“Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it; he who doesn't, pays it.”

– Albert Einstein

Read Our Client Relationship Summary

Marathon Mission ®

We provide high quality asset management and comprehensive financial planning. The scope of our engagements vary by client but cover the typical investment planning and related areas. What sets us apart is the truly comprehensive and personal nature of our services. 

Investment portfolio management is never outsourced and we do not use one size fits all modeling. We make all investment decisions internally based on extensive research and years of experience, instead of blindly listening to mainstream media. Whenever possible, we move as a unit via block trading where all client changes are made on the same day, at the same time and at the same price. Our own personal portfolios are invested alongside our clients' portfolios and we are included in these changes. We are all in this together. 

 We complete as much financial planning as possible in house so we can “own the process” and ensure the desired outcome. In situations that move outside of our areas of expertise, we refer out to other trusted professionals. In those situations we quarterback the process and track it closely to make sure client goals are achieved. 

We cannot provide this high level of service for everyone. As a result, we are currently accepting clients via referral or invitation only.

Michael Ryan, CFP ®

Michael Ryan is the Founder and President of Marathon Mission®, an SEC Registered Investment Advisory firm. He began a lifetime career in the financial advisory business shortly after graduating from Siena College in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance with a concentration in accounting.

Laura Sodorsky, Candidate for CFP Certification ®

Laura Sodorsky joined Marathon Mission in 2019 and became a Financial Advisor after completing her Series 65 examination in 2020. She completed her CFP® coursework and capstone in 2021. Laura completed her 6000 hours of experience in June of 2023 and is now studying for the CFP® exam. She graduated from Siena College in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management.


Investment Philosophy

There are many factors that go into how we select our investments and manage our portfolios. We start with a macroeconomic overview and then look at stock markets around the globe to determine the trend of each individual market. This is important in bull markets where the overall trend is up because we want to buy the dips and hold the rallies. In bear markets when the overall trend is down, we want to sell the rallies and hold cash. In sports terms we like to equate it with playing offense (bull market) and defense (bear market). In general we look at bull markets as beginning with a 20% move off a bottom, and bear markets beginning after a 20% downward move from a top.

We use fundamental analysis which concentrates on factors that determine a company’s value and expected future earnings. This strategy would encourage making investments that are undervalued or priced below their perceived value. Overall market valuation and corporate earnings growth are important to us. Studies have shown that markets with lower valuations tend to outperform markets with high valuations over time. Highly valued markets tend to be priced for perfection and more prone for a correction. In contrast, markets with lower valuations may be poised for a turnaround. This is the "buy low and sell high" concept.

We use technical analysis which attempts to predict an investment’s future market price and direction based on market trends. The assumption is that the market follows discernible patterns and if these patterns can be identified, then a prediction can be made. The risk is that markets do not always follow patterns, and relying solely on this method may not take into account new patterns that emerge over time. We use technical analysis in conjunction with fundamental analysis to help us see resistance and support lines, and to help get a sense of the market’s potential movement.

We use modern portfolio theory which assumes that investors are generally risk averse. This means that given two portfolios that offer the same expected return, investors will prefer the less risky one measured by standard deviation. Thus, an investor will take on increased risk only if compensated by higher expected returns. Conversely, an investor who wants higher expected returns must accept more risk. The implication is that a rational investor will not invest in a portfolio if a second portfolio exists with a more favorable risk-expected return profile – i.e., if, for that level of risk, an alternative portfolio exists which has better expected returns. The goal is to construct a portfolio where the sum of the parts results in a portfolio with an optimized rate of return for the risk taken. We provide a tactical overlay that increases or decreases our exposure to various different sectors and styles based on the outlook for that area of the market. If we feel a certain geographic region, sector or style looks attractive to us, we will increase our position in that area while reducing areas where we have less optimism. These adjustments are made with the overall goal of remaining well diversified. This tactical allocation allows us to attempt to slowly move from fully valued areas to lower valued investments that we believe have more potential.


Pension Consulting Services

We provide advice to pension plans and their trustees in the areas of:

  • Identifying investment objectives and restrictions
  • Allocating plan assets to various objectives
  • Selecting investment choices for plan participants
  • Monitoring performance of investments and make recommendations for changes
  • Make recommendations for other service providers, such as custodians, administrators and broker dealers

Portfolio Management and Financial Planning

The main financial planning areas that we focus on are:

Portfolio management

  • Marathon Mission® offers ongoing portfolio management services via discretionary investment advisory services based on the individual goals, objectives, time horizon and risk tolerance of each client. We create an Investment Policy Statement for each client which outlines the client’s current situation (income, tax levels, and risk tolerance levels). Portfolio management services include, but are not limited to, investment strategy, asset selection, asset allocation and regular portfolio monitoring. 

Retirement planning

  • We use industry leading software to run a retirement cash flow analysis to help us answer the age-old questions of “will I run out of money in retirement?” and “can I afford this?” Our enhanced software uses Monte Carlo simulation to provide a probability analysis based on factors such as federal and state taxes, social security, pensions, investments, inflation, risk tolerance, health care, vacation homes, varying rates of return using portfolio standard deviation, etc. We then use this probability analysis to make any necessary adjustments throughout all stages of life.

Insurance planning

  • We review insurance policies and advise on shortfalls or excess coverage.

Education planning

  • We work with clients to create a game plan to cover the projected future college expenses using either specific institutions or the average tuition costs for private or public schools.

Tax planning

  • We analyze tax returns to optimize tax savings, determine necessary adjustments to withholdings and calculate estimated tax payments. We review and advise on strategies for executing employee stock bonus plans. For retired clients we massage the withdrawal rate between qualified and non-qualified accounts, when possible, in an effort to have the least amount of Social Security taxed and long-term capital gains/qualified dividends not taxed at all.

Estate planning

  • We offer complete estate planning services including the creation of wills and trusts and minimizing probatable assets. In complex estate situations we refer to other trusted professionals but remain involved in the process.

Employee benefits planning

  • We review and recommend asset allocations for employer sponsored plans while clients are in their working years to keep their investments in line with their stated risk tolerance. We assess employee benefit costs and coverage such as life insurance, long and short term disability. 

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We are currently accepting clients via referral or invitation only.

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