The Principal
Marshall Sitarik, a Certified Financial Planner (CFP)
practitioner, and State of Florida Registered Investment
Advisor, has been an Orlando resident since 1961. Marshall
has earned both an MBA specializing in finance and
a Master of Taxation specializing in accounting, from
the University of Central Florida. He also completed
an additional two years of study earning his Certified
Financial Planner designation from the College for
Financial Planning in Denver. Marshall has taught financial
planning courses at the University of Central Florida
and Valencia Community College. He brings this educational
approach to his clients, believing that an educated
client is in the best interests of the client and Certified Investment Management.
The Firm
Marshall started Certified Investment Management in 1994 as an independent, fee-only financial planning and investment advisory firm. He uses no-load (no-commission) mutual funds to custom design, implement and monitor client investment portfolios. Marshall believes commission based sales of financial products contain an inherent conflict of interest and consequently adheres strictly to a fee-only structure with his clients. He does not sell any products, receive any other forms of compensation, prepare tax returns or draft legal documents.
The Investing Philosophy
There's a big difference between investment and speculation. Make no mistake, however, one can become rich through speculation; say if one wins the lottery. However, we believe it is inappropriate to hang ones retirement hat on the hope of hitting it big through "playing the market" or finding that "one hot stock." Instead the reasonable person develops a long-term investment plan designed to meet a goal, implements the plan , and monitors the plan, making adjustments when necessary, to achieve the goal.
Portfolio Construction
Certified Investment Management goes to great lengths to understand each client's goals, time horizon and risk tolerance. Once that is understood and agreed upon by both the firm and the client, an appropriate, personalized investment portfolio can be constructed. Portfolios are constructed using an asset allocation approach, picking asset classes with small to negative correlations to one another. No-Load (no commission) mutual funds are then used as surrogates for the broader asset classes. Emphasis is placed on utilizing funds with below-average expense ratios as one way to enhance client returns.
How Certified Investment Management Is Different
When he entered the investment business in 1994, Marshall had a choice of going with one of the major brokerage houses or starting his own independent firm. Obviously, he started his own firm. The reasoning was simple. When he looked at the big brokerage firms, he saw a commission based system designed to make the brokerages wealthy, not put the clients first. In addition, he saw "investment advisors", often times with no formal education that knew very little about investments, but were good salespeople. It wasn't the road he wanted to travel.
At Certified Investment Management, Marshall takes an educational approach to the investment process—not a sales approach. His best clients are knowledgeable educated clients. We approach their investments as a team, bringing, not sales tactics to the table, but rather data based decision-making. At Certified Investment Management, our recommendations are backed by hard data, education, and experience. If this is the approach you prefer, please just give us a call to set up a free initial consultation.
Why Is A Certified Financial Planner Licensee Better
A CFP practitioner must meet the following requirements: he/ she must pass a rigorous two-day, 10-hour exam which currently has a less than 50 percent pass rate, have a bachelors degree or higher, have at least three years of experience in financial planning, and adhere to the stringent code of ethics developed by the CFP Board of Directors. Additionally, a CFP must meet a fiduciary standard, always putting the interests of his/her client above their own. Many call themselves "financial planners" but only those who meet the high standards of the CFP Board can call themselves CFP Practitioners.
A Final Note
Many firms, both large and small, state their objectives in terms of profitability and earnings. Certified Investment Management believes this is a mistake. At Certified Investment Management, clients come first. At Certified Investment Management, the mission is to provide excellent client service, always to put the client's interests first, and to assist the client in achieving his or her financial goals to the very best of the firm's ability. If this philosophy is carried out, Certified Investment Management won't have to worry about profitability and earnings, they will naturally occur because of the firm's emphasis on its client's welfare.
The First Step
To find out how we can help you meet your financial goals, schedule a free initial get acquainted meeting. Please call Marshall Sitarik at 407-977-3800 or just fill out our contact form.