“Transform Your Business SuccessInto Enduring Personal Wealth.”
Max Mueller, Managing Partner & CIO
Where are you exposed?
- More than half my net worth is tied up in the business I built
- My only retirement plan is the exit
- My CPA and my advisor have never spoken to each other
- I couldn't say how my portfolio would behave in different market environments
- I've never seen what my family's income looks like if I stop working tomorrow
Latest thinking
A Packed Week: Big Tech, Central Banks, And A Ceasefire That Does Not Hold
Approaching this week's earnings with caution.
What our clients ask us
What is a financial plan, and why do I need one?
It's the structure around the money — what it's for, when you need it, and what happens when something changes.
For a business owner, retirement usually isn't a date on a calendar. It's a transaction. The plan answers what the business needs to be worth for that to work, what your income looks like once you're no longer drawing from it, and how tax and investment decisions between now and then either support that or quietly work against it.
What's your investment philosophy?
Four things come before anything else: safety, liquidity, consistency, and long-term compounding. Our portfolio models are built around those first — not around a forecast.
From there we stay close enough to markets to respond when conditions change, rather than after they already have.
Why active management?
The four things we build for aren't fixed properties of a portfolio — they change as markets change. Staying informed lets us respond deliberately instead of holding one allocation through every environment.
Active here means every position has defined parameters and a reason to be there. That starts with risk. Risk management isn’t a control applied to a portfolio once it’s built — it’s the doctrine we build from. We don’t take a position and then work out how to manage its downside; if we can’t define that downside, and the point at which the position stops making sense, we don’t take it. That’s a different thing from trading often.
What does it mean that you're a fiduciary?
As a registered investment adviser, we’re held to a fiduciary standard: obligated to act in your interest and to disclose conflicts of interest. That’s a higher bar than suitability, which only asks whether a recommendation is appropriate.
Do you work with my CPA and attorney?
Yes. Financial planning and tax strategy go hand in hand, and we’re always willing to be part of the conversation to make sure they’re developed together rather than separately.
If you're a client of Mueller & Associates, CPAs, we coordinate all efforts. The two firms share common ownership.
How are you paid?
A percentage of assets under management for investment management. A flat fee for financial planning. A commission for insurance-related products.
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