How We Work _
A proven process for building and protecting your financial future
Whether you’re seeking strategic financial planning, independent investment management, retirement planning advice, or a review of your existing portfolio, we follow a clear, evidence-based process designed to understand your goals, protect your capital, and deliver results aligned with your values.
Step 1
Discover
Our first meeting is about understanding you. We’ll discuss your goals, priorities, and what you want to achieve — whether that’s preserving wealth, generating income, building savings, managing a financial windfall, or addressing tax considerations.
We take a comprehensive look at your current position, then conduct the research needed to create a customised financial plan. Every recommendation is built around your personal objectives and the values that matter most to you.
Step 2
Plan
Once we’ve completed our analysis, we present your financial plan. This goes well beyond investment strategies — we consider every aspect of your financial and personal affairs.
Your plan may include:
High-level insurance overview
Estate planning strategies
Retirement income planning
Intergenerational wealth transfer approaches
We design your plan to support your financial ambitions and the wider commitments that shape your life.
Step 3
Implement
When you’re ready to move forward, we discuss how to put your plan into action.
Our portfolio construction follows an Asset Class Investing approach, built on Nobel Prize-winning research. This means:
Investing across thousands of companies and bonds worldwide to capture the broad market and reduce reliance on any single stock or sector
Staying disciplined through market ups and downs by leaning on evidence and high-quality investments instead of chasing trends
Building a portfolio designed to grow over the long-term while being resilient in different economic conditions
Tapping into sources of higher expected returns by focusing more on areas of the market that research shows have historically delivered extra growth
This evidence-based approach has stood the test of time and is designed to balance returns with risk management.
Step 4
Grow
We focus on building lasting relationships. Your circumstances and goals will change over time, which is why we regularly review your situation and adjust strategies where needed.
Through ongoing engagement, portfolio monitoring, and periodic reviews, we keep your investment approach aligned with your objectives, so you remain on track for the future you want.
Our Evidence-based investment philosophy
We believe investing should be guided by evidence, not guesswork. Decades of research show that broad diversification, discipline, and focusing on proven sources of return can help investors achieve better long-term outcomes.
Rather than trying to predict the next hot stock or time the market, we:
Spread investments across thousands of companies and bonds worldwide to reduce risk and capture the market’s overall growth
Balance growth and safety by combining equities with bonds, so portfolios can weather different market conditions
Position portfolios to capture higher expected returns by leaning into areas of the market that research shows have historically delivered extra growth, such as smaller companies or value stocks
This long-term, research-based approach lets us focus on what we can control, thoughtful diversification, keeping costs low, and maintaining discipline through rebalancing, instead of being distracted by short-term market noise
Certifications & professional standards you can trust
RIAA
Responsible Investment Association Australasia
Rutherford Rede is a member of the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA), the leading body for responsible investing across New Zealand and Australia. RIAA works to advance ethical investment practices, promote sustainable finance, and integrate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into decision-making. Our membership reinforces our commitment to investing in ways that align with both performance goals and our clients’ values.
UN PRI
United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment
We are signatories to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI) — a global initiative encouraging investors to embed ESG considerations into investment analysis and ownership practices.
The UN PRI is based on six core principles covering:
ESG integration in investment analysis and decision-making
Active ownership and engagement with companies
Seeking transparency from investee organisations
Promoting the principles within the investment industry
Collaborating with other signatories to improve effectiveness
Reporting publicly on progress towards these commitments
This voluntary framework signals our alignment with global best practices in responsible investment wherever we have solutions available that satisfy our due diligence criteria.
Responsible Investment
Rutherford Rede incorporates Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations into our portfolio construction process where investments alternatives with ESG characteristics meet our strict due diligence criteria are available. ESG considerations are factored into portfolio construction as one of many broader investment criteria, including diversification, portfolio fit and expected returns.
Where ESG considerations are applied, we do so in three ways; negative screening (exclusions), positive inclusions, and active ownership.
Exclusions seek to avoid companies that are inconsistent with our values; we apply revenue thresholds to tobacco, alcohol, gambling, adult entertainment, military weapons, slavery and human rights. Exclusions are generally applied on a percentage of revenue basis meaning that no more than a certain percentage of revenue can come from these activities (usually 10%).
Positive inclusions are focused on reducing the carbon footprint of the overall portfolio. In other words, we target an overall portfolio that when viewed holistically is invested in companies with lower carbon emissions than a global benchmark portfolio. The carbon footprint is measured by Scope 1 (direct greenhouse gas emissions from sources that are owned or controlled by the companies held in the fund) and/or Scope 2 (greenhouse gas emissions from the generation of purchased energy consumed by the companies held in the fund) carbon emissions.
Active ownership is an expectation that fund managers are active in their voting role when it comes to company governance of the underlying investments.
Rutherford Rede is a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI) and seeks to apply these principles where practical and consistent with portfolio investment objectives.
Talk to an experienced adviser today and take the first step towards a plan that works for you now and in the years ahead.
Custodian services
We partner with an independent custodian to safeguard your assets. Custodians are responsible for:
Securely holding your investments
Settling trades and managing corporate actions
Providing arm’s-length performance reporting
Maintaining accurate records and protecting against operational risks
This arrangement also provides access a secure online client portal for real-time portfolio information.
CEFEX Accreditation
Centre for Fiduciary Excellence
Our CEFEX (Centre for Fiduciary Excellence) certification recognises that our governance, investment management, risk management, and operational processes meet globally accepted fiduciary standards. Achieving this accreditation involves a rigorous audit of our policies, procedures, and client service standards, giving you independent assurance of our commitment to acting in your best interests at all times.
DIMS Licence
Discretionary Investment Management Service
Rutherford Rede Limited holds a Discretionary Investment Management Service (DIMS) licence from the Financial Markets Authority (FMA). This licence allows us to manage investments on your behalf, making timely decisions without needing to seek approval for each transaction. To maintain our DIMS licence, we must meet strict requirements covering:
Governance and risk management
Transparent client communication and disclosure
Adequate financial resources to operate responsibly
This ensures your investments are managed to high professional and regulatory standards.
FAP Licence
Financial Advice Provider
Rutherford Rede Limited holds a Financial Advice Provider (FAP) licence issued by the Financial Markets Authority (FMA), which authorises us to provide regulated financial advice to clients in New Zealand. This licence enables us to deliver financial planning, investment advice and related financial advice services within a robust regulatory framework designed to protect consumers.
For clients, our FAP licence provides confidence that we are subject to ongoing regulatory oversight, must meet professional conduct and competency standards, manage conflicts of interest appropriately, and comply with strict client care, disclosure and record-keeping requirements.
In practical terms, it helps ensure that clients receive advice that is professional, transparent and focused on helping them achieve their financial objectives.
FAQ’s
Your questions,
answered
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Asset class investing is a disciplined way of building wealth by spreading your money across different types of investments — like shares, bonds, and other assets — so you’re not relying on any single market to deliver results.
Decades of research, including Nobel Prize-winning work by Eugene Fama and Kenneth French, show that diversification can smooth out the ups and downs of markets and improve your chances of long-term success.
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We start by understanding your goals, priorities, and current financial position. After a thorough analysis, we create a customised plan that covers investments, high-level estate planning and insurance considerations, as well as detailed retirement needs. Your plan is designed to align with your values, protect your wealth, and help you achieve your long-term objectives.
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We conduct regular reviews to ensure your investments remain aligned with your goals and changing circumstances. This may be annually or more frequently if required, giving you the confidence that your portfolio is always up to date and on track.
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As a fiduciary, we are legally and ethically obligated to act in your best interests at all times. This means providing objective, independent advice and putting your needs ahead of our own. Our CEFEX accreditation confirms that we meet global fiduciary standards.
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Our Discretionary Investment Management Service (DIMS) licence from the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) allows us to make investment decisions on your behalf, within the agreed parameters of your financial plan. Discretionary management allows clients to delegate the day-to-day management of their portfolio within agreed parameters, providing convenience while ensuring investment decisions remain aligned with their objectives and investment strategy.
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Wherever possible, we take environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations into account as one of many factors when selecting investments, while maintaining our commitment to diversification, cost efficiency, and long-term investment performance.
Talk to an experienced adviser today and take the first step towards a plan that works for you now and in the years ahead.