Dave Richards, Director, Investment Services, communicates the results and importance of complex investment research and analysis to clients. He ensures that the staff of Pension Consultants works with information that is comprehensive and up-to-the-minute.
We have a desire to learn and a passion for investments. We continue to evolve and uncover things that are important in the selection and monitoring of each investment, and then we find the best way to communicate what we learn to our clients.
Every investment option offers distinct advantages and limitations, as does every investment strategy. Dave Richards and his team pair meticulous research and vast experience with the goals of each of their clients to help them create a distinct plan – a plan that a firm extrapolating from someone else’s results could never achieve. Dave explained that this is what differentiates Pension Consultants; their exhaustive attention to detail renders their analysis more thorough, more complex. His approach to each client’s investment selection is qualitative as well as quantitative. Dave and his team examine not only numbers, but the why and how of those numbers to enable clients to make informed selections.
For Dave, an average workday involves constant communication with internal staff, as well as investment and portfolio managers, economists and other industry experts. While his team is not engaged in sales, they work to stay apprised of the products sales-driven firms are marketing to their clients. Some warrant further examination, some do not, but he believes keeping an ear to the ground for what’s next is a crucial aspect of keeping clients informed.
Education, Designations and Experience
- Certified Financial Planner®
- Master of Business Administration, Newman University
- Bachelor of Science, Finance, Missouri State University
- Investment Advisor, Charles Schwab & Company
- Investment Executive, Bank of America Securities
- Account Executive, Great-West Retirement Services
Outside Interests
In addition to his work at Pension Consultants, Dave is a Captain and serves as Company Commander in The National Guard. “Every time I serve, I’m reminded of why it’s important. It’s important that we have a strong military to preserve the rights and freedoms that we’re accustomed to as Americans. My children will grow up with so many liberties just because they live in this country.”
Why are you in Investment Analysis?
“It’s my passion academically. It’s the center of everything I do. Even when I read recreationally, I’ll pick up something like an autobiography by Warren Buffet, or an industry periodical, because I want to know what’s out there. I don’t necessarily subscribe to their theories or processes, but I want to hear other people’s opinions and predictions on the markets.”
