Low-cost, tax-efficient portfolio management
The Problem
Your Portfolio Doesn't Exist in a Vacuum. So Why Is It Managed Like It Does?
Your advisor rebalances in December without asking your CPA how it'll hit your return. You're paying capital gains taxes that could have been offset, if anyone had been paying attention.
Most investment managers optimize for one thing: returns before taxes. But returns before taxes aren't what you spend. What you spend is what's left after the IRS takes its share.
How Your Advisor Gets Paid Changes What They Recommend
Not all financial advisors are compensated the same way, and the difference directly affects what ends up in your portfolio. United is fee-only: we don't earn commissions, sell products, or receive referral fees. The only people who pay us are our clients.
Simple. Disciplined. Tax-Efficient.
We don't chase performance. We don't try to time the market. And we don't use expensive, actively managed funds that statistically underperform their benchmarks over time.
How Tax-Aware Investing Works in Practice
Six coordinated strategies that turn portfolio management into after-tax wealth building.
Tax-Loss Harvesting
When positions decline, we strategically realize losses to offset gains elsewhere, coordinated with your actual tax situation, because a loss that saves you 37 cents on the dollar is worth a lot more than one that saves you 12.
Asset Location Optimization
The same investment can produce very different after-tax results depending on which account it sits in. We place bonds and REITs in IRAs while keeping tax-efficient equity index funds in taxable accounts.
Rebalancing With Tax Consequences in Mind
We rebalance strategically, using new contributions, dividends, and tax-loss harvesting opportunities to bring your portfolio back to target without creating avoidable tax bills.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is investment management?
Investment management is the ongoing process of designing, implementing, monitoring, and adjusting a portfolio based on your goals, time horizon, risk tolerance, income needs, tax situation, and broader financial plan.
How does SCM approach investment management?
SCM uses low-cost, globally diversified portfolios guided by each client's financial plan and tax situation. Portfolio decisions are coordinated with planning and tax considerations instead of being managed in isolation.
Why does tax efficiency matter in investment management?
Tax efficiency matters because pre-tax return is not the same as spendable wealth. Asset location, tax-loss harvesting, rebalancing, capital gains timing, and withdrawal sequencing can all affect what you keep after taxes.
Do you use active funds or index investing?
SCM emphasizes disciplined, low-cost index investing rather than trying to time markets or rely on expensive active management. The portfolio is built to serve the client's plan, not to chase short-term performance.
This information is general education only. Decisions about tax, investment, retirement, or financial planning should be evaluated against your specific circumstances with qualified professionals.
Ready for Investment Management That Sees the Full Picture?
Schedule a no-pressure conversation. We'll listen to how your portfolio is currently managed, what's working, what isn't, and whether a more coordinated approach could make a meaningful difference.
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