Since 2002, the US has been in a long-term secular bear market that some have described as the lost decade. Although the US is still the largest economy on earth in GDP terms; chronic deficits, unsustainable debt, and the global banking crisis since 2008 have called into question the viability of the traditional "Buy, Hold, & Hope" investment philosophy. As we enter our second decade of low returns investors are demanding both a DEFENSIVE approach that protects on the downside while providing OFFENSIVE strategies for growth of their portfolios.

"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest."

- Benjamin Franklin