About Us

I-Pension LLC is a Registered Investment Advisor located in Newton, Mass.

The firm was founded to make professional money management affordable and accessible for middle-class Americans. To accomplish that, we eliminated minimum account sizes and introduced a low-cost fee schedule -- with all-in expenses totaling as little as $.50 a day ($182.50 annually).

Our focus is helping people save for retirement and, once retired, help people generate sustainable income from their savings. Whether you choose to work with I-Pension or not, we believe strongly that everyone, regardless of income level, should have an investment plan.

Alternative Ways to Manage Your Investments

Before I-Pension, investors typically had four options for managing their investments:

Do-It-Yourself: Investing is not rocket science and -- with some time, effort and discipline -- most people could learn to build and monitor a diversified portfolio. There are many books, magazines and websites to assist in this process.
Lifestyle or Target-Date Mutual Funds: These funds include a variety of asset classes and are either geared towards a specific investment temperament (e.g., Moderate) or become more conservative as the fund approaches the "target date."
Third-Party Portfolio Models: Several online resources sell investment models based on information the investor inputs. These may be static models or may utilize timing systems.
Traditional Stock Broker or Financial Planner: These firms will typically conduct an investment profile and make portfolio recommendations. They may charge commissions, management fees, or a combination of the two. Accounts may be "discretionary" (meaning the investment advisor initiates trades) or "nondiscretionary" (meaning the investor initiates trades).

How We Differ

In addition to our relationship-based approach, I-Pension stands out from the crowd because:

We do not receive or charge commissions.
We have no conflicts of interest because we are not affiliated with or receive compensation from any mutual fund company or insurance provider.
We take on fiduciary responsibility for client accounts and have a sworn obligation to do the right thing for each of them.
We create a personalized Investment Policy Statement for every client. (sample)
Rather than simply providing guidance and leaving it up to the client to implement the plan, we take on discretion for client accounts and re-allocate as necessary using a rules-based methodology.
Our portfolio models tend to be more diversified than lifestyle or target-maturity funds.
Also, unlike lifestyle and target date funds, we do not limit our recommendations to a single fund family.
Every client -- regardless of account size -- has a dedicated investment advisor.
We conduct quarterly portfolio reviews, over the phone, with every client.
We openly communicate our fee schedule and, unlike virtually any other advisor on the face of the earth, actually charge less for smaller retirement plan accounts.

Rules-Based Rebalancing

I-Pension uses a rules-based rebalancing system, an approach we believe if preferable to the more common calendar-year rebalancing. Here's how the two approaches differ:

Calendar-Year Rebalancing: At predetermined times, usually annually but sometimes quarterly, the portfolio is rebalanced back to the original allocation.
Rules-Based Rebalancing: When the portfolio allocations are determined, a "rebalancing threshold" is also established and rebalancing occurs whenever that threshold is hit. For example, if a particular asset class comprised 10% of the original portfolio allocation the thresholds might be set at 8% and 12%. When a threshold is hit within a tax-deferred account like a 401(k), the entire portfolio is rebalanced – not just the one asset class in question. In taxable accounts, we consider the tax implications of rebalancing and will usually consult the individual client before trading the account.

Learn more about asset allocation...