John Nicola, CFP, CLU, CHFC | Source | Chairman & Chief Executive Officer at Nicola Wealth

This is the environment in which active management of every single asset really shines, where it really makes a difference. There’s nothing we’re not doing in terms of managing the underlying assets that we’re looking at for clients. Our objective is to manage the cash flow and, ultimately, to look at the opportunities that present themselves.

Our philosophy is very simply this: In order to have a diversified portfolio, you should invest in assets that are representative of global wealth. The industry tends to sell and recommend assets that can be traded in public markets daily. Our view is that’s a fraction of global wealth, and private assets are a greater share of that wealth. Real estate, private equity, private debt and mortgages are all part of the real-world assets. A large pension or family office would typically include all of these asset classes in their mix, but that’s a much more difficult task for individual investors.

Our objective is to bring that more diverse portfolio to individual investors. Our model of advanced financial planning and advising with a truly diversified investment strategy performs very well in a crisis such as this – as it did in 2000 and 2008. It’s during these times that all that preparation and modelling pays off for clients and for us.