Adrian Mastracci, president of KCM Wealth Management says, "The foundation of successful investing requires patience and clear investment policies."

Vancouver, BC (February 18, 2002): Achieving portfolio success need not be difficult.

Adrian Mastracci, fee-only investment counsel and president of Vancouver's KCM Wealth Management, comments, "It takes five easy steps to assemble appropriate portfolio strategy that assists in attaining your financial goals."

"In my view, investing is about setting a course to achieve a specific return so that personal goals become reality," notes Mastracci.

"Managing your serious money is a marathon, not a 100-yard sprint. Pace yourself, a portfolio can be built one brick at a time," indicates Mastracci, "The foundation of successful investing requires patience and clear investment policies."

"My philosophy is that an appropriate investment perspective is at least five years, often longer," explains Mastracci, "Investors whose horizon is less than five years should not be invested in equities as they can be risky."

Mastracci outlines the five easy steps for portfolio success:

1. Establish reasonable goals
First, consider what you want your retirement nest egg to do for you. The portfolio is influenced by your closeness to retirement, present age, appetite for risk and investment personality.

It's also affected by your capital and saving capacity available for investment, and the rate of return required to achieve your goals such as financial independence and retirement.

2. Establish your appropriate investment mix
Studies show that investment mix decisions have the biggest impact on portfolios of any single factor. Neither stock selection, nor market timing is even close. Therefore, stay invested within your profile.

Investment mix is the combination of asset classes, such as cash, bonds, and equities. It's also about choices such as large versus small companies. Your mix of assets considers not only your goals, but also your investment horizon. Even at age 65, your horizon could easily be 15 years.

3. Stop chasing yesterday's winners
Too many investors are preoccupied with accumulating a portfolio of yesterday's winners. This is an excellent strategy on how to get burned. My advice is to stop chasing the best performing stocks and mutual funds.

A portfolio with emphasis on consistent returns will serve you better than one with emphasis on performance.

4. Know when to cut your losses
Making portfolio selections is not about always being right. Part of investing is about coming to grips with the prospects of being wrong. Astute portfolio managers admit to being wrong.

What hurts portfolios the most is not incurring losses; rather it's keeping them far too long. Be objective, know when to fold and cut your losers. Every loss starts out as a very small loss.

5. Patience is a treasure
Keep your finger off the panic button as you accumulate your nest egg. Factor in market drops in your investment expectations, like the aftermath of September 11, 2001. Patience with your investments is a true treasure.

"My experience is that investors who concentrate on these five steps make better portfolio selections," summarizes Mastracci, "They are also rewarded with returns more in keeping with expectations."

"Expect the investment marathon to serve up some rough patches along the way," concludes Mastracci, "Keep a firm grip on your strategies and stay the course. Patience rewards."

NOTE: The information provided above is intended for general informational purposes only. It does not constitute advice for anyone's specific situation. Everyone should always first consult directly with their advisors to determine the appropriateness of any information contained above before taking any action. KCM Wealth Management Inc. assumes no responsibility for any loss or damage arising from the use of, or reliance upon the above information.