Beyond Performance

'David Katz’s Beyond Performance is a very readable AND actionable tome intended to help individuals and families make better financial decisions throughout their life, including how to select the right financial professional(s). I highly recommend this book to one and all.'-Tash Elwyn, President, Private Client Group, Raymond James & Associates'David Katz has written a very timely book. Beyond Performance is a concise and panoramic collection of actionable strategies that an investor can use to not only assess his or her current financial plan to ensure every piece of the puzzle is addressed, but also how to ensure their relationship with a financial advisor is a good fit. Having worked closely with many of the most effective financial professionals in the country, I admire how David has invested his nearly 30 years of experience into a book that quickly takes the reader through an array of essentials for financial planning and then shifts into a wide array of very thought provoking topics.'As I read through Beyond Performance, it also occurred to me that if someone is focused primarily on returns, it would be easy to trivialize the value of a financial professional who deploys an all-encompassing process that integrates wealth and risk management factors. (Benjamin Graham’s quote in David’s book highlights this point.) This explains why some people fixate on what a financial advisor costs rather than what he or she is worth. And while algorthyms, artificial intelligence and robo-advisor platforms can be inexpensive, they lack the emotional intelligence that helps one navigate through periods of volatility. Couple that with the fact that financial planning is fluid and dynamic, it’s not static and transactional. Therefore it requires a professional who can engage every other service provider and address every need that presents itself as the clients life unfolds and needs evolve. Legendary investor Warren Buffett said it best, ’Price is what you pay, value is what you get.’ 'There are clearly no shortage of books on financial planning but one of the reasons I enjoyed Beyond Performance was because David found the ideal balance between getting to the point with clear fundamentals and taking a deeper dive where necessary to convey the many things that matter to someone who strives to achieve their financial goals. Don’t get me wrong, performance matters, but that is the minimum requirement. Reading Beyond Performance will give you the complete picture.'-Chris Jeppesen, Chief of Advisory Practices, First Trust Portfolios, L.P.