O'Brien Asset Management

The firm provides ongoing comprehensive financial planning and investment management to individuals and families, including high‑net‑worth clients. Services described in the brochure include insurance needs analysis, retirement planning (incorporating employer plans and Social Security), estate planning, portfolio monitoring and reporting, and separate hourly consultation services for clients who do not retain ongoing management.

The firm develops a personalized Investment Policy Statement for each client and favors diversified allocations across many asset classes using no‑load mutual funds and exchange‑traded funds with low turnover to limit tax consequences. It emphasizes long‑term investing with periodic rebalancing and tactical tilts rather than market timing, and portfolios are generally managed on a non‑discretionary basis with client pre‑approval required for changes and the ability for clients to place investment restrictions.

What is notable relative to peers is that roughly 80% of the firm’s assets are managed non‑discretionarily, while the firm has recently added access to third‑party money managers and Altruist’s Model Marketplace and tax‑management tools that can execute discretionary rebalances and ongoing tax‑loss harvesting. The firm relies on custodial technology for order execution and reporting (trades are executed through its chosen custodian, it does not aggregate trades, and clients retain responsibility for voting proxies).