investments and could vary if actual client monies were used. Dividends are reinvested and no management fees have been deducted. Adviser Investments cannot guarantee the accuracy of these figures. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.