Personal Finance Writer Scott Burns Applies, Extends Famed ”Couch Potato” Investing Philosophy with Web Startup

DALLAS - (Business Wire) Nationally syndicated personal finance writer Scott Burns has long been skeptical of Wall Street s high-priced stock pickers and fund managers. Burns developed the widely praised Couch Potato Portfolio to demonstrate that diversified index investing could be just as effective as managed-fund investing over the long term with less risk and at far lower cost.

Now Burns is teaming with former Microsoft executive Kennon Grose to extend his low-cost investing approach to the Web with a startup called AssetBuilder that enables investors with nest eggs starting at $50,000 to select from pre-constructed portfolios and pay annual fees as low as 25 basis points. The Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) has attracted more than $75 million in assets under management since its launch in April 2007 — and is growing rapidly.

AssetBuilder issues a simple challenge to Wall Street: Prove that your stock pickers and mutual fund managers are worth the fees you charge for them. In most cases, they aren t,” says Burns, the firm s chief investment strategist. “We believe that real value is delivered not in trying to outperform the market, but in constructing portfolios that capitalize on the market s long-term return .

That s what AssetBuilder portfolios are built to do.” Adds Grose, the company s president and CEO: Through AssetBuilder, we ve wedded low-cost index investing with a Web-based service platform to create a uniquely cost-efficient option for investors. We make choosing and implementing a personal investment strategy simpler and more affordable than ever. How Does AssetBuilder Do It? Burns unveiled the original Couch Potato Portfolio in 1987.