Our Firm
BCM is an independent SEC-registered investment advisory firm. We work primarily with families and individuals to solve their unique financial goals.
History
In 1986, after twenty years in the Navy and another twenty running Wells Fargo’s agency accounts, Chet Boltwood founded Boltwood Capital Management. He believed that an independent firm free from the bureaucracy of a larger organization would be best equipped to produce a superior experience for its clients.
From then until today, the firm has taken pride in its role as a fiduciary for its clients. Today, our goal, as was his more than 30 years ago, is to achieve financial success for our clients while developing long-lasting relationships by following three key principles.
Avoid Biases & Conflicts of Interest
As a fiduciary we put the interests of our clients first. We do not have an incentive to select any particular product. Rather, we seek out the investment solutions most suitable to your unique circumstances.
An Integrated Approach
We believe the financial circumstances surrounding your life must be taken into consideration when building an investment portfolio.
Diversified & Consistent
Investing, in our mind, should be done with a long-term perspective. Short-term variances in the market are inevitable. We believe a well thought out investment strategy that is maintained through both good and bad times is the key to long-term investing success.
What We Do
Our approach to personal finance rests on two foundational pillars. While we believe that the most successful outcomes integrate the two together, from time to time it may be appropriate to offer one or the other as a standalone service.
Financial Planning
We tackle the issues unique to your circumstances.
Investment Management
Diversified portfolios constructed with an emphasis on long-term success.
People
We believe that our collection of talent is one of the items that sets our firm apart. Our advisors work hand-in-hand with our clients serving as a trusted advisor and friend.
Michael J. Stock, CFA
President, Shareholder
Zachary R. Wolf
Shareholder
Common Questions
Selecting an investment manager is an important decision. We have attempted to answer, in plain English, some of the most common questions we receive.
Do You Have A Minimum Account Size?
Simply put, we do not require clients to have a minimum amount of assets to work with us. However, the size of your portfolio may ultimately dictate the strategy used for your household.
Please note, that in most cases our clients’ “households” are made up of multiple account types. For relationship (and billing purposes) we group these assets together.
How Is BCM Compensated?
BCM does not sell products and/or benefit from encouraging trading activity in your account in order to earn commissions.
Rather we earn our compensation by charging clients a percentage of their assets under management with BCM. The rate is determined by multiple factors, including (but not limited to): size of the relationship, complexity, and additional services provided. For a point of reference, the maximum percentage charged is 1% of the assets under management.
Who Retains Custody of My Assets?
BCM never has custody of your assets. We work with well known institutions such as Charles Schwab & Co, Union Bank of California and Morgan Stanley to hold your assets. You authorize BCM to trade on your behalf in these accounts.
Do You Share/Sell My Personal Information?
In order to service your investment accounts, we come into a great deal of personally identifiable information (PII). This includes information such as dates of birth, social security numbers, addresses, etc.
We understand and acknowledge that protecting this information is one of the core responsibilities we have to our clients. At times we must share this information with companies/organizations in order to manage our clients’ accounts. Examples of areas where we share this information include: custodians/banks (i.e. in order to open accounts), where required by law and/or our regulating body the SEC.
Outside of these situations BCM does NOT provide, share, or sell information to any third-party organization(s).
What is the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Designation?
A CFA certificate is one of the highest awards bestowed in the investment industry, and is an internationally recognized and respected designation. Furthermore, to receive the Chartered Financial Analyst designation, the organization which administers the program, the CFA Institute (formerly known as AIMR – the Association for Investment Managementand Research) also requires an adherence to certain ethical standards and principles. The coursework for the program is generally considered to be “master’s level” and typically requires several hundred hours of study time per level. The failure rate for the level one exam remains around 66%, or nearly two-thirds. As of the beginning of 2016, there fewer than 120,000 people worldwide had earned the CFA credential. To use the Chartered Financial Analyst designation, an individual must first have a bachelor’s degree and three years of practical experience in the investment industry. He or she must then pass a series of three, six-hour examinations. Passing these rigorous tests requires a comprehensive understanding of accounting, economics, and portfolio management, as well as successful demonstration of a high level of proficiency in the valuation and analysis of both equityand fixed-income securities.
What is the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Designation?
Certified Financial Planner (CFP) is a professional designation attained by a person who has successfully completed the requirements of the Certified Financial Planner Board. The CFP is a respected designation that denotes a person is a competent, professional and ethicalfinancial planner. CFPs must adhere to a code of ethics and professional responsibility, and every applicant must pass a background check before obtaining his or her designation. To become a CFP, an individual must first fulfill an investment-education requirement. This can be done by either completing a CFP Board-sponsored education program, or by obtaining certain other degrees or professional credentials, such as a:
- Certified Public Accountant license
- License to practice law
- Chartered Financial Analyst designation
- Ph.D. in business or economics
- Chartered Financial Consultant designation
- or a Chartered Life Underwriter designation.
The individual must then pass the CFP examination: a three-session, 10-hour exam. In addition to the education and examination requirements, the individual must have at least three years of full-time work experience in financial planning, as well as a bachelor’s degree.