About Us
Why Clear Skies Financial?
Jon began his finance career in 2011 at Merrill Lynch and in June of 2015 he left Merrill Lynch to start Clear Skies Financial. Jon felt that as a independent RIA firm that it would be more beneficial to his clients to serve them as a fiduciary than working at a brokerage. Every decision made for clients should be about them not the firm. This still holds true today, as a fiduciary everything we do is for the client.
Because we are an independent firm, we have no obligation to sell proprietary products or services, so we can be openly selective in offering only those investment products and services that we believe are best suited to help pursue your financial objectives and goals. This is the objectivity afforded by working with an independent financial firm. We offer you timely, unbiased investment advice, and promise to do so with the highest level of integrity and service.
Is there a
better way?
It’s a question that still reverberates in every decision we make. We don’t rest on our last victory. We never give up in the face of adversity. We continue to have the intellectual honesty and work ethic that enable us to challenge our own ideas and actions every day. We are wholly devoted to seeking something more for our clients, our business partners and ourselves.
Investment Philosophy
Our #1 goal is principal protection while building steady growth in the portfolio all the while providing a smoother less bumpy and stressful ride to the top. Our long term investment approach is not to beat market returns in the short term but to limit losses along the way. We believe that over time this approach seeks to provide a stronger portfolio both in returns in the long run as well as less stress and concerns for our clients during the process. Our team starts with a top-down investment approach analyzing the current economic, political and sentiment drivers that affect the market. We then determine which sectors look favorable in the current environment and then begin with a fundamental analysis of each investment. Finally we analyze technical indicators and look for trends that may give us ideas of upcoming movements in the individual investments and we do all of this while keeping tax implications in mind as to not create unwanted tax burdens for our clients. With the majority of returns being contributed to asset allocation regardless of whether they are stocks, bonds, cash or other assets it is not enough just to diversify a portfolio of investments because we believe it has been shown that during a market downturn everything reverts back to the mean. For this reason from time to time the portfolio is also hedged using multiple strategies to give added protection to downside movement in the portfolio.
What We Do
We are committed to creating enduring value. That means consistently striving to deliver superior risk-adjusted returns. It means thinking creatively about risk and constructing more robust portfolios. It means empowering the very best people to do the best work of their lives. We think ahead of the competition and derive previously unseen connections through a fusion of analysis and ingenuity. Finally, it means we adhere to the highest ethical standards. To create enduring value, we hold resolutely to our values. We must always share a common purpose with our investors. If we grow, we must grow better. Asset growth must never be an end in itself. We measure success in our ability to create institutional advantages that benefit our clients. Every single thing we do is guided by our mission: To create enduring value through the belief that together we can always do better.
