Planning-focused advisors build their firms on a different set of values than the rest of the industry. The work is not performance-focused. It is process. It is not prediction. It is preparation. It is not about sounding the smartest in the room. It is about helping clients make decisions they can live with, through market cycles, life transitions, and all the moments in between.
And yet many planning-first firms find themselves carrying an investment burden that does not match that identity. They are asked, implicitly or explicitly, to operate like a full-time investment department while also being the person who leads client relationships, builds plans, manages a team, grows the business, handles compliance, and keeps the entire experience cohesive. Some firms accept that weight because “that’s just what it takes.” Others outsource pieces of it and still end up feeling like they are the ones responsible for stitching the investment function together. Either way, the result is the same: the firm is doing too much, and the investment function becomes a source of drag instead of leverage.
East Bay Investment Solutions exists to solve that mismatch.
We work with planning- and relationship-focused advisory firms that want their investment partner to speak their language, support their service model, and strengthen their confidence without changing their identity. That is a very specific position, and it is intentional. We are not trying to be a fit for everyone. In fact, we have found that the single best predictor of a successful OCIO relationship is not the size of the firm, the amount of AUM, or the exact platform in use. It is philosophical alignment.
The first filter is not services. It is philosophical alignment.
Most advisors start the search for outsourced investment support by asking what a provider can do. Models. Manager research. Investment committee. Maybe direct indexing. Maybe alternatives. Those are all real capabilities, and they matter. But they are not the best starting point.
The best starting point is simpler: How do you believe good investing works?
If you are a planning-focused advisor, you probably already have answers that show up in how you talk to clients:
- You believe time in the market matters more than timing the market.
- You believe discipline is more valuable than cleverness.
- You believe sophistication is not the same thing as complexity.
- You believe good portfolios are built, monitored, and refined, not constantly reinvented.
- You believe the client experience is improved when the investment approach is explainable and repeatable.
That worldview shapes everything. It shapes what you say “yes” to. It shapes what you refuse to do, even when the headline pressure is high. And it shapes the kind of investment partner that will actually help you, rather than create friction.
The East Bay philosophy in plain language
At the core, our approach can be summarized in three ideas.
First: We are strategic and long-term oriented.
We are not in the business of chasing the next obvious trade, rotating portfolios because a metric looks compelling this month, or trying to “outsmart” markets with frequent shifts. A long-term plan deserves a long-term portfolio. That does not mean ignoring risks or refusing to make changes. It means we make changes with intention, evidence, and restraint, not for activity’s sake.
Second: We believe in owning markets and tilting thoughtfully.
Broad diversification is not optional. It is the foundation. From there, we can tilt toward areas where the evidence and the fundamentals make sense. The goal is not to be fancy. The goal is to build portfolios that hold up, that are defensible, and that clients can stay invested in.
Third: We care deeply about implementation.
Cost and tax efficiency are not afterthoughts. They are part of fiduciary excellence. Many firms do not ignore these things, but they do not prioritize them with the same rigor. We do, because it matters to outcomes and it matters to the way planning firms serve clients.
If you read that and feel relieved, that is usually a good sign. If you read that and think, “Yes, but I want to make regular shifts to show my clients I am doing a lot,” that is also valuable information. It does not mean anyone is wrong. It means the fit may not be right.
What we are not, and why that matters
Every firm says they are “strategic.” Many firms avoid the word “tactical” because it sounds risky. But a lot of providers still behave tactically in practice. They make frequent shifts. They narrate market events into portfolio changes. They build an identity around responsiveness, activity.
That approach attracts a certain type of advisor. It also creates a certain type of client conversation. If your firm is built around planning, those conversations can become a tax. Suddenly your meetings turn into market commentary. Your clients begin to expect constant adjustments. Your team spends time explaining changes that may not improve outcomes. And the firm begins to drift away from what it is actually trying to be.
Planning firms do not need more noise. They need a repeatable, disciplined investment engine that supports their real value.
That is why we are candid about fit. We would rather have a transparent conversation up front than begin a relationship that is destined to be frustrating for both sides. If the investment philosophy alignment is not there, the relationship will not work, and we will say that plainly.
“If I already use index funds or factor-based strategies (e.g. Dimensional Funds or Avantis), do I even need an OCIO?”
This is one of the most common misconceptions we run into. Many planning-first advisors assume that because their portfolios are already broadly diversified, low-cost, and long-term, they have “solved investments.” They may even believe that outsourced investment support is only for advisors who want complicated strategies, alternative allocations, or institutional-level manager selection.
We think about it differently.
You do not hire an OCIO because you cannot find a model portfolio.
You hire an OCIO because the investment function of your firm is more than a portfolio.
If all you want is a set of models, you can get them in many places, often at little or no cost. That is not the point. The point is the capacity, judgment, and support that show up when real life happens inside your business and inside your client relationships.
Here are a few examples we see regularly:
- A client or prospect asks about an investment idea you have not had time to fully research (direct indexing, SMAs, concentrated stock, or a new asset class).
- A larger prospect wants to understand the depth of your investment support, and you want that conversation to feel more confident and credible.
- A team is growing, and you need your internal staff to level up on investments without you becoming the full-time teacher.
- A COI questions whether your firm is “sophisticated enough,” and you need to demonstrate institutional-level thinking without turning your firm into an institutional bureaucracy.
- You want a partner who can help refine your investment offering as your client base grows and becomes more complex, without defaulting to complexity for complexity’s sake.
None of those are solved by a model portfolio. They are solved by an investment partner who functions like an extension of your team.
Sophistication is not complexity, and confidence is not performance
One of the most important beliefs we hold is that bigger clients do not automatically require a fancier approach. The opportunity set may expand as wealth increases. Implementation options may expand. Tax considerations may expand. But the underlying logic does not need to become a theater performance.
In fact, “getting fancy” often works against clients. It can introduce strategies that clients do not understand, increase friction and oversight, and create behavioral risk. Planning-focused advisors know that the most dangerous thing is not a simple portfolio. It is a complex portfolio that a client cannot stick with.
A better standard is this: Does the strategy make fundamental sense, and is it supported by evidence?
We do not invest a certain way because a provider told us to. We invest a certain way because the theory makes sense, and the evidence supports it. Research is a tool for refinement, not a substitute for judgment.
The real promise of an OCIO partnership for planning firms
At its best, an OCIO relationship gives a planning-focused firm four things: time, confidence, capacity, and clarity.
Time, because your attention is no longer constantly pulled into investment tasks that compete with planning, leadership, and client experience.
Confidence, because you can have deeper investment conversations when they matter, without becoming someone you are not.
Capacity, because your team can grow and your firm can scale without investing becoming a bottleneck.
Clarity, because your investment philosophy becomes an anchor, not a variable.
This shift is not abstract. Advisors who move away from being the de facto CIO often describe a tangible change in how their firms operate day to day.
As Dennis Morton, founder of Morton Brown Family Wealth, shared on Episode 471 of the Michael Kitces podcast:
“If I was still the de facto CIO, which up until four or five years ago I was, that would be a tax on my ability to service the clients that needed to be. The commitment to the outsourced model and the support model has opened up capacity in ways that I didn’t experience before. I don’t feel the capacity crunch right now.”*
That sense of relief is not about doing less meaningful work. It is about doing the right work. When advisors are no longer forced to function as an internal investment department, they regain the bandwidth to lead their firms, serve clients well, and make decisions from a position of steadiness rather than strain.
The result is not just “better investments.”
It is a more durable firm.
What to look for in an investment partner
If you are considering an OCIO relationship, here is the most important advice we can offer:
Start with philosophy. Then evaluate capabilities.
Ask yourself:
- Do they build portfolios in a way that matches how I serve clients?
- Do they help me stay disciplined, or do they pull me into constant explanation and change?
- Can they support customization where it matters without turning the relationship into a menu of exceptions?
- Are they willing to say “not a fit” if alignment is not there?
The right partner will not just deliver a service. They will reinforce the identity of your firm.
A final thought
Planning-focused advisors are building something different. You are building a business around stewardship, consistency, and trust. Your investment partner should strengthen that, not distort it.
If you want an investment team that is strategic, disciplined, and aligned with the planning-first identity, Let’s Talk. If we are not the right fit, we will tell you that too. Either way, you will leave the conversation clearer about what you are building, and what kind of investment infrastructure will best support it.
*This statement is from a current or then-current East Bay client who was not compensated for it, and no conflict of interest exists between them and East Bay Investment Solutions.