Ascent Advice Value Model
Ascent Advisors · Hypothetical illustration

What the same portfolio becomes in three different hands

Each line starts with the same money and the same market return. The difference comes from behavior, cost, and the planning services a client actually receives. Turn services on or off below to see what each one is worth, based on published research.

Self-directed investor-Market return minus the measured behavior gap
Ascent advisory client-Gap closed, fee paid, selected services added
Institutional portfolio-Low cost, written policy, no behavior gap
Institutional (solid) Advisory client (dashed) Self-directed (dotted)
Hypothetical growth comparison.

Step 1

Shared assumptions

Match this to the firm's published capital market assumptions.
Morningstar measured 1.2% per year over the decade ending 2024 [1].
Endowments averaged 7.7% over 10 years and 6.6% over 25 years [4]. Keep this modest.
Step 2

Service menu: value beyond closing the gap

Check the services this client will actually receive. Each slider stays inside the range the research reports. Defaults sit at or below the midpoint.

Behavioral coaching Counted in gap
Keeping the client invested through downturns and rallies.
Vanguard estimate: 150 bps [2]Model uses the measured gap instead, so it is not added twice.
Returning the portfolio to its target mix on a set schedule or threshold.
Research range: 0 to 45 bpsVanguard US: 26 bps [2]Applies to every client
Holding tax-inefficient assets in IRAs and tax-efficient assets in taxable accounts.
Research range: 0 to 75 bpsVanguard US [2]Only if client has both taxable and retirement accounts
Choosing which accounts to draw from, and in what order, to cut lifetime taxes.
Research range: 0 to 110 bpsVanguard US [2]Only if client is taking distributions
Replacing the client's current funds with lower-cost holdings in the Ascent model.
%%
Measured from the client's own statementsExample values shown
Advisor value beyond closing the gap
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Vanguard notes that clients do not receive every component every year, and much of the value arrives during market stress. Present this as a range, not a promise.

Step 3

Services Ascent provides that this chart does not count

No peer-reviewed study puts a reliable return figure on these. They belong in the conversation, but leaving them off the chart keeps the numbers above defensible.

Business succession planningTransition and continuity work for family and ag businesses.
Estate and gifting coordinationWorking with the client's attorney on titling, beneficiaries, and transfer strategy.
Medicare and insurance reviewPlan selection and coverage gaps reviewed each enrollment period.
Retirement income planningMorningstar's Gamma study estimated about 1.59% per year for retirees, but it overlaps with the services above [3].
Sources
  1. Morningstar, Mind the Gap US 2025; summary via Boldin.
  2. Vanguard, Putting a Value on Your Value: Quantifying Adviser's Alpha (June 2020), US module figures.
  3. Blanchett and Kaplan, Morningstar, Alpha, Beta, and Now Gamma (2013).
  4. 2025 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments, as reported by ai-CIO.

Hypothetical illustration for discussion purposes only. These figures do not represent the actual performance of any Ascent Advisors client, account, or composite, and do not predict future results. Returns compound annually with no contributions, withdrawals, or taxes. Research estimates come from third-party studies using their own assumptions and time periods; individual results vary and may be lower. Advisory fees reduce returns. Investing involves risk, including loss of principal. Review with the Chief Compliance Officer before external use.