TaxableLeave appreciated lots when we can
TraditionalPrefer this account for tax-heavy holdings
RothPrefer this account for growth
The household stays on the model. Each account still follows its own tax rules.
Investing methodology
Tax-intelligent investing at household scale.
Every night, Athena harvests losses, places assets in the right accounts, and rebalances the household as one policy. You review exceptions instead of trading by hand. AI watches the run so advisors are not the trading desk.
Book a demoMission ControlDaily household run
Active · Tax timing
Harvest
Sell material losses and buy a same-class substitute so the household stays invested. The tax timing happens without parking the money in cash.
TaxableTraditionalRoth
How a day runs
One overnight run, while you are away.
Athena does not sit on a trading desk all day. Overnight, one household run harvests losses, places assets in the right accounts, rebalances when risk has drifted, and puts leftover cash to work. Those jobs share one policy. If a job has nothing to do, it holds.
Chen householdOvernight run
- 1HarvestHeld. No material loss in taxable.
- 2LocateHeld. Holdings are already in the right accounts.
- 3RebalanceFired. Equity band breach, sold in tax order.
- 4ReinvestFired. Residual cash into the underweight.
-
01Holds if nothing to do
Harvest a material loss
Sell a material taxable loss and buy a same-class substitute so the household stays invested.
-
02Holds if nothing to do
Place assets in the right account
Move holdings into the account where the tax treatment helps. Tax-heavy assets prefer Traditional. Growth prefers Roth. Appreciated taxable lots are left alone when we can.
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03Holds if nothing to do
Rebalance when risk has drifted
Trade only when household risk has drifted through a band.
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04Holds if nothing to do
Put leftover cash to work
Put leftover cash into underweights.
The household, not each account
Taxable, Traditional, and Roth are managed together.
Athena does not force every account to look like the model on its own. It measures risk across the taxable brokerage, the Traditional IRA, and the Roth as one household, then puts assets where the tax treatment helps. You set the investment policy. Athena carries it out overnight.
What the overnight run actually does
Four jobs happen in the same run.
Stay inside the risk bands
Athena watches the household mix and only trades when it has drifted far enough to matter.
Put assets in the right account
Holdings move to the account where the tax treatment helps, without forcing a sale of an appreciated taxable lot.
Harvest losses when they are worth taking
When a loss is worth taking, Athena sells that lot and buys a similar fund so the household stays invested. Wash-sale rules apply across every account.
Rebalance, then invest leftover cash
Sales happen in tax order, inside the yearly gains budget. Whatever cash is left goes into what is light.
ETF rotation
Harvest the loss and keep the exposure.
Athena runs a long-only, 13-bucket ETF strategy. When a taxable loss is worth harvesting, the engine sells the specific lot and buys a dollar-matched eligible peer in the same asset-class bucket.
US equity bucketHousehold coordinated
Specific lot soldDollar matched
TaxableHarvest sleeve
TraditionalWash checked
RothWash checked
The replacement becomes the active ETF. Future cash follows it instead of rotating back automatically.
Rotation stays weight-neutral
The trade stays inside the bucket. Harvesting manages tax lots; it does not quietly change household allocation.
Wash controls cover the whole household
A sold name cannot be repurchased in another taxable, Traditional, or Roth account during the lock.
The replacement stays in the asset class
If one peer is unavailable, dollars move to the next eligible peer instead of abandoning the exposure.
Cash follows the active ETF
Top-ups reinforce the current replacement. The engine does not automatically undo the harvest.
ETF substitutions are pre-approved within each asset class. Tax outcomes vary; clients should consult their tax professional.
Mission Control
Investing is controlled in Mission Control.
Routine harvests and band trades do not need a human. Cash shortfalls, constrained lots, and investment-policy edge cases open with household context beside the decision.
See it in Mission ControlThe book is quietNothing in last night’s run needs a person
One exceptionWaiting for the advisor to decide
Client cash requests
Cash is made available without breaking policy.
A client asks for cash. Athena finds the best way to raise it across the household, places the trades, and keeps every allocation, tax, wash-sale, and restriction rule intact.
- Use available cash first, then sell in tax-aware order
- Respect model bands, restricted lots, gains budgets, and wash-sale windows
- Requests under the firm threshold flow automatically
- Advisors can flag or approve requests above a defined amount
Client cash requestPolicy run
RequestedAbove thresholdAdvisor approval required
- 1Use available cash$7,400 ready
- 2Build tax-aware sellsLosses before gains · restrictions checked
- 3Advisor approvalInvestment policy and household context attached
- 4Trade and settleCash delivered to the client
Automated billing
The fee is calculated, and the cash is already there.
Athena calculates the fee, forecasts the cash required, and places the optimal trades before billing. The engine can prioritize tax-inefficient accounts so tax-efficient assets stay compounding. The fee itself comes from the signed agreement. See Billing.
- Calculate household and account-level fees automatically
- Forecast cash and raise only what the bill requires
- Prioritize taxable and tax-inefficient accounts
- Protect Roth and other tax-efficient accounts from avoidable billing draws
Quarterly billing runCash ready
Funding priority
1 Taxable brokerageUse first
2 Traditional IRAIf needed
3 Roth IRAProtected
Fee cash availableReady before billing
Investing questions advisors ask first
Built to run the book, not to become another tool you operate.
Clear answers on supervision, custody, and the work that still needs an advisor.
Is this another rebalancer I have to operate?
No. Allocation, location, tax timing, and cash deployment operate as one household policy. Advisors supervise policy and exceptions in Mission Control; Athena executes the approved household policy.
How does ETF rotation work?
Each asset-class bucket has a primary ETF and pre-approved eligible peers. When a taxable loss is worth harvesting, Athena sells the specific lot and buys a dollar-matched peer in the same bucket, preserving the intended exposure.
Does a harvest change the household allocation?
No. Rotation is weight-neutral inside the bucket. It manages tax lots without using the harvest as a stealth rebalance.
Does Athena automatically rotate back to the primary ETF?
No. The replacement becomes the active ETF for that bucket. Future cash follows the active holding instead of automatically undoing the harvest.
How are wash sales coordinated across accounts?
Household controls look across taxable, Traditional, and Roth accounts. A harvested name cannot be repurchased during the applicable lock, and the engine can use the next eligible peer to keep the household invested.
How is this different from direct indexing?
Athena uses transparent ETF substitutions within 13 asset-class buckets, not stock-level sampling. That means fewer independent harvesting opportunities than direct indexing, but simpler oversight, no single-stock sampling problem, and coordinated implementation across the household.
How does the engine manage risk across accounts?
Risk is managed at the household level rather than forcing every account to resemble the model. Tax-advantaged accounts provide rebalancing and location capacity; taxable gains are used last, and taxable floors protect appreciated holdings.
When is idle cash invested?
After harvesting, location, and risk work are complete. That sequencing lets the engine see the true residual cash and avoids immediately undoing a trade.
Does Athena replace my custodian?
No. Athena coexists with custodial infrastructure. The investing engine executes policy; custody stays where it belongs.
What do advisors actually review?
Household drift, tax activity, wash constraints, cash, and exceptions, with the household context beside the decision. Routine policy execution does not become a daily checklist.