James P. Dowd, CFA

Firm:	North Capital
Advisor Location:	San Francisco, CA
Advisor AUM:	$54,000,000
Firm Primary Clients:	Individuals
Additional Firm:	North Capital Private Securities Corporation
Type:	Dual Registration

Description

James P Dowd is the founder and principal of North Capital, a fee-only Registered Investment Advisor. North Capital provides financial planning and investment management services for individuals, families, companies, pension plans, and non-profit institutions.

Our investment process is underpinned by four enduring principles: ... see more

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Answers and Guides

Level 10 Level 10 Contributor 106 Answers and 7 Financial Guides

Should we take out a 15 year loan to reduce out total interest costs?

Answered Mar 28, 2012 near San Francisco, CA

20 votes

Letitia - What a great question. The answer depends upon two distinct but related factors: (1) 15 year mortgage rates are typically less than 30 year mortgage rates, due to the faster amortization schedule and the fact that the interest rate yield curve ...(more) Letitia - What a great question. The answer depends upon two distinct but related factors: (1) 15 year mortgage rates are typically less than 30 year mortgage rates, due to the faster amortization schedule and the fact that the interest rate yield curve is generally upwardly sloping (longer term financing rates are usually higher than shorter term rates); and (2) You mention that you purchased your home 5 years ago, but did not say whether you had refinanced in the meantime. You probably know that long-term mortgage rates have plummeted since you purchased your home, so unless your loan is floating or you refinanced sometime during the past year, any new loan is likely to offer a lower rate than what you currently have. So how should you think about this question? First, compare the annual percentage rate (APR) on the 15 year rate vs. your current loan. If it is the same or higher, you should keep your existing loan. If you have excess cash flow, consider making a principal reduction payment to reduce the amount of the loan. Your payments may not change, but you should be able to reduce the total interest owed to the lender. If the 15 year rate is lower than the rate on your current loan, it may make sense to refinance if the rate differential justifies the time and hassle. My personal rule of thumb is that the rate improvement should be at least .50% before refinancing makes sense. Other people might have higher or lower thresholds; it's really a personal decision. One important point: make sure your rate is fully-loaded, meaning that it should include closing costs, appraisal fees, origination charges, or other expenses that would affect your loan proceeds or your periodic payment schedule. Sometimes these fees and expenses are broken out from the loan interest rate, which can be deceptive. Ask your broker or lender to calculate an all-in rate, including all fees and charges. Or check with a financial advisor if you don't think you are getting a clear explanation. Another issue to consider, even if the rate is substantially lower with a 15 year loan: do you have sufficient cash flow to cover the monthly payment if your income is adversely impacted? What would happen if you or your spouse became unemployed for a period of time, or became ill, or had to take a lower paying job for some reason? Remember that the cost of financing is not the only factor you should consider; cashflow may also be important. There may be an easy way to provide for this contingency. For example, you might be able to secure a home equity line of credit (HELOC) to provide an emergency buffer. Or you might already have an emergency reserve. Just keep in mind that if you shorten the duration of your mortgage and accelerate the amortization schedule, you will be cutting into your cashflow margin of safety. I hope this helps you think about your decision. Best regards. hide

Is a bi-weekly mortgage a good idea?

Answered Mar 27, 2012 near San Francisco, CA

17 votes

You should contact your lender to learn how they treat additional payments of principal. Some lenders will immediately credit your principal balance, thereby reducing your future interest obligation. I have seen other lenders apply such payments towards ...(more)

My advisor wants to have a meeting at my home...should I?

Answered May 10, 2012 near San Francisco, CA

11 votes

Remy - I frequently meet clients at their homes, but it is ALWAYS at their request, never at my request. I might say something like "I am available to meet you at your home or office, if that would be more convenient for you," but I would never suggest ...(more)

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Top Guides

Quantifying the Benefits of a ROTH Account

Published Feb 10, 2012

2 votes

Many investors have questions about the relative merits of ROTH accounts compared to traditional retirement savings plans, such as 401k plans and individual retirement accounts. When advisors are asked which type of savings vehicle is ...(more)

529 Plans

Published Feb 09, 2012

6 votes

Educational Savings Plans were first established in 1996 as part of the Small Business Jobs Protection Act, and have since established themselves as one of the most effective ways to save for college. 529 plans ...(more)

The Return Box and the Merits of Diversification

Published Feb 09, 2012

2 votes

The Return Box below offers a pictorial summary of major asset class returns, stacked high to low, for each year from 2001 to 2011. Blue shades are equity, green shades are fixed income. The grey ...(more)

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*Answers and guides are provided without compensation.

Advisor Information

Articles/Publications

The Institutional Way

Morningstar Advisor profiles North Capital's institutional approach to investment management.

10 Questions to Ask before Choosing a Financial Advisor

This article revisits the CFP Board of Standard's "10 Questions" and provides some guidelines on how to evaluate what you find out.

North Capital Perspectives

Our blog about current issues affecting investors.

Social Media

http://twitter.com/norcap

http://www.facebook.com/pages/North-Capital-Inc/191267507841?sk=wall

http://www.linkedin.com/in/dowdjp

Advisor Assets Under Management

$54.0M

Total Assets

Clients

$1.3M

Estimated Average Account Balance Per Client

*An individual AUM and number of accounts has been entered by the advisor and has not been verified.

Firm Client Types

	Individuals
	High Net Worth Individuals
	Corporations or Other Businesses
	Charitable Organizations

*The Client Types data displayed is firm level data as reported on the SEC ADV filing.

Experience and Employment History

Employer	Years	Dates
North Capital Private Securities Corporation	1 year, 11 months	Jul 2010 - Present
North Capital, Inc.	3 years, 8 months	Oct 2008 - Present
Bear Stearns Asset Management	5 years, 2 months	Sep 2003 - Nov 2008
Bear Stearns Co.	5 years, 2 months	Sep 2003 - Nov 2008
North Capital LLC	4 years, 5 months	Apr 1999 - Sep 2003

*Experience and Employment History information reflects the past 10 years of employment as reported on the SEC ADV filing as of 07/21/2010, and is not a complete representation of the advisor's experience and employment history. Furthermore, the advisor is required to provide this information only while registered with an investment advisor firm and the information is not updated through Form U4 after the advisor ceases to be registered. Therefore, an employment date of "Present" may not reflect the advisor's current employment status.

Licenses and Conduct

Regulator
License Status	Registered	Registered
Disclosures	No Disclosures Found	No Disclosures Found
As of Date	07/21/2010	07/21/2010

*This advisor may not be SEC registered. The SEC maintains the database for state registered advisors as well as SEC registered advisors.
*A single dispute is often reported by both the SEC and FINRA and therefore will be reported as both an SEC dispute and FINRA dispute in this section.
*BrightScope is not endorsed by or affiliated with FINRA.

Advisor Exams

Exam	Series	Passed Date
General Securities Principal Examination	Series 24	04/05/2007
National Commodity Futures Examination	Series 3	06/14/2006
Uniform Securities Agent State Law Examination	Series 63	01/14/2004
General Securities Representative Examination	Series 7	01/05/2004
Uniform Investment Adviser Law Examination	Series 65	05/21/2003

Firm Compensation Arrangements

Types of Compensation Arrangements

Percentage of Assets
Hourly Charges
Fixed Fees

Location

Contact Information

Address	315 Montgomery Street Suite 900 San Francisco, CA 94104
Phone Number	(415) 315-9916
Email Address	jdowd@northcapital.com
Website	www.northcapital.com

State Registrations

James P. Dowd, CFA is registered in the following states: CA and CA

Professional Designations

James P. Dowd, CFA is a Chartered Financial Analyst charterholder

Widely considered the gold standard for investment professionals, this six decade old charter is only given to designees who can demonstrate competence, integrity, and dedication to the field of investment management.

Membership Associations

American Institute of Certified Public Accountants

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) is the world's largest association representing the accounting profession, with nearly 370,000 members in 128 countries. AICPA members represent many areas of practice, including business and industry, public practice, government, education and consulting; membership is also available to accounting students and CPA candidates. The AICPA sets ethical standards for the profession and U.S. auditing standards for audits of private companies, non-profit organizations, federal, state and local governments. It develops and grades the Uniform CPA Examination.

Advisor Services

	Financial Planning	50%
	Comprehensive Financial Planning
	Retirement Planning
	College Planning
	Charitable Planning
	Portfolio Management	45%
	Individuals and/or Small Businesses
	Businesses or Institutional Clients
	Other	5%
	Selection of Other Advisors