Horsepower vs Speed: Understanding Risk Capacity and Risk Tolerance

Simplicity Wealth Blogs2026-04-20T13:23:34+00:00April 20, 2026|Blog, Blogs, Financial Planning|

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Investment advisory and financial planning services are offered through Simplicity Wealth, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. SEC registration does not constitute an endorsement of the firm nor does it indicate that the adviser has attained a particular level of skill or ability. Investments involve the risk of loss. Simplicity Wealth Advisors does not provide legal or tax advice. The content provided is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as investment, legal or tax advice. Clients and prospective clients are encouraged to consult with their own legal and tax professionals regarding their specific situations. Simplicity Wealth Advisors is a DBA of Simplicity Wealth.

*Six fundamental financial planning considerations include but are not limited to Longevity, Liquidity, Inflation, Market, Mortality, and Taxes.

Our Approach

Money is personal. We believe investors deserve a partner that will provide them with a bespoke investment experience tailored to their needs and objectives.

Start Smart

Starting smart begins by getting a clear understanding of an investor’s current financial situation and how they would like it to progress to help meet their future lifestyle goals and objectives.

During this process we get to know our prospective clients by gathering information pertaining to their personal values, financial goals, and existing financial accounts. We also evaluate their attitudes toward six universal financial planning considerations and conduct a Value at Risk (VaR) Analysis.

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Financial Planning Considerations

The six universal financial planning considerations are potential barriers investors may face when working toward their goals. We believe that it’s important to evaluate investor sentiment towards each consideration through a succinct questionnaire. This allows us to examine the potential effects of these considerations on an investor’s assets today and in the future.

Longevity

Outliving financial assets as the result of a longer life.

Liquidity

Limited access to assets to meet life’s unexpected financial needs.

Inflation

Reduction in real purchasing power as the result of increasing cost of living.

Market

Unexpected reduction in the value of financial assets at the time of withdrawal.

Mortality

Loss of financial assets as the result of a partner’s or spouse’s death.

Taxes

Decreasing income and assets and/or the impairment of legacy assets from increasing taxes.

Value at Risk Analysis

Within the initial review, we help investors understand their risk threshold. We do this by deploying a Value at Risk (VaR) Analysis that helps us quantify attitudes toward financial uncertainty, specifically one’s emotional tolerance with respect to the magnitude and speed of potential investment loss.

This Analysis produces a VaR Score that is indexed on a scale from conservative to aggressive. The VaR Score can help us determine if the current portfolio aligns with the investor’s risk tolerance and provides insight as to whether changes to that portfolio are needed.

Apply Discipline

Research and Due Diligence

Simplicity Wealth’s rigorous research process provides a comprehensive suite of reliable investment capabilities and model portfolios. We vet, select, and continuously monitor over 150 asset managers and 1,000 strategies, evaluating them for risk management, diversification, and performance consistency. This disciplined, fiduciary-driven approach is paired with our proprietary risk scoring model, which grounds our clients’ investment expectations in their personal comfort level with market volatility.

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Investment Planning Process

Our investment planning process helps our clients set clear and achievable financial goals. It allows them to define their short-term and long-term objectives and provides direction in making prudent investment decisions based on universal financial planning considerations, risk tolerance, and time horizons. We strive to provide a planning process that is dynamic and flexible, allowing our clients to adapt their investment strategy as circumstances evolve.

1. Discover:

Gather key information pertaining to goals, objectives, financial planning considerations, and risk tolerance.

2. Analyze

Perform a comprehensive financial analysis of the information provided.

3. Plan

Create a custom strategy that aligns with the client’s provided goals and risk tolerance.

4. Implement

Execute the agreed-upon plan.

5. Monitor

Proactively manage the plan, evaluate its progress, and adjust it to meet shifting objectives and changing market dynamics.

Investment Planning Process

Our investment planning process helps our clients set clear and achievable financial goals. It allows them to define their short-term and long-term objectives and provides direction in making prudent investment decisions based on universal financial planning considerations, risk tolerance, and time horizons. We strive to provide a planning process that is dynamic and flexible, allowing our clients to adapt their investment strategy as circumstances evolve.

1. Discover:

Gather key information pertaining to goals, objectives, financial planning considerations, and risk tolerance.

2. Analyze

Perform a comprehensive financial analysis of the information provided.

3. Plan

Create a custom strategy that aligns with the client’s provided goals and risk tolerance.

4. Implement

Execute the agreed-upon plan.

5. Monitor

Proactively manage the plan, evaluate its progress, and adjust it to meet shifting objectives and changing market dynamics.

Institutional Solutions

Direct Indexing and Tax-Loss Harvesting

Gaining greater control of an index with added tax benefits so that clients may keep more of what they earn.

Through Simplicity Wealth’s automated direct indexing and tax-loss harvesting capabilities, investors will have greater control and flexibility within their replicated index portfolios and will also benefit from offsetting capital gains tax through the strategic selling of securities at a loss.

Tax-loss harvesting involves selling an investment at a loss in order to offset the taxes resulting form a capital gain. It is not considered tax advice and you are encouraged to consult with your personal tax advisor for such services

Tax-Optimized Transition

Sophisticated transfer strategies for helping clients reduce or even eliminate tax-burdened legacy positions.

Simplicity Wealth’s tax-optimized transition solution works to help investors alleviate tax liabilities of transferring existing non-qualified funds over to their businesses through a transfer-in-kind, multi-year strategy.

Tax-loss harvesting involves selling an investment at a loss in order to offset the taxes resulting from a capital gain. It is not considered tax advice and you are encouraged to consult with your personal tax advisor for such services.

ESG and SRI Investment Options

Investment strategies for helping align clients’’ money with their values.

Simplicity Wealth’s Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) and Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) overlay screens offer a comprehensive suite of resources that combine investment intelligence with social awareness – all integrated within the investment platform, helping investors align money with their values.

Stock screener provided by Sustainalytics, a Morningstar subsidiary.

Communicate Progress

We A.C.T. to communicate progress on your portfolio.

A

Accessible

We understand the importance of being available to you when questions or concerns arise. We will return your phone call or email within 1-2 business days and if the issue is still not resolved, we will schedule a meeting with you at the earliest time possible.

C

Consistent

Together we will determine your communication preferences and frequency so that we can be sure to communicate progress on your investments, schedule reviews, as well as provide you with critical market updates throughout the year.

T

Transparent

You will have a secure login to your client portal that will allow you to view your entire financial landscape in one location on any online device. Through this portal you will be able to view your accounts and access financial tools, performance reports, balance sheets, key documents and more.

AssetLock

AssetLock monitors the investor’s household portfolio value and AssetLock Value and communicates key changes to both the investor and financial advisor. This approach helps the investor capture portfolio gains and reduce the potential for losses by keeping the portfolio strategy and investor’s risk tolerance aligned.

How AssetLock Works

The hypothetical example below demonstrates using AssetLock on an initial portfolio valued at $100,000. The investor’s household Value at Risk (VaR) Analysis and portfolio allocation determined a 10% AssetLock Threshold desired in the portfolio making the starting AssetLock Value $90,000. If the portfolio experiences growth to a High-Water Value of $146,793, the AssetLock Value would then increase to $132,114. If the portfolio then experiences a 10% loss, breaching the AssetLock Value of $132,114, the financial advisor and investor will be notified to discuss the possibility of portfolio allocation adjustments.

AssetLock® is tracking software used to monitor the performance of a client’s household portfolio, and to predetermine the amount of downside the client is willing to tolerate. It is NOT an actual stop order and will NOT automatically sell the individual securities in the household portfolio. The AssetLock® Value is a reference point to encourage a conversation between the advisor/firm and the client to determine if the client’s household portfolio should remain unchanged, reset the AssetLock® Threshold by reallocating to a different risk profile, or liquidate part or all of their household portfolio. AssetLock® will send the client and their advisor alerts when the household portfolio reaches the client’s determined values, new all-time highs and/or the maximum targeted amount of downside the client is willing to accept. The client and their advisor are notified about changes in the client’s household portfolio. This notification requires that the client is subscribed to receive text message and/or email alerts from AssetLock®. Message frequency varies. Standard message and data rates may apply.

Horsepower vs Speed: Understanding Risk Capacity and Risk Tolerance

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Contact Us

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Financial Confidence Quiz

Time To Get Your Results!

Our Approach

Start Smart

Starting smart begins by getting a clear understanding of an investor’s current financial situation and how they would like it to progress to help meet their future lifestyle goals and objectives.

Financial Planning Considerations

Longevity

Liquidity

Inflation

Market

Mortality

Taxes

Value at Risk Analysis

Apply Discipline

Research and Due Diligence

Investment Planning Process

1. Discover:

2. Analyze

3. Plan

4. Implement

5. Monitor

Investment Planning Process

1. Discover:

2. Analyze

3. Plan

4. Implement

5. Monitor

Institutional Solutions

Direct Indexing and Tax-Loss Harvesting

Tax-loss harvesting involves selling an investment at a loss in order to offset the taxes resulting form a capital gain. It is not considered tax advice and you are encouraged to consult with your personal tax advisor for such services

Tax-Optimized Transition

Tax-loss harvesting involves selling an investment at a loss in order to offset the taxes resulting from a capital gain. It is not considered tax advice and you are encouraged to consult with your personal tax advisor for such services.

ESG and SRI Investment Options

Stock screener provided by Sustainalytics, a Morningstar subsidiary.

Communicate Progress

We A.C.T. to communicate progress on your portfolio.

A

Accessible

C

Consistent

T

Transparent

AssetLock

How AssetLock Works

Interested In Becoming A Simplicity Wealth Advisor?
Fill out the form below to learn more.

Interested in our services?
Fill out the form below to get started.