St. Germain

Financial Planning

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes St. Germain Investment Management different from other investment firms?

This is a common question. For starters, we are an independent investment firm and have been since 1924. We do not provide bundled solutions--we manage client's assets based on their needs. So, we buy stocks and bonds based on a number of factors important to the investor, such as goals, life stage & lifestyle, risk tolerance among others. Relatively speaking, our investment philosophy is conservative, meaning we do not buy the hottest stocks that are often the subject of popular investment TV shows and similar other media.

I'm curious as to how St. Germain earns their money. Give me the short, direct answer.

We are paid 1-percent of assets under management [AUM]. So, if you have $100,000 with us, we earn one percent or $1,000. We do not take comissions or "sell" products. We offer our investment strategy based on your specific goals and needs. If you need more specific information, you can call and ask to speak with Brendon Hutchins or Patricia Faginski.

You often talk about the advantages of a local firm. Don’t I get the same advantages talking to the local representative of a particular fund?

Actually, you may not have an advantage: the local rep is exactly that…a representative. With us, you get information directly from the investment directors. Your mutual fund representative will likely not be able to give you the rationale as to why the portfolio manager (who may not be in the same office) bought or sold a security. It’s possible she/he has never met the manager. And the mutual fund representative only sees the same snapshot of holdings twice a year that you see, so the manager may well be doing something different now anyway. With St. Germain, you can discuss today’s holding, our current strategy, and talk directly to the professional making the investing decision.

If I have a question about my St. Germain account, who should I ask for when I call?

You can ask your question of our receptionist who will then direct you to the appropriate professional. It is that simple. You won’t be greeted by a computerized voice that gives you a list of touchpad options because we’re convinced that most clients prefer to deal directly with a person, a person that knows how to respond to your specific needs. You can even talk to our investment directors, the very professionals who make the purchase/sell decisions!

Do you invest in auction rate securities? What about mortgage products? Sub-prime related financial instruments. These are mentioned a lot in the news lately.

No, we do not invest in either auction rate securities or mortgage products. As many have seen, some of these financial instruments take on too much risk.

I know I can access my St. Germain account online, but why don’t you have financial calculators on your website? A lot of other financial services and bank sites offer them in addition to account access.

The calculators you refer to are good for finding approximate values, but it won’t take into account other relevant details about your total financial picture and some of these details can be rather complex. Many of our clients prefer our hands-on approach to managing wealth and asset preservation. It’s why we provide our Total Financial Advisory service, a service that goes far beyond what an online financial calculator offers.

I've seen some of your advertising. Is it true that your Total Financial Advisory is free of charge for clients?

Yes, it's also a no obligation, no charge service that we provide to prospects as well. Before we even talk about stocks or bonds, we first need to know more about your goals and current investments and debt obligations. All of these are important to crafting your investment strategy. You need to call and speak with Patricia Faginski, Amy Santarelli or one of our account managers if you have more specific questions about our Total Financial Advisory.