Discretionary portfolio management
We build, rebalance and tax manage the portfolio under a policy you signed off on.
Managing portfolios since 2013
A portfolio you can explain to yourself
Low cost index funds, a written policy statement and rebalancing on a schedule. No stock picking stories, no products with our name on them.
$168Munder management
0.09%average fund cost
13 yrsmanaging money
What we manage
Portfolio work, done the boring way
Every account we manage runs against a written investment policy statement you approve.
Portfolio second opinion
A written review of what you already hold, the real costs and what we would change.
Nonprofit and endowment management
Spending policy, board reporting and an investment committee packet each quarter.
Concentrated stock diversification
A staged sell plan for a single position that has grown past what you can afford to lose.
Held away 401(k) guidance
Fund selection and allocation inside a plan we do not custody, reviewed twice a year.
Our philosophy
We do not think we can outguess the market
Cedar Bluff was founded in 2013 on a simple premise: after costs, most active management does not beat a broadly diversified index portfolio, so we should compete on discipline, tax efficiency and behavior instead. We publish our model allocations, we tell clients when we are doing nothing, and doing nothing is often the right answer.
•Broadly diversified, low cost funds only
•Written investment policy statement for every account
•Rebalancing on bands, not on hunches
Reviews
Client feedback
“The second opinion showed me I was paying 1.4 percent in fund fees I never knew about. That report paid for itself in a month.”
Greg P., Portfolio review client
“Our foundation board gets a packet we can actually understand, and they have never once dodged a question about performance.”
Carol M., Nonprofit board chair
FAQ
Common questions
Do you try to time the market?
No. We rebalance when an asset class drifts outside its target band, which mechanically trims what has run and adds to what has lagged. That is the only kind of timing we do, and it is written into your policy statement so it does not depend on anyone's mood.
What does this actually cost me all in?
Our management fee plus the underlying fund expenses, which together have averaged roughly 0.74 percent per year across our client accounts. There are no trading commissions, no loads and no separate financial planning charge for managed clients.
Can I keep my current accounts where they are?
Usually yes. We manage accounts at major independent custodians and can often work with the one you already use. Assets stay titled in your name at that custodian, and we only have authority to trade, never to withdraw to ourselves.
What do you do about taxes?
We locate income producing assets in tax deferred accounts, harvest losses when they are meaningful rather than cosmetic, and coordinate realized gains with your accountant before year end. On taxable accounts this has historically mattered more than fund selection.
Contact
Bring us what you already hold
Send a recent statement and we will tell you what it really costs and what we would do differently.
Phone(469) 555-0169
Address620 Gay St NW, Suite 902, Knoxville, Tennessee
HoursMon to Fri 8am to 5pm
AreaKnoxville, Maryville, Oak Ridge and clients across Tennessee