For Current Still Water Clients

Your Investment Solution: Altera Wealth

As your financial planning partner, we've carefully selected Altera Wealth to manage your investment portfolio. This document explains why we've chosen this partnership and how it directly benefits you as a Still Water client.

Why We've Chosen Altera Wealth

At Still Water Financial Partners, we believe that true sophistication lies in clarity, not complexity. After extensive research and due diligence, we've selected Altera Wealth as our investment partner for clients seeking factor-based investment strategies:

Dimensional Fund Advisor Access

Altera Wealth provides access to exclusive Dimensional Fund Advisor (DFA) portfolios, which are typically unavailable to individual investors and require a specialized relationship with an approved advisor.

Evidence-Based Factor Investing

Their investment approach systematically targets specific "factors" (such as size, value, and profitability) that academic research has shown to deliver higher expected returns over time, particularly suitable for long-term capital growth.

Sophisticated Portfolio Construction

Altera constructs DFA portfolios designed to capture long-term outperformance while accepting shorter-term volatility—an approach particularly well-suited for growth-oriented long-term investors with appropriate time horizons.

Academic Research Foundation

Their investment methodology is built on decades of academic research, including work by Nobel laureates, providing a disciplined, systematic approach rather than attempting to predict market movements.

When Factor Investing Makes Sense for You

While we offer multiple investment solutions through our trusted partners, the DFA portfolios available through Altera Wealth may be particularly suitable for you if:

  • You have a long-term investment horizon: Factor investing typically requires patience to realize the full benefits, making it ideal for money you don't need for 7+ years

  • You can tolerate short-term volatility: Factor portfolios may experience periods of underperformance relative to the broader market while seeking higher long-term returns

  • Your corporate investment account needs growth: The tax-efficient structure of DFA portfolios works well within corporate accounts focused on long-term capital appreciation

  • You want a disciplined, systematic approach: You prefer a rigorously designed investment methodology rather than attempting to time markets or pick individual stocks

  • You value academic research: You appreciate an investment approach grounded in decades of peer-reviewed financial research rather than market predictions

Your Still Water advisor will help determine if this approach aligns with your overall financial plan, time horizon, and risk tolerance. We may recommend Altera for specific portions of your portfolio while using other solutions for different objectives.

Factor Investing Advantage

The Dimensional Fund Advisor portfolios available through Altera Wealth are built on powerful investment factors that academic research has identified as drivers of higher expected returns:

Size Factor

What it is: Smaller companies have historically outperformed larger companies over time.

Value Factor

What it is: Companies trading at lower relative prices have historically outperformed those at higher relative prices.

Profitability Factor

What it is: Companies with higher profitability have historically delivered better returns than less profitable companies.

Momentum Factor

What it is: Stocks that have recently outperformed tend to continue outperforming in the near term.

Unlike traditional index funds that simply track the market, these factor-based portfolios are designed to systematically capture these proven drivers of returns while maintaining broad diversification across global markets.

How It Works for Still Water Clients

Implementation Process

  1. Portfolio Selection: Still Water will support our partner portfolio manager from Altera Wealth to select appropriate portfolios based on your comprehensive financial plan

  2. Streamlined Setup: We'll provide you with a direct link to open your Altera Wealth accounts, and assist with the account opening process during implementation.

  3. Transfer Coordination: Our partners at Altera Wealth will help coordinate any transfers from existing investment accounts

  4. Dashboard Integration: Your new Altera Wealth accounts will appear on your Still Water consolidated net worth dashboard once opened and linked

  5. Ongoing Oversight: Still Water will monitor your Altera Wealth portfolios as part of your regular financial reviews, including our partner portfolio manager when appropriate

Your Ongoing Experience

  • Regular Reviews: Your Altera Wealth investments are reviewed as part of your semi-annual Still Water strategy meetings

  • Tax Documentation: You'll receive consolidated tax documents from Altera Wealth for your annual tax preparation

  • 24/7 Access: View your investments anytime through the Altera Wealth client portal or your Still Water dashboard

  • Dedicated Support: Still Water remains your primary contact for all financial questions

Combined Partnership Fees

As a Still Water client, you benefit from our completely transparent fee structure with no hidden costs. Here's the all-in cost breakdown for your wealth management services:

Still Water Financial Partners

Our tiered advisory fee structure provides comprehensive financial planning for your entire financial picture.

  • 1.00% on the first $1,000,000

  • 0.50% on amounts from $1,000,001 to $5,000,000

  • 0.25% on amounts above $5,000,000

These fees are applied as a reduction against your Still Water Financial Planning Fees

Altera Wealth Management Fees

Through our partnership, you receive sophisticated wealth management with the latest technology and personalized service.

0.40% on all assets

This fee covers portfolio construction, implementation, rebalancing, ongoing management, and access to Altera's advanced technology platform.

Underlying Investment Costs

The investments themselves have minimal embedded costs, optimized for your specific situation.

0.15% - 0.25% (approximate)

These costs vary based on your selected investment approach. There are no hidden trailer fees or embedded advisor commissions.