PRISM Wealth-Building Process Articles
The PRISM Wealth-Building Process: Putting It All Together
July 2026 by Charles Rotblut
PRISM helps you develop a well-defined personalized plan for achieving your financial goals.
July 2026 by Charles Rotblut
PRISM helps you develop a well-defined personalized plan for achieving your financial goals.
A One-Page Plan for Simplifying a Late-in-Life Portfolio
January 2026 by Charles Rotblut
AAII’s PRISM Wealth-Building Process provides a framework for thinking through what simplification looks like for you.
January 2026 by Charles Rotblut
AAII’s PRISM Wealth-Building Process provides a framework for thinking through what simplification looks like for you.
A One-Page Wealth-Building Plan for FIRE and Early Retirement
August 2025 by Charles Rotblut
Retiring early requires careful planning, but a simplified one-page approach can help you stay focused on what matters most.
August 2025 by Charles Rotblut
Retiring early requires careful planning, but a simplified one-page approach can help you stay focused on what matters most.
A One-Page Wealth-Building Plan for Semiretirement
June 2025 by Charles Rotblut
Key considerations for planning a period of part-time work before full retirement.
June 2025 by Charles Rotblut
Key considerations for planning a period of part-time work before full retirement.
A One-Page Wealth-Building Plan for Managing the Costs of Late-in-Life Care
April 2025 by Charles Rotblut
One of the biggest challenges in financial planning and investing is longevity risk. A one-page PRISM plan can help you prepare for the forthcoming costs.
April 2025 by Charles Rotblut
One of the biggest challenges in financial planning and investing is longevity risk. A one-page PRISM plan can help you prepare for the forthcoming costs.
Go Beyond Age-Based Allocation Strategies by Personalizing Your Approach
April 2025 by Charles Rotblut
AAII’s PRISM Wealth-Building Process helps you think through the considerations for creating the optimal allocation for you.
April 2025 by Charles Rotblut
AAII’s PRISM Wealth-Building Process helps you think through the considerations for creating the optimal allocation for you.
A One-Page Wealth-Building Plan for College Savings
January 2025 by Charles Rotblut
Creating a plan for funding college can help you clarify what choices you will make and keep you on track to meet your goal.
January 2025 by Charles Rotblut
Creating a plan for funding college can help you clarify what choices you will make and keep you on track to meet your goal.
A One-Page Plan for Maximizing Long-Term Wealth
July 2024 by Charles Rotblut
The flexibility of the PRISM Wealth-Building Process includes its ability to be adapted for the purpose of simply accumulating wealth.
July 2024 by Charles Rotblut
The flexibility of the PRISM Wealth-Building Process includes its ability to be adapted for the purpose of simply accumulating wealth.
A One-Page Wealth-Building Plan for First-Time Homebuyers and Other Short-Term Goals
April 2024 by Charles Rotblut
Saving for goals you want to reach within the next five years entails different risk considerations and allocation choices than long-term goals.
April 2024 by Charles Rotblut
Saving for goals you want to reach within the next five years entails different risk considerations and allocation choices than long-term goals.
A One-Page Wealth-Building Plan for Leaving an IRA Inheritance
January 2024 by Charles Rotblut
How to create a high-level summary of an intended bequest that ensures you reach your goal.
January 2024 by Charles Rotblut
How to create a high-level summary of an intended bequest that ensures you reach your goal.
Guiding Heirs: Estate Planning and Investing Talks
October 2023 by Charles Rotblut
The PRISM Wealth-Building Process can assist with communication when passing along your investing knowledge, your inventory of important documents and your final wishes.
October 2023 by Charles Rotblut
The PRISM Wealth-Building Process can assist with communication when passing along your investing knowledge, your inventory of important documents and your final wishes.
Using Fidelity Funds to Fill Your Asset Allocation Needs
September 2023 by Charles Rotblut
Even if you are limited to choosing among Fidelity funds, you can still build a portfolio based on one of AAII’s allocation models.
September 2023 by Charles Rotblut
Even if you are limited to choosing among Fidelity funds, you can still build a portfolio based on one of AAII’s allocation models.
Incorporating Equal-Weighted Funds Into Your Allocation
June 2023 by Charles Rotblut
Equal-weighted funds hold the same securities as similar market-cap-weighted funds but in different proportions, reducing stock-specific risk.
June 2023 by Charles Rotblut
Equal-weighted funds hold the same securities as similar market-cap-weighted funds but in different proportions, reducing stock-specific risk.
A One-Page Wealth-Building Plan to Get a 60-Year-Old Couple to Retirement
May 2023 by Charles Rotblut
The years leading up to retirement involve many important decisions. A simplified plan is essential to keep you on track.
May 2023 by Charles Rotblut
The years leading up to retirement involve many important decisions. A simplified plan is essential to keep you on track.
A One-Page Wealth-Building Plan to Reach the Goal of Retirement
April 2023 by Charles Rotblut
A good plan with enough guidance to help an investor align their investment decisions with their goals can be written on a single page.
April 2023 by Charles Rotblut
A good plan with enough guidance to help an investor align their investment decisions with their goals can be written on a single page.
Tilting AAII's Asset Allocation Models to Match Your Growth or Value Style
March 2023 by John Bajkowski
A look at index mutual funds and ETFs that move outside of the neutral blended style by adding a focus on growth or value.
March 2023 by John Bajkowski
A look at index mutual funds and ETFs that move outside of the neutral blended style by adding a focus on growth or value.
Putting Your Portfolio Back on Track Following a Bear Market
January 2023 by Charles Rotblut
Actionable steps to improve your odds of successfully reaching your goals when a down market affects your portfolio.
January 2023 by Charles Rotblut
Actionable steps to improve your odds of successfully reaching your goals when a down market affects your portfolio.
Index Fund Options for AAII's Asset Allocation Models
November 2022 by Charles Rotblut
While we use Vanguard funds for tracking purposes, they are not the only option when using the allocation models as a guideline for your own portfolio.
November 2022 by Charles Rotblut
While we use Vanguard funds for tracking purposes, they are not the only option when using the allocation models as a guideline for your own portfolio.
Financial Planning Tips for Empty Nesters
July 2022 by Charles Rotblut
A thorough review of your wealth-building plan is called for when children become financially independent.
July 2022 by Charles Rotblut
A thorough review of your wealth-building plan is called for when children become financially independent.
Using PRISM for Investing in Retirement
May 2022 by Charles Rotblut
Even those certain they will not outlive their money can incorporate aspects of the wealth-building process in their personal PRISM plan.
May 2022 by Charles Rotblut
Even those certain they will not outlive their money can incorporate aspects of the wealth-building process in their personal PRISM plan.
The Importance of Rebalancing for Retirees and Other Investors
March 2022 by Charles Rotblut
Analysis of rolling 25-year periods showed rebalancing can lead to greater ending wealth for a hypothetical retirement portfolio by shifting dollars from bonds to equities during bear markets.
March 2022 by Charles Rotblut
Analysis of rolling 25-year periods showed rebalancing can lead to greater ending wealth for a hypothetical retirement portfolio by shifting dollars from bonds to equities during bear markets.
A Plan for Achieving the Financial Goal of Building Retirement Savings
January 2022 by Charles Rotblut
We use the example of a hypothetical couple to illustrate how the PRISM process can get you to your retirement goal.
January 2022 by Charles Rotblut
We use the example of a hypothetical couple to illustrate how the PRISM process can get you to your retirement goal.
Portfolio Monitoring for Progress of Goals and Life Stage Changes
November 2021 by Charles Rotblut
Checking your portfolio at regular intervals tells you if you are on or off track to achieve your goals and whether they are still valid.
November 2021 by Charles Rotblut
Checking your portfolio at regular intervals tells you if you are on or off track to achieve your goals and whether they are still valid.
Effectively Monitoring Your Portfolio
October 2021 by Charles Rotblut
The PRISM Wealth-Building Process helps you establish metrics to analyze your portfolio and make changes in line with your long-term allocation.
October 2021 by Charles Rotblut
The PRISM Wealth-Building Process helps you establish metrics to analyze your portfolio and make changes in line with your long-term allocation.
Guidelines for Selecting Bonds and Cash-Like Instruments
September 2021 by Charles Rotblut
Key characteristics when analyzing bonds, choosing between bonds and bond funds and the role of laddering.
September 2021 by Charles Rotblut
Key characteristics when analyzing bonds, choosing between bonds and bond funds and the role of laddering.
Guidelines for Selecting Stocks for Your Portfolio
August 2021 by Charles Rotblut
The choice of a stock—and even whether to hold individual stocks instead of mutual funds or ETFs—should be reflective of each investor’s investment management preferences.
August 2021 by Charles Rotblut
The choice of a stock—and even whether to hold individual stocks instead of mutual funds or ETFs—should be reflective of each investor’s investment management preferences.
Guidelines for Selecting Mutual Funds and ETFs
July 2021 by Charles Rotblut
PRISM leads you to consider funds appropriate for you and what you are trying to achieve.
July 2021 by Charles Rotblut
PRISM leads you to consider funds appropriate for you and what you are trying to achieve.
Populating Your Portfolio Based on Your Allocation and Preferences
June 2021 by Charles Rotblut
Broad guidelines and considerations can help you select investments appropriate for the type of investor you are.
June 2021 by Charles Rotblut
Broad guidelines and considerations can help you select investments appropriate for the type of investor you are.
8 Factors That Influence Your Investing Management Preferences
May 2021 by Charles Rotblut
Knowing your preferences for carrying out your portfolio strategy allows you to focus only on what you will consider and ignore the investments that aren't a good fit for you.
May 2021 by Charles Rotblut
Knowing your preferences for carrying out your portfolio strategy allows you to focus only on what you will consider and ignore the investments that aren't a good fit for you.
The Building Blocks of a Successful Portfolio Allocation
April 2021 by Charles Rotblut
The mix of assets held primarily determines the returns you will realize. The other keys are sticking to your strategy and making periodic adjustments to keep your allocations at the desired level.
April 2021 by Charles Rotblut
The mix of assets held primarily determines the returns you will realize. The other keys are sticking to your strategy and making periodic adjustments to keep your allocations at the desired level.
How Much Risk Can You Handle and Still Meet Your Goals?
March 2021 by Charles Rotblut
An investor’s overall tolerance can be determined both by the timing of their goals and financial and psychological factors.
March 2021 by Charles Rotblut
An investor’s overall tolerance can be determined both by the timing of their goals and financial and psychological factors.
Why Your Goals Should Drive Your Investment Decisions
January 2021 by Charles Rotblut
When your investment goals change, so should your strategy.
January 2021 by Charles Rotblut
When your investment goals change, so should your strategy.
Tracking Your Investment Expenses
December 2020 by Charles Rotblut
Find out how much of your portfolio value you are paying out in expenses, commissions, fees and other costs with this simple worksheet.
December 2020 by Charles Rotblut
Find out how much of your portfolio value you are paying out in expenses, commissions, fees and other costs with this simple worksheet.
Creating an Inventory of Your Investment Accounts
November 2020 by Charles Rotblut
Learn to create an inventory of your savings and investment accounts to help you evaluate the costs and fees you are paying and to aid in your allocation and risk assessment when doing portfolio reviews.
November 2020 by Charles Rotblut
Learn to create an inventory of your savings and investment accounts to help you evaluate the costs and fees you are paying and to aid in your allocation and risk assessment when doing portfolio reviews.
Determining Your Portfolio Management Preferences
October 2020 by Charles Rotblut
Thinking about how your allocation will be implemented and who is going to manage your portfolio will help you to develop management rules for your portfolio.
October 2020 by Charles Rotblut
Thinking about how your allocation will be implemented and who is going to manage your portfolio will help you to develop management rules for your portfolio.
The Changes Made to AAII's Asset Allocation Models
September 2020 by Charles Rotblut
The AAII Asset Allocation Models serve as guidelines individual investors can use to construct appropriate portfolios. We updated two of the models.
September 2020 by Charles Rotblut
The AAII Asset Allocation Models serve as guidelines individual investors can use to construct appropriate portfolios. We updated two of the models.
Determining the Appropriate Level of Risk for You
August 2020 by Charles Rotblut
To help you identify your tolerance for risk, we’ve developed this worksheet as part of The AAII Way, a process for creating a comprehensive plan that can be your investing guide.
August 2020 by Charles Rotblut
To help you identify your tolerance for risk, we’ve developed this worksheet as part of The AAII Way, a process for creating a comprehensive plan that can be your investing guide.
Defining Your Investing Goals
July 2020 by Charles Rotblut
The first step to creating a comprehensive investing plan is to define your goals and cash flow needs. We’ve created a simple worksheet to help you organize your thoughts.
July 2020 by Charles Rotblut
The first step to creating a comprehensive investing plan is to define your goals and cash flow needs. We’ve created a simple worksheet to help you organize your thoughts.
A Process for Creating Your Own Investing Plan
June 2020 by Charles Rotblut
Our goal is to give you a framework to think through the various aspects of investing—from your goals to monitoring and reviewing your portfolio and investment profile. Introducing AAII’s new project.
June 2020 by Charles Rotblut
Our goal is to give you a framework to think through the various aspects of investing—from your goals to monitoring and reviewing your portfolio and investment profile. Introducing AAII’s new project.