Our Services

Clear Direction Investments

Clear Direction Investments, along with Stonebridge Capital Advisors, provides custom portfolio management services to high net worth individuals and businesses, including tax sensitive investing not available through mutual funds.

Stonebridge Capital is different than a typical RIA (registered investment advisor).  As fiduciaries, we are both committed to managing your portfolio with your best interests in mind.

Clear Direction Investments is honored to offer the back-office expertise of Stonebridge Capital Advisors at more reasonable account minimums than other investment firms. It’s simply a better way to start a financial relationship.

For smaller accounts, we use SEI Private Trust Co. as their efficiency of managing mutual funds and re-allocating those funds as a discretionary RIA to stated client objectives is accomplished at a reasonable fee.

At CDI, it’s common for a household portfolio to have one or two larger accounts managed by Stonebridge, and smaller ones that need diversification from mutual funds to be managed by SEI.

Opportunity Zone Investing

Opportunity Zones are areas of the United States, certified by the US Treasury and the IRS, which exist for investors to receive preferential tax treatment in exchange for investing long term in areas designated by the governors of each state. With specialized knowledge of Opportunity Zones (not just limited to Arizona), we can help you:

• Understand the properties and/or funds that are qualified…and guide you to vetted opportunities.

• Potentially realize tax savings from investing in such areas. You may be surprised that some zones are in or near existing, upscale communities.

• Explore Qualified Opportunity Zone (QOZ) Funds, or partnerships that provide exposure to some of the best areas available in the USA.

• All gains inside a QOZ fund held for 10 years can be exempt from Capital Gains taxes. We believe this provides a great incentive to invest in a well-vetted fund!

• Work with your tax team to ensure proper documentation and procedures are upheld.

We also work on a standalone basis with professional advisors to those who are interested in Opportunity Zone investing. If you’re a CPA, Attorney, Real Estate Professional, Business Broker or Investment Banker and would like to augment your practice by offering your clients a way to take advantage of this type of investing, we’re happy to act as a resource. Ask about our Opportunity Zone Minute video series by getting in touch.

Investment Property Exit Planning

Anyone who has been in the position of having to sell real estate, that you earned a profit from, knows that this means one thing: a tax headache. In a 1031 exchange, you can reinvest the proceeds of this sale in another real estate asset of the same type while deferring the gains until later or “never” if you leave it to your heirs.

This is well known. What is not well known, however, is that you don’t necessarily have to pursue the traditional route and directly purchase a replacement property. What if you don’t have the time or means to do all that it takes to execute this transaction? You may be able to assume passive ownership by purchasing shares of a trust that has title to such a property.

This scenario is called a Delaware Statutory Trust, or DST. As investment property exit specialists, we are well versed in 1031 exchanges and DSTs as well as many other options that go beyond the traditional. We work with both real estate investors and financial intermediaries such as attorneys and accountants who wish to structure non-traditional exit planning solutions.

CLEAR DIRECTION PLANNING

Our planning process is multi-faceted to accommodate you as your life evolves.  Most of the time, clients look to us for guidance to prepare for a dignified retirement. However, you may also need our help with estate planning to create a plan to help protect your assets and way of life.

Similar to tax planning, professional college planning can mean significant potential savings. Campus Advisers, our sister firm, has been providing guidance and “scholarship realities” to families since 2001.

As business owners ourselves, we understand the need to have clarity about how your business plays out as you step away. As such we are often called upon to assist our business owner clients with succession planning.