Jim Whipps
President and Financial Advisor

Jim was a Sr. Manager with Boeing for seventeen years, three years as a mortgage banker, two years a broker with Edward Jones, and a financial advisor for seven years with Merriman, Inc. in Seattle.  He is a member of the Financial Planning Association. Jim has been working with investors in the Wenatchee, Chelan, and Yakima area for over seven years.

In his off hours, Jim enjoys playing golf, traveling with his wife, Cindy, and spending time with his three grown sons.  Jim and Cindy also enjoy being involved with charitable and volunteer organizations.

The Company
Compass Investments & Advising is a Registered Investment Advisory firm focused on the education of investors and the management of clients’ assets through the use of strategic investing. 
Our goal is to help educate investors on the basics of investing so they can make the best decisions about their own personal investing strategy and ultimately realize true financial security.  Compass Investments asset management service uses the key principles of investing based on more than 40 years of research by financial academics in leading U.S. Universities.

We advocate that while rates of return are important to reach one’s financial goals, equally as important is the preservation of assets during those difficult markets that investors will invariably face.  Thus, we strongly believe in the axiom that ‘it’s not just important how much one gains over time but, also how much one hangs onto’.  Our strategic approach to investing is to work within the client’s unique risk tolerance level and establish personalized portfolios to help clients achieve this axiom and their personal financial security.

Company Committment
In the process of educating investors and especially, in the management of clients’ assets, Compass Investments has one single, impassioned focus – provide clients with the highest level of integrity, honesty, trust, and ethical behavior.  The company’s Code of Ethics summarizes this deep-seeded company value:

• Always place the interest of the clients first and never benefit at the expense of advisory clients.

• Always act in an honest and ethical manner, inctuding in connection with, and the handling and avoidance of, actual or potential conflicts of interest between personal and professional relationships.

• Always maintain the confidentiality of information concerning the identity of security holdings and financial circumstances of clients.

• Fully comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations of federal, state and local governments and other applicable regulatory agencies.

There are three elements of company behavior and organizational structure that are paramount to us at Compass Investments, and we think to our clients as well:

•  Fiduciary Trust – As a Registered Investment Advisor, we are required, unlike brokers in the world of Wall Street, to exercise fiduciary trust in dealing with our clients.  Beyond just being a requirement, this is an integral part of our company culture and pervades every aspect of our client/advisor relationship.  As a fiduciary, Compass Investments always seeks the best interest of our clients.
• Avoidance of Conflict of Interest – Compass Investments is committed to never benefit at the expense of our clients.  Our fee and organizational structure eliminate the ability for us to benefit while our clients are negatively impacted.  Our advice and counsel is always couched in terms of what will be the most beneficial for our clients.  We receive absolutely no hidden fees or kickbacks from the mutual funds or other investments we recommend to clients.  There is no way for us to benefit more by recommending one strategy or investment over another.  We sell no products that pay high commissions:  annuities, insurance, partnerships, etc.
• Custody and Security – Doing what is best for the client and avoiding conflict of interest inherently means that a client’s assets must be held by a custodian that is totally separate and removed from the investment advisor.  Compass Investments’ clients never worry about what we are doing with their assets.  We never hold a client’s assets because they are always held by a custodian, in an account, in the client’s name.
  
  Compass Investments has no access to assets in a client’s account except to make trades per advisor/client agreements and for monthly management fees.  Clients receive monthly statements from the custodian showing account balances, specific investments held, monthly gain or loss, and any fees charged to the account.  In this manner, our clients have a peace of mind about their assets and the security of those assets held on their behalf by the custodian.
  
  Because of their stellar reputation and integrity, unparalleled customer support and service, and reasonable transaction fees, Compass Investments works with Charles Schwab Institutional as our exclusive client custodian.