Ken Edwins is CEO of the Scottsdale-based Edwins Wealth Management. The wealth manager has been helping customers for 25 years. He is a chartered financial consultant and an accredited portfolio management advisor. Edwins offers securities and advisory services through Commonwealth Financial Network®, Member FINRA/SIPC, a Registered Investment Advisor. He answers some of the most common questions about investing.
You encourage people to take on "sustainable approaches to investing." Can you explain what that means?
A sustainable approach to investing would be ascertaining how much risk and volatility you as an investor can sustain during market swings. Setting goals is critical to this approach because your goals need to align with your ability to emotionally absorb market swings.
If you want a very high return but cannot sustain the risk levels needed to achieve these returns, it creates a disconnect between what you can do emotionally and what you want to achieve.
How do you assist customers in determining the best investment strategies?
We help determine their strategy based upon where they are in their life cycle. We consider if they are saving for college, retirement, a second home, or a special purchase. We examine what their investment experience has been to date. Past experience is important because it will impact how a person wants to move forward.
It is common today for people to have their own online investment strategies. How can working with a financial advisor be more beneficial than someone trying to make investments themselves?
What I have learned over 25-plus years as a wealth manager is that the equity markets are constantly changing. By working with an advisor that has been through many of the market's up and downs, you get someone who knows how to traverse the terrain.
What would be the typical process for working with a new client?
We spend a lot of time getting to know a new client. We discover their likes and dislikes pertaining to their current financial and investment experiences. We discuss what they would like to do the same as in the past and what they would like to do differently. Then we can develop the best, most customized plan for that particular client.
Do you recommend someone new to the job market, such as a recent college graduate, working with a wealth manager, or is this service only for those established, with more money to invest?
Our clients cover a wide range of ages and asset levels. Investing is personalized and we can help each client in different ways.
What is the key to sustainable investing in 2021 and beyond?
We tell our clients to manage their risk levels, be clear about where they are going, and don't get too far ahead of themselves.
How can someone get in touch?
We are based in Scottsdale. Potential clients can call the office at 480.222.0064.
Securities and advisory services offered through Commonwealth Financial Network®, Member FINRA/SIPC, a Registered Investment Advisor. Fixed insurance products and services offered through Edwins Wealth Management or CES Insurance Agency.