Unfortunately, most of us are tempted to look for some "quantitative proof" of the performance of financial planning professionals, since “qualitative proof” seems so elusive. We all think we want to know about track record, rate of return and other measures of performance, assuming that all high returns are good, regardless of the risk taken to achieve them. However, there is often too little attention paid to the planning process and too much weight given to investment returns. If the plan is well conceived, then the appropriate investments will reveal themselves through that process. Never let your financial planner "sell" you on an investment. Instead, make certain that the plan has uncovered financial planning needs which necessitate the use of the suggested investments.

Legacy Capital Group California has always sought to protect client capital first and earn high returns second. We have not changed our SafeBase® investment philosophy since LCGC's inception in 1992 - even though risk management became a popular catchword during the Bear Market of 2000. We are planning focused and are loathe to have you evaluate us on our investment performance alone – although we are quite proud of it.

When comparing us to other financial advisors, listen carefully to see if they have a "sales process" or a "planning process". See if return potential is valued more highly then achieving your financial objectives. Have they spelled out the minimum return needed to help you achieve your financial goals? Have they quantified the amount of capital needed to help secure your lifestyle for the foreseeable future? Have they demonstrated how the risk that you are taking can be warranted by the potential returns?