Investment Proposal

Workflow

Step 1: Prospect Context

Gather:

• Prospect name and household details
• Current situation: Existing advisor? Self-directed? What prompted the meeting?
• Assets: Estimated AUM, account types, current holdings (if shared)
• Goals: Retirement, wealth preservation, growth, income, education, estate
• Risk tolerance: Conservative, moderate, aggressive (or questionnaire score)
• Constraints: ESG preferences, concentrated stock, illiquidity needs
• Fee sensitivity: What are they paying now?
• Competition: Who else are they considering?

Step 2: Proposal Structure

I. About Our Firm (1 page)

• Firm overview, history, AUM
• Investment philosophy (in plain English)
• Team bios (relevant to this client)
• Client service model (how often do we meet, who do they call)

II. Understanding Your Needs (1 page)

• Restate their goals and concerns, show you listened
• Key planning considerations identified in discovery
• What success looks like for them

III. Proposed Investment Strategy (2-3 pages)

• Recommended asset allocation with rationale
• How allocation maps to their goals and risk tolerance
• Investment vehicles (ETFs, mutual funds, individual securities, alternatives)
• Tax-aware strategy (asset location, tax-loss harvesting)

Proposed allocation:

Asset Class	Allocation	Vehicle	Rationale

IV. Expected Outcomes (1-2 pages)

• Projected growth scenarios (conservative, moderate, optimistic)
• Monte Carlo probability of meeting goals
• Income projections (if retirement or income-focused)
• Risk metrics (max drawdown, volatility)
• Comparison to current portfolio (if known)

V. Fee Structure (1 page)

• Advisory fee schedule (tiered if applicable)
• Underlying fund expenses
• Total all-in cost estimate
• How fees compare to industry averages
• Value proposition, what they get for the fee