Stellar Assets | Active Investment Management by John A. Wright, CFA

The honest problem

You've built real capital. Managing it well is now its own full-time job.

You're past the point where a basic index fund or a hands-off advisor feels like enough. But you don't have the time, the tools, or the stomach to actively run it yourself.

The market can erase years of gains in weeks

Buy-and-hold feels fine until a sharp sell-off. You watch a decade of patient saving swing violently, with no plan for the downside. You just hope it comes back before you need the money.

"Set it and forget it" means nobody is actually watching

Your money sits in a fund that mirrors the index, or with an advisor you speak to once a year. When conditions change, nothing changes in your portfolio. There's no one actively deciding what to own and what to hedge.

Doing it yourself is a second career you never signed up for

Screening thousands of names, modeling downside risk, structuring options for protection. It can be done, but it demands expertise and hours most people simply don't have. So the account drifts, under-managed, year after year.

What you've probably tried

And why none of it gave you active, accountable management

Index funds and ETFs

Low cost, but by design they go down exactly as much as the market does. There's no stock selection, no risk-off positioning, and nobody protecting the downside when it matters most.

A traditional financial planner

Great for retirement timelines and budgeting, but most planners don't actively manage a concentrated equity book or structure options. They allocate you to products and check in periodically. That's planning, not active management.

Managing it yourself

You read, you watch, you trade when you can. But without full-time focus and institutional-grade modeling, it's hard to stay consistent. The emotional swings alone make disciplined decisions nearly impossible.

The gap was never a lack of options. It's that nobody was actively managing the trade-off between risk and return on your behalf, with real skin in your account.

How it works

Active management across three signals, in three clear steps

Stellar Assets combines Value, Momentum, and Risk Management into a single ranking across 3,000+ liquid, publicly traded stocks. Options are used as an overlay: buying puts for downside protection and calls for upside. John never sells covered calls. The goal is a better risk-and-return trade-off with low correlation to the market, not to track it.

We rank the market across three conditions

Every candidate is scored on Value (market cap vs. predicted value from sales, growth, margins, and an appropriate discount rate), Risk (regression modeling against recent major declines to estimate potential losses per stock in a sell-off), and Momentum (factors associated with outperformance if positive momentum continues). The three are weighted into one robust ranking.

A clear view of each company's attractiveness regardless of market direction
Undervalued, fundamentally sound names surfaced before Wall Street rotates back
Technical analysis applied as a final check on the quantitative shortlist

We build the portfolio and overlay options for protection

Positions are taken in the highest-conviction names, then an options overlay is layered on top: puts to protect against downside, calls to capture upside. This is where the strategy aims to improve the risk-and-return trade-off rather than simply riding the index up and down.

Downside is actively hedged, not just hoped away
Low correlation to the broad market by design
No covered-call selling that caps your upside

You stay in control, and in the loop

The money sits in your own Charles Schwab account. John manages it; you keep custody, and everything remains liquid and publicly traded. You get regular reporting and update videos, plus direct access to the person actually making the decisions.

Your name on the account, your custody, full transparency
Regular written reporting and recorded update videos
A direct line to John, not a call center

What you actually get

Active management, full custody, and a real relationship

📊

Three-Signal Stock Selection

Your portfolio is drawn from 3,000+ names ranked continuously on Value, Risk, and Momentum, so what you own reflects current conditions, not a decision made years ago.

🛡️

Risk-Off Modeling

Regression analytics against recent major declines estimate how each position could behave in a future sell-off. That shapes how the book is hedged before volatility hits.

⚙️

Options Overlay

Puts for downside protection and calls for upside, layered onto the equity portfolio. The available options strategy is offered at a higher account tier.

🏦

Your Own Schwab Account

The assets never leave your custody. John has management authority; you hold the account at Charles Schwab, and every position is liquid and publicly traded.

🎥

Regular Reporting & Update Videos

You receive ongoing written reporting plus recorded video updates that explain what's happening in the portfolio and why, in plain language.

🤝

Direct Access to John

You work with the actual person managing your money: a CFA with a Stanford MBA and a McKinsey background, not a rotating cast of junior reps.

What clients say

Here’s what our clients think

★★★★★

“A tremendous sense of financial confidence and clarity.”

Working with John has given me a tremendous sense of financial confidence and clarity. I always know my investments are being thoughtfully managed with my long-term goals in mind. His consistent communication, trustworthiness, and guidance have made a real difference in how I plan for the future. I highly recommend him to anyone looking for a reliable financial partner.

Hayden · Sales Executive

★★★★★

“One of the best financial decisions I’ve ever made.”

John tripled my account in just two & a half years, so I’m more than pleased! Letting Stellar manage my money was one of the best financial decisions I’ve ever made. They’ve had me invested mostly in options, so I’ve had to deal with higher volatility (and higher taxes), but more than a fair tradeoff. This has been a great call for my ‘play’ money. I convinced one of my sons to invest this year and he’s also up nicely. “This is the place” if you want your money to work even harder than you do!

Cal · Retired Pilot

★★★★★

“Accepting the risks to gain the rewards.”

The “options only” bucket that I’m in is one I signed up for. I knew volatility was integral to this trading model, so I’m accepting the risks to gain the rewards. It’s quite a bit more volatile than I imagined, although overall I’m very happy with the results to date. I would say this trading model requires a lot of patience, but has the potential to produce outsized returns. I’ve gotten great returns through this model but definitely had to wait through a full 10 to 12 month cycle. It’s not for the faint of heart, but I think John has nailed the capability of producing great returns over the medium term.

Dan · Retired VP

★★★★★

“His openness to tailoring a strategy to our needs.”

What I love about working with John is his openness to tailoring a strategy to our needs. When we started with John, we enacted a very conservative approach. The results we saw were decent, but we soon realized that we were going to need more to meet our retirement needs. We met with John about this and he suggested a strategy of adding in an options component for part of our portfolio. Since that change, our returns have been phenomenal! We are now well on our way to meeting our retirement goals. We love working with John and what he is doing for us!

Kevin · Sr. Executive

★★★★★

“Professionalism, transparency, and strategic insight.”

As a Sales Manager with a strong focus on performance and results, I’m selective about where I invest my resources. Stellar Assets impressed me with their professionalism, transparency, and strategic insight. Since partnering with them, my portfolio has delivered exceptional returns, exceeding all expectations. Their consistent performance and clear communication have earned my full confidence. I’m extremely satisfied with the outcomes and look forward to continuing a long-term relationship with Stellar Assets.

Richard · Sr. Executive

★★★★★

“A rigorous, disciplined, and repeatable process.”

John Wright has done an outstanding job managing my investments. He has a rigorous, disciplined, and repeatable process to identify undervalued stocks and profit from them. I appreciate that John has also included option trading strategies. These really help me sleep better at night knowing that there is downside protection in place for any potential black swan events. I feel confident that John can not only minimize the damage from such an event, he can turn a profit. My investments have grown significantly under John’s management and I highly recommend him to anyone looking for help to grow their portfolio.

Doug · Retired Engineer

Testimonials from current Stellar Assets clients. These are individual experiences and are not representative of all clients. Past performance does not guarantee future results, and no client was compensated for their statement. See full disclosures below.

Who manages your money

Meet John A. Wright, CFA

John A. Wright, CFA

Chief Investment Officer, Stellar Assets

John is a Stanford guy, but not a Wall Street guy. He spent his career in the real world, solving the biggest problems facing some of the largest companies: how to win, grow sales, and improve the stock price. That work spanned consulting, technology, industrial, retail, and transportation.

He no longer works for McKinsey, HP, Exxon, AutoZone, or GM. Now he works for you. He brings that same problem-solving, creativity, and operator's understanding of what actually drives a company's value to the job of investing your assets.

On a personal note: John is married with three children and grew up the 7th of 9 in a close extended family raised on strong values. He brings that same sense of stewardship to the way he treats client capital.

CFA Charterholder Stanford MBA Ex-McKinsey Ex-HP · Exxon · GM · AutoZone

Is this a fit?

Who Stellar Assets is built for, and who it isn't

This is for you if…

You have roughly $100K+ to put under active equity management (about $250K+ for the options strategy)
You want someone actively deciding what to own and how to hedge, not a static index fund
You value keeping custody of your own assets in your own Schwab account
You want direct access to the person managing the money
You care about downside protection, not just chasing the highest return

This is not for you if…

You're primarily looking for retirement planning, budgeting, or a withdrawal schedule
You want illiquid, private, or alternative investments
You're below the account minimums and not close to them
You expect guaranteed returns or zero risk (no honest manager can promise that)
You want to hand it off completely and never hear about it again

What matters	Index fund / robo	Stellar Assets
Who's deciding	An algorithm tracking the index	John A. Wright, CFA, actively
Downside protection	None. Falls with the market	Options overlay with protective puts
Correlation to the market	By design, mirrors it	Aims for low correlation
Who holds your assets	Platform custodian	Your own Charles Schwab account
Liquidity	Liquid	Liquid, publicly traded only
Access to the manager	None	Direct 1-on-1 access to John

Questions, answered

Everything you're probably wondering

Where does my money actually sit?

In your own Charles Schwab account, under your name and your custody. John has authority to manage the portfolio, but the assets never leave your control, and everything held is liquid and publicly traded.

What are the account minimums?

Roughly $100,000 for the equity strategy and about $250,000 for the options strategy. If you're close to these, it's worth a conversation to see what fits.

How is this different from a financial planner?

John is an active investment manager, not a retirement or financial planner. He manages a portfolio of stocks with an options overlay. He doesn't build expense budgets, income-gap plans, or withdrawal schedules. If you need comprehensive financial planning, this is a complement to that, not a replacement.

What exactly is the strategy?

Active management of liquid, publicly traded stocks, selected by ranking 3,000+ names on Value, Risk, and Momentum. An options overlay is added on top: buying puts for downside protection and calls for upside. John never sells covered calls. The aim is a better risk-and-return trade-off with low correlation to the market.

Can you guarantee a return?

No, and you should be skeptical of anyone who does. All investing carries risk, including the possible loss of principal. What John commits to is active management, transparency, and direct communication. The goal is to improve the trade-off between risk and return, not to promise a specific outcome.

How do I know what's happening with my money?

You get regular written reporting plus recorded update videos explaining the portfolio's positioning and reasoning. And because it's your Schwab account, you can log in and see every position and trade at any time.

What's John's background?

He's a CFA charterholder with a Stanford MBA and a career spent solving problems for large companies, including time at McKinsey, HP, Exxon, AutoZone, and GM, before focusing full-time on managing client assets.

What happens on the call?

It's a direct, no-pressure conversation with John about your situation, your goals, and whether the strategy is a fit. If it's not the right match, he'll tell you. If it is, he'll walk you through exactly how getting started works.

Your portfolio, actively managed by a CFA, in your own Schwab account

You've built real capital. Managing it well is now its own full-time job.

The market can erase years of gains in weeks

"Set it and forget it" means nobody is actually watching

Doing it yourself is a second career you never signed up for

And why none of it gave you active, accountable management

Index funds and ETFs

A traditional financial planner

Managing it yourself

Active management across three signals, in three clear steps

We rank the market across three conditions

We build the portfolio and overlay options for protection

You stay in control, and in the loop

Active management, full custody, and a real relationship

Three-Signal Stock Selection

Risk-Off Modeling

Options Overlay

Your Own Schwab Account

Regular Reporting & Update Videos

Direct Access to John

The Stellar Assets Transparency & Alignment Commitment

Here’s what our clients think

Meet John A. Wright, CFA

John A. Wright, CFA

Who Stellar Assets is built for, and who it isn't

This is for you if…

This is not for you if…

Why active management with custody is different

Everything you're probably wondering

Talk directly with the person who'll manage your money

Ready to have your portfolio actively managed, with the downside in mind?