Welcome to Northwest Capital Management
Northwest Capital Management, Inc. (NWCM) is an investment advisor registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Our clients are retirement plan sponsors, institutional investors, charitable organizations and high-net worth individuals. For some, we act purely in a consulting capacity. For most clients, we act with full discretion, within the constraints of a clearly defined Statement of Investment Policy (or SIP, for short), in the management of their assets. Many of our clients are retirement plan sponsors. For these clients, we act in the capacity as an Investment Manager (as defined by ERISA) in order to alleviate the sponsor of much of its fiduciary liability.
An essential element of our advisory services is the creation of the SIP, a document that sets forth the authority given to us for asset management while establishing the benchmarks against which performance is measured. The process of creating the SIP requires that we come to know the Client's investment objectives and their expectation for performance.
We extensively employ technology to facilitate our communication with clients about the management of their portfolios. Updates regarding transactions and investment performance are posted daily. In addition, we send by mail quarterly performance reports.
We invite you to explore our website to learn more about our services and capabilities. Please feel free to contact us with your questions.
January 15, 2010
Market Commentary and Outlook
With 2009’s 26% increase in the value of the S&P 500, investors who remained in the market have much to celebrate. While 2009 was far above average in terms of growth for the S&P 500 (and the 4th Quarter’s 6% increase helped cap a great year), the "lucky" long-term investors in the S&P 500 index are just getting back to even. This past quarter’s closing price was the same as it was in July 2004. How many of us complained that money markets were returning a zero percent rate of return for much of 2009? How about a nearly zero percent return over the past 5-plus years in the S&P 500? Sure beats the negative return most have experienced since the market peaked in October 2007! Better to keep our brains intact and focus in on the improvement in the markets over the past 9 months.
October 8, 2009
Market Commentary and Outlook
If you are looking for an example of a phoenix reviving and rising from the ashes (other than in a Harry Potter movie), look no further than to the financial markets since March of this year. In one of the strongest rallies from a market crash, the S&P, for example, rallied from a low of 666 on March 6 to a high of 1080 (a 62% gain!) in 6 short months. (At the September 30 quarter end, the S&P 500 closed at 1057). Foreign markets around the world enjoyed some even stronger advances, particularly when converted into U.S. currency.