Independent Wealth Management Firm Expands Presence with South Lake Tahoe office

Fortuna Investors, LLC, an independent Registered Investment Advisor with offices in Florida and Wisconsin, has expanded its ability to serve by opening a new office in South Lake Tahoe.

Leading this venture is Brent Hause, a Partner at the firm and local resident of South Lake Tahoe. Hause, who has several years of investment experience, including six years as a trader for mutual funds, pension funds, and hedge funds, as well as another six years as a consultant to financial advisors, is also responsible for co-developing Fortuna’s proprietary investment methodology.

“I am really looking forward to serving the Tahoe and Northern Nevada communities,” stated Mr. Hause. “Spending time consulting with financial advisors professionally, I realized there is a need to provide a more strategic financial planning and investment solution for clients.”

When asked about the typical client he serves, Mr. Hause explained, "While I cater to clients from various backgrounds, I generally see two distinct types of individuals approaching me.

Firstly, there are those who feel like they have been let down by the financial industry to some extent. Perhaps they have worked with an advisor previously, but felt they did not receive sufficient value relative to the fees they paid. They may have had their assets invested in high-fee mutual funds, their advisor didn’t have a risk-management strategy, maybe they were sold unnecessary insurance or annuity products that only served to enrich the broker, or they never received a comprehensive financial plan that considered their entire financial picture holistically. These clients recognize the need for someone to consolidate their financial affairs, eliminate unnecessary fees, and act in their best interest.

Secondly, I encounter clients who are at a turning point in their lives. It could be their business taking off, an increase in income, getting serious about preparation for retirement, or even contemplation of quitting their job to embark on a new entrepreneurial journey. Irrespective of the situation, they acknowledge the need for experienced guidance and support."

When discussing the unique attributes of Fortuna Investors, Mr. Hause emphasized several key aspects. "First and foremost, we are an independent firm. This means we are not beholden to a parent company seeking to maximize shareholder value. We operate without the pressure of sales quotas, receive no kickbacks or commissions from third-parties, our sole compensation comes directly from our clients, and our fee structure is transparent. As fiduciaries, we have both a legal and ethical obligation to act in the best interest of our clients, a responsibility we take seriously. We founded this firm specifically to avoid the conflicts of interest that are often encountered in larger firms."

"Secondly, we internally manage client portfolios using individual stocks and low-cost ETFs, rather than allocating client assets to mutual funds or third-party money managers. This approach helps minimize the total fee burden for our clients. Our asset management strategies, which are quantitative and systematic in design, are built to expose clients to upside potential during bull markets while mitigating downside during bear markets. We also prioritize diversification by investing in asset classes such as commercial real estate, gold, oil, and other commodities in a risk-managed way. Our investment philosophy is all about maximizing risk-adjusted returns or, said another way, maximizing the potential return per unit of risk a client is willing and able to bear."

He continued, "Lastly, we provide comprehensive financial planning services in addition to asset management. We aim to assist our clients in all aspects of their financial lives. This includes ensuring their accounts are structured correctly, identifying tax savings opportunities, managing leverage and debt, optimizing insurance coverage, and maximizing employee benefits. We liaise with the other professionals in our clients’ lives – accountants, attorneys, etc. – to make sure that our clients are covered from all angles. Ultimately, we just want to drive value for our clients. We strive to deliver value to our clients that goes well beyond our fees."

With the opening of the South Lake Tahoe office, Fortuna Investors now has a total of four locations, including their existing offices in Jupiter, FL, Miami Beach, FL, and Milwaukee, WI. Fortuna works with clients face to face locally, and virtually nation-wide. To learn more about Fortuna’s services, visit fortunainvestors.com or email Brent Hause directly at brent@fortunainvestors.com. You can also follow him on Twitter where he shares insights under the handle @Br_Hause.