Our Investment Process
How we build.
Every client at Incline Financial Planning has an investment policy that is documented, signed, and managed to a deliberate process. The work is not improvised, and it is not based on market predictions. It is grounded in a set of beliefs about how wealth is actually built over decades, and a methodology that turns those beliefs into a working portfolio.
We have written the entire process down. The full document — Our Investment Process: How We Build — walks through every meaningful piece of how we manage client wealth: the philosophy, the target allocation, the tax-aware practices, the transition from accumulation to distribution, and the things we deliberately will not do.
Download the white paper (PDF)
What the document covers
Our investment philosophy. Five core beliefs that shape every recommendation we make — about markets, diversification, cost, taxes, and the role of investor behavior in long-term outcomes.
Portfolio construction and target allocation. The specific six-category allocation we build for clients during accumulation, the rationale behind every weight, and the case for an all-equity portfolio during the wealth-building years.
The three tax buckets — and the fourth one most households miss. How tax-free, tax-deferred, and taxable accounts each play a role in a complete plan, and why the Health Savings Account deserves more attention than it usually gets.
Choosing tax-free, tax-deferred, or taxable. The single most consequential investment decision most households never deliberately make, and how we approach it.
Tax-loss harvesting. What we actually do in client taxable accounts, why it matters more than most do-it-yourself investors realize, and how we execute it without triggering the IRS wash-sale rule.
The accumulation-to-distribution transition. The two-bucket strategy that protects the equity portfolio from sequence-of-returns risk, including the specific year-by-year buildup of the cash reserve and the annual replenishment that follows.
The Investment Policy Statement. What governs every decision in the relationship — and the protections it provides during emotionally difficult moments in markets.
The technology stack. RightCapital, iRebal, and Schwab — the three platforms that underpin the work, named openly so clients know exactly what tools are involved in managing their money.
What we will not do. Seven specific things we have decided against — including commissions, proprietary funds, market timing, leverage, and alternatives we do not understand. The list is intentional and is one of the most differentiating parts of how we work.
Who this document is for
The white paper is written for AA pilots who want to understand the investment work behind a real financial planning relationship — before signing on with anyone. It is technical enough to be useful, written plainly enough to be accessible, and substantive enough to read whether you become a client or not.
Some pilots will read it and decide our methodology is not what they were looking for. That is fine. The document exists to make the relationship transparent up front. We would rather have ten honest readers than one client who joined without knowing what they were getting.
Download the white paper (PDF)
When you are ready
If what you read resonates and you want to talk, the next step is your Initial Flight Plan — a complimentary 60-minute working session designed specifically for AA pilots.