Strategies
From insurance wrappers to multi-asset drawdown frameworks, our protection strategies are designed to neutralise specific risk vectors — not to generate headline returns.
Speak to a StrategistBefore any instrument is selected, Hartwell & Vaughn maps the risk landscape of each client mandate. This means identifying concentration risk, liquidity mismatch, currency exposure, regulatory change risk, and estate transmission complexity. Only once this architecture is clear do we begin selecting the instruments and wrappers that address each identified exposure. The process typically takes four to six weeks for a new mandate and results in a written Capital Protection Brief — a document that specifies protection floors, allocation bands, permitted instruments, review triggers, and escalation procedures. This brief becomes the governing document for all subsequent portfolio decisions, reviewed annually and updated whenever your circumstances change materially.
We apply three distinct strategy families, often in combination, depending on a client's risk profile, time horizon, and cross-border requirements.
A Luxembourg or Irish-domiciled unit-linked life insurance wrapper provides contractual capital protection through a diversified internal fund structure. The wrapper preserves EU passporting rights, shields assets from direct creditor claims in most jurisdictions, and allows tax-deferred growth with controlled drawdown. Hartwell & Vaughn selects the wrapper provider, negotiates institutional fee terms, and coordinates ongoing custody reporting.
Portfolios are constructed with a defined maximum drawdown constraint — typically 10% to 20% below the high-water mark — using a blend of sovereign and investment-grade fixed income, real asset exposure through listed REITs and infrastructure funds, and a liquid alternatives sleeve for decorrelation. The framework is rebalanced dynamically, not on a fixed calendar, so risk adjustments are made when market conditions warrant them.
For clients whose primary concern is the orderly transfer of wealth across generations, we design structures that combine testamentary planning, beneficial ownership layers, and insurance-based succession mechanisms. Working alongside notaries and tax counsel in Slovakia and neighbouring jurisdictions, we ensure that the structure is both legally robust and operationally simple for heirs to administer.
Many advisors produce glossy proposals and then manage portfolios by intuition. Hartwell & Vaughn operates differently: every mandate is governed by a written Capital Protection Brief that functions as a constitutional document for your wealth. It defines the maximum acceptable drawdown level, the permitted asset classes and their allocation bands, the currency exposure limits, the liquidity reserve requirement, and the specific triggers that mandate a review meeting. When markets become disorderly — as they periodically do — the Brief provides a clear framework for action rather than a blank canvas for reactive decision-making. Clients receive a plain-language summary alongside the full technical document, and both are updated at each annual review to reflect changes in personal circumstances, regulatory environment, or market structure. This discipline is the stone-mint foundation of everything we do: calm, structured, and built to endure.
Our standard mandates begin at €500,000 in investable assets. For clients approaching this threshold with assets spread across multiple accounts or jurisdictions, we offer a preliminary structuring consultation to assess consolidation options before formally opening a mandate.
Yes. We regularly serve clients resident in Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Germany, as well as Slovak nationals living abroad. Cross-border mandates require additional compliance documentation, which our onboarding team manages on your behalf.
Hartwell & Vaughn charges exclusively on a fee-only basis: an annual advisory fee calculated as a percentage of assets under advisory, agreed in writing before any work commences. We hold no trailer fees, no distribution commissions, and no performance bonuses from third-party providers. Our incentive is entirely aligned with the preservation of your capital.
Any material change — sale of a business, inheritance, change of residency, divorce, or significant market event — triggers an out-of-cycle review. You contact us, we convene a meeting within five business days, and the Capital Protection Brief is amended accordingly. There is no additional charge for unscheduled reviews.
Hartwell & Vaughn is an advisory firm, not a custodian. Client assets are held at regulated third-party custodians — typically major European banks or licensed depository institutions — and we provide consolidated reporting across all custody relationships. This structure ensures that your assets are never commingled with our own.
Contact our Nitra office to arrange a confidential strategy consultation. We will assess your current exposure and outline a tailored Capital Protection Brief at no charge.
Book a Strategy Consultation