Texas Asset Management founders and C.P.A.’s John Brodnax and Richard Karnes have time and again met investors whose portfolios suffered because of advice from financial-industry retailers — stockbrokers and insurance industry salespeople receiving commissions on products they recommended. Those commissions strongly influence the investments they sell. Have you ever been sold an annuity? The commission is usually the reason for that sale.

Knowing that such conflicts of interest permeate the financial marketplace and compromise investors’ financial health, Brodnax and Karnes realized a need to bring objectivity, professionalism, tax-efficiency, and cost-minimization to the investment world of individuals. Thus, in 1999 they founded Texas Asset Management with a lasting commitment to three core principles:

1. Pure, untainted advice: Texas Asset Management clients don’t worry about bias or conflict of interest with our advisors, because we have never and will never accept payment from an outside party offering commissions for selling their products. Charging a fee based upon the assets managed enables us to work 100 percent for you the client.

2. An integrated approach: We start by listening to you and learning about your situation and goals. Only with a thorough understanding of where you are and where you want to go do we set out to manage your assets. In the process, we develop a customized investment approach and plan that integrates financial planning and investment management — what we call Investing Wisely.

3. Intelligent risk-taking: Our strategy for minimizing risk focuses on long-term, big picture objectives and diversification, rather than the day-to-day drama of a fluctuating stock market.

Our firm’s members continue to embrace these principles, as well as the Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct of the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.