Today, asset management in Washington DC and the rest of the country is more difficult than it’s ever been. Successful investing takes education, training and lots of spare time. And with the way the financial world has been behaving, anyone who attempts to manage his own money alone, unless he has the necessary skill level, is being foolish.

Ironically, many who have the generous sums to invest have little to no investment experience. Some inherit the estate or receive insurance payments through their parents or other relatives. Others switch jobs and have large pension funds that they receive when they retire.

Some explore the investment field by themselves, but regrettably lack sufficient information to make intelligent financial decisions. They let their emotions govern their choices — buying when the markets are gaining and selling when the stocks are crashing. This article treads on a similar concern:

As the global markets continue to fluctuate, many investors and their portfolios are feeling the effects. Therefore, a sudden dip or rise in a portfolio may be the perfect time to take a look at whether or not one’s investments are truly diversified and assets are properly allocated among the different asset classes (e.g., equities, fixed income, and money market/cash equivalents).

Lastly, understanding how long you want to invest in order to meet your goals is important. In fact, it may be the thing that makes you choose one investment vehicle over another. Your personal time horizon extends from when you implement an investment strategy until you need to begin withdrawing money from an investment or investment portfolio.

Do take into consideration all your assets, e.g., your retirement savings and other investments, when you put together an asset allocation strategy or seek professional guidance. That way you can ensure that all your assets are working together to help meet your goals and objectives throughout all stages of your life.

If you have money to invest, you should hire AOG Wealth Management, a Potomac asset management firm that adapts investment and management strategies for emergent investors. They provide investment, retirement, and insurance portfolio management, college savings plans, mutual funds and other services to meet your unique financial goals. Their advisory team is made up of wealth management professionals with credentials and experience in estate planning, legal resources, investment management, tax preparation and planning, and retail banking.

(Article Excerpt from Asset allocation a portfolio key, www.theintelligencer.com, April 9, 2014)