Saltmarsh Financial Advisors Host Implications of Investor Behavior Events

1/31/2018 - By Zachary Farrington

Saltmarsh Financial Advisors was honored to welcome Christian Newton, Regional Director of Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA) as a guest speaker for several special events in Pensacola and Destin.

In his “Implications of Investor Behavior” presentations, Mr. Newton explored the foundations of behavioral psychology and explained why behavioral finance and market efficiency are compatible notions. He focused on how many of our inherent cognitive biases that help us navigate our every-day lives can work against us when it comes to making sound investing decisions, yielding poor and even disastrous investment outcomes.

Despite what we may think, no one is immune to emotionally-driven behavior which “often begins out of greed or fear.” Academic research offers well-documented lessons in the pitfalls of emotional investing, demonstrating that even historical giants such as Sir Isaac Newton fell prey to emotional investor behavior.

Importantly, Mr. Newton noted that DFA does not try to predict the future, instead they desire to help advisors and clients take advantage of a breadth of investments over long periods of time to drive success. Even so, planning, investments, and asset allocation can only go so far. Your financial advisor should be there to help you not only create a tailored investment plan, but also offer the appropriate guidance and sound advice you need.

Christina Doss, Managing Director, explained that the primary means of avoiding common investment mistakes and sticking to your plan is to “… work with a registered investment advisor, who is also a fiduciary focused on your best interest. This relationship will ensure that you focus on what you can control versus what you can’t control as you navigate the markets. Given that every investment decision is also a tax decision, leveraging an advisor who takes a holistic approach to planning will impact your retirement plan and peace of mind.”

Saltmarsh Financial Advisors is proud to offer our clients a low-cost, tax-efficient and principled investment offering through our partnership with Dimensional Fund Advisors.

About Christian Newton, Regional Director, DFA
Christian Newton is a frequent presenter at industry events and DFA conferences where he helps both advisors and clients understand Dimensional’s capital markets research and its application to portfolio and practice management. Christian’s 10 years with Dimensional’s Marketing group serving in multiple roles, including vice president of marketing, has given him a unique perspective on how marketing within the financial services industry can directly influence investor behavior. His past presentations have included thoughtful discussions around the ‘Attention Economy’ and the importance of filtering harmful noise and maintaining a focus on what materially impacts long term goals.

About Dimensional Fund Advisors
Dimensional Fund Advisors is a leading global investment firm that has been translating academic research to practical investment solutions since 1981. Guided by a strong belief in markets, we help investors pursue higher expected returns through advanced portfolio design and careful implementation

About Saltmarsh Financial Advisors
Saltmarsh Financial Advisors, LLC is a financial planning and investment management service provider with decades of industry experience. We deliver state-of-the-art portfolio design with investment philosophies based on Nobel Prize recognized academic research regarding capital markets and the science of investing to our clients. Learn More.