Bison Services
About the Firm
Bison Advisors (“Bison”) provides advisory services, investment solutions and comprehensive platform services. Bison has advisors that are insurance licensed in all 50 states.
As fiduciaries, we place the interest of the client above the interests of the firm. All potential and actual conflicts are disclosed and managed in the best interest of the client. The firm acts with the duty of care, skill, and diligence that should be considered by a knowledgeable and experienced professional.
Multi-Family Office and Private Client services are provided through Armis Advisers (Armis), a division of Bison.
We utilize an option overlay strategy as a key component to our client planning and investment strategies.
Bison uses the services and products of Liquid Strategies, an affiliate of Bison through common ownership, in implementing the overlay strategy. The CEO of Bison Holdings is also an owner of Liquid Strategies. Liquid Strategies, an SEC registered investment adviser, is a service and product provider that specializes in overlay approaches. Bison offers overlay approaches through Separately Managed Accounts and Exchange Traded Funds. The firm periodically evaluates the marketplace to identify potential product providers that align to our client’s desired investment outcomes.
Planning Services
Bison offers planning services to a variety of clients including individuals, families, businesses, trusts, and estates. The client’s situation is carefully considered as part of our due diligence process, and our analysis may be based on the following qualitative and quantitative information:
Personal data (demographic, lifestyle, family, dependents, caretakers)
Goals and objectives (prioritized, specific, measurable, reasonable, and devisable goalsand objectives based on both qualitative and quantitative data)
Assumptions (inflation rates, rates of return, tax bracket, retirement horizon, life expectancy)
Vulnerabilities and Threats (observations regarding strengths and weaknesses of client’s currentsituation and challenges faced)
Balance sheet (statement of financial situation showing income, net worth, assets, and liabilities)
Risk management and insurance (life, health, disability, liability & umbrella, long term care,income replacement, and annuity recommendations in the best interest of the client)
Income tax planning (full tax return preparation, tax return review, tax deduction strategy andother tax planning notes)
Retirement, education, and special needs planning
Investment planning (trust planning, investment strategy and analysis of performance in relationto objectives and risk tolerance)
Estate planning (review of lifetime gifts and final transfer of assets to reduce or eliminate gift taxand estate tax exposure; coordination of will, health care directive, power of attorney orupdates as needed)
Group benefits and entity level retirement plans
Short, medium, and long-term goals are determined in collaboration with the client assessing vulnerabilities and threats to plan multiple courses of action (“COAs”) with risk-weighted variables. We recognize all asset classes and consider insurance products, tax optimization, and investments consisting of equities, fixed income, mutual funds, derivatives, and alternatives when developing COAs. Selected portfolios are monitored for triggering events or unplanned life situations and implemented over a planned timeline with defined point to point targets
Bison may serve as the primary adviser for a client or may serve as a third-party manager or subadvisor for a client in a discretionary or non-discretionary capacity.