Letter Of Gratitude & Excitement

By SJS Founder & CEO Scott J. Savage.

Stepping into 2025, SJS is filled with gratitude and excitement as we celebrate our 30th year serving you, our valued clients.

For three decades, we've had the privilege of being your trusted partner, empowering you to build a better life. While our fundamental commitment to your financial well-being remains unchanged, the way we pursue that mission today bears little resemblance to our methods of just five years ago, let alone when we first opened our doors in 1995. We're proud of our ability to continuously improve our methods to meet your evolving needs.

This milestone year holds special significance as SJS sees promising developments on the horizon. As market dynamics continue to evolve, we're optimistic about opportunities in emerging asset classes and our access to the best managers in these spaces. Through these new opportunities, we aim to continually build on our MarketPlus® Investing strategy. Our experienced team has successfully guided you through good markets and bad, and we're confident in our ability to navigate the future.

An industry-leading investment approach has always been foundational to SJS, along with meeting your daily needs, all the time, every time. We are selectively growing the team, improving systems, and exploring new technology, including artificial intelligence (AI). Just as the internet, years ago, seemed daunting and changed much, AI also offers efficiencies and enhancements to how we work. At the same time, at the top of my worry list is cybersecurity and threats to our information systems. One of the best ways I believe we can fight this growing threat is to know our clients by name and by voice, which reduces the risk that a bad actor can successfully come between us.

As we celebrate our 30th year, we're particularly excited about strengthening our community engagement, charitable initiatives, and expanding our service offerings for clients and their families. We believe that informed clients make better choices. SJS is dedicated to providing you and your family with the insights and resources needed to not only navigate an increasingly complex financial landscape, but to feel a sense of empowerment and greater purpose while doing so.

I would like to conclude with a personal note. As a pioneer in the registered investment advisory (RIA) industry (yes, that means I am an elder!), I’ve watched with concern as many of my competitors have chosen to sell or merge their firms with private equity-backed organizations. In my opinion, these decisions prioritize shareholder returns over long-term client and employee relationships. While these transitions may maximize a RIA owner’s bank account in the short run, it is my opinion that over time it will come at the cost of client satisfaction and employee dedication - which have been pivotal to building a firm like ours. Let me be clear: this is not the future of SJS. We are steadfastly committed to remaining independent and focused on what matters most - working on the same side of the table as you and supporting our dedicated employees and their families, for generations to come.

Cheers to another 30 years of friendship, growth, innovation, and success. At the end of the day, our goal is your peace of mind.

SJS Team at Brookwood Metropark in Toledo, Ohio.

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Important Disclosure Information:

There is no guarantee investment strategies will be successful. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Diversification neither assures a profit nor guarantees against a loss in a declining market.

Advisory services are provided by SJS Investment Services, a registered investment advisor (RIA) with the SEC. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. SJS Investment Services does not provide legal or tax advice. Please consult your legal or tax professionals for specific advice.

Statements contained in this article that are not statements of historical fact are intended to be and are forward looking statements. Forward looking statements include expressed expectations of future events and the assumptions on which the expressed expectations are based. All forward looking statements are inherently uncertain as they are based on various expectations and assumptions concerning future events and they are subject to numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected.

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40 Years Of Trust

By Founder & CEO Scott J. Savage.

What is life but a series of transitions?

As I approach my 40th anniversary as a financial advisor, I can't help but look back on the road I've traveled. You have traveled it with me, perhaps for many years. Have I thanked you lately for that early trust? Well, a thank you may be overdue.

Like so many young professionals, I was eager to build a career 40 years ago and provide for my family by taking care of my growing list of clients. And by "taking care," I mean advising. After all, my title was financial advisor.

Along the way, a few wise mentors taught me to listen first. I took their advice, and with every client, I translated what I heard into investment strategies. How many days and nights did I worry as the market rose and fell and rose again? I spent countless hours rebalancing assets and optimizing investment portfolios as the opportunities presented themselves.

For many years, I thought that my only role was to make sure that clients were compensated for the risks they were taking. It was a high-stakes game I took very seriously, just as we do now. It took years for me to realize how much more there was to this career as a financial advisor and the real value of that role. The time I spent talking with clients, learning about their families and businesses, and helping them navigate the milestones became the most meaningful hours of my day. Especially when we could work through those big and bigger life and business events that come with uncertainty. These meetings became welcome breaks from the unending undulations of the Dow.

As SJS grew, we built a team to manage the investments and all that goes with them. I found myself in the room among very smart people. That allowed me to spend more and more time helping long-time clients I had come to know as they navigated their lives. We had a shared history and earned trust. I steadily listened even more and talked even less as conversations went well beyond seeking to understand financial goals. They moved to deeper conversations about what’s really important in life. I heard countless times, "You’re the only person I can talk to about this." When I say it is my honor, I mean it.

My clients taught me that being an advisor was more about trust than it was about advising. "Adding value," which has always been our company’s mantra, began to manifest through more than just the investment performance. It came through being a trusted advisor.

Life does not stand still, and over the last 10-plus years, "adding value" has transitioned to "adding meaning." Today, when I advise people and institutions, the focus is on family or institutional dynamics, health challenges, life and death, family office issues, philanthropy, and legacy. These are topics that occupy bigger and bigger parts of my day. Many times, the issues are messy and filled with difficult dynamics, ambiguity, and complexity. They are puzzles of intense meaning that ignite a fire in me - a fire to solve, or resolve.

Here I am, 40 years into this career, and I still love my job. It has transitioned from advising about finances to helping people discover and frame their legacy, and, ultimately, what their life is all about. It is an experience that truly goes beyond words.

As I get ready for the next day of my life, I know more transitions are in store. I have a feeling that as I continue to help families and institutions, trust and meaning will remain a part of the mix. So will gratitude.

Thank you for 40 years and your gift of trust.

SJS 20-Year Club: Kirk Ludwig, Kevin Kelly, Meredith Sleet, Scott J. Savage, Jeff Yost.

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Important Disclosure Information:

There is no guarantee investment strategies will be successful. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Diversification neither assures a profit nor guarantees against a loss in a declining market.

Advisory services are provided by SJS Investment Services, a registered investment advisor (RIA) with the SEC. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. SJS Investment Services does not provide legal or tax advice. Please consult your legal or tax professionals for specific advice.

Statements contained in this article that are not statements of historical fact are intended to be and are forward looking statements. Forward looking statements include expressed expectations of future events and the assumptions on which the expressed expectations are based. All forward looking statements are inherently uncertain as they are based on various expectations and assumptions concerning future events and they are subject to numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected.

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SJS Outlook: Q2 2024

Please click on the image below.

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SJS Does All That?

Yes! And we can help you.

By SJS Founder & CEO Scott Savage

It happens, time and time again. One of us will meet with a long-time client, and that client will learn about one of the many services SJS can provide and exclaim, “I didn’t know SJS could do that!”

You likely know about MarketPlus Investing®, our science-based process of structuring investment vehicles and designing portfolios. You know we review your portfolio regularly, make rebalancing decisions to stay true to your goals and risk tolerance, and evaluate your portfolio to determine whether or not new investment offerings are viable opportunities for you.

But, did you know that we can work with other professionals who support and assist you? We can work with your accountant to help streamline your finances. We can work with your estate planning attorney to assist with implementing your estate plan, titling your accounts properly, and correctly naming your beneficiaries. We can help advise business owners as they consider selling or purchasing a business.

And while those are all extremely valuable services, the most important thing we do on a daily basis is much simpler. We strive to provide peace of mind. One of the first calls people make is often to SJS. When a child or grandchild of a client is getting married – or when they themselves are getting remarried. When a spouse or other family member passes away. When a new baby is born into the family. We have even helped a client navigate the process of purchasing her first car on her own at the tender age of 80-something!

People call on us to accompany them through life’s events. We are there for them. Because our work is about more than just money, and knowing how to invest that money. It’s about life, about being a trusted advisor and a friend.

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