Paragon Investing

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Use the endowment approach to build family wealth.

Paragon Investing provides our clients with access to high-caliber private market investments, the same funds owned by ultra-wealthy families and university endowments.

Since 2004, Private Equity has returned 14.7% annually (as of 12/31/2022), while Private Debt has returned 9.3% annually, each one outperforming their public market equivalent by +5.5% per year (Sources: Public Stocks: 9.2% [Russell 3000], Public Bonds: 3.0% [AGG], Private Equity: 14.7% [Cambridge Private Equity Index],Private Debt: 9.3% [CDLI]).

Five years ago, getting access to private investments was difficult. Most were only available via Limited Partnership (LP) deals with stated $1M minimums and extended lock-ups, not suitable for most investors with $1M-$10M in assets.

Today, Paragon clients can invest in Private Debt & Private Equity via interval funds and tender offer funds, with quarterly liquidity and no minimum investment (one fund has a $50k minimum).

You invest in what we're invested in. Paragon Advisors are invested alongside our clients in the same funds.

See How Private Investments Enhance Returns
$ M

Assets Under Advisement

as of August 24, 2024

Paragon Investing was launched in 2020 and has grown to 100+ families exclusively by referrals and word of mouth.

We remain focused on providing access to attractive private market investments for friends, family, and extended networks.

Families As Clients

as of August 24, 2024
Benefits of Paragon Investing

What can Paragon do for me?

  • 01

    Increase Returns

    Swap your 4% yield Bonds for 9.5% yield Private Debt and you could expect to earn a +143% return over 10 years, compared to only +48% for Bonds. Retire sooner by trading in your Bonds for comparable-risk, higher-return Private Debt funds.4

  • 02

    Decrease Risk

    Private Debt and Private Equity have historically provided a lower max drawdown than their public equivalents. Over the last 20 years, max drawdowns: 4 5
      Private Debt:       –8% (2008)
    U.S. Core Bonds:  –16% (2022)
    High-yield Bond: –27% (2008)
    Private Equity:   –26% (2009)
    Public Stocks:   –46% (2009)
    (S&P 500 and Russell 3000)

  • 03

    Lower Fees

    Our advisor fees are consistently in the lowest 10% of all fee rates, and our access-only fee at $1M is 55% lower than the industry average. Also, Paragon offers institutional share classes featuring lower fund fees (expense ratio 0.25% lower than retail shares), plus no sales or load fees (can exceed 5% of your investment).1.

  • 04

    Dedicated Advisor

    Your financial advisor will ask questions to understand your risk tolerance, objectives, constraints, and target time frame, then assess your current portfolio, recommend preferred funds, and discuss how best to optimize your investment portfolio to achieve your financial goals.

  • 05

    Performance Tracking

    See your investment account with daily performance updates, and compare to an equal-risk benchmark, to make sure Paragon is adding value.

    Too busy to adequately monitor and manage your portfolio? Let us do it for you. See our full service pricing.

Learn more about

Paragon Investing

Do you want an investment advisor that
charges a low annual fee and
provides transparent value to your portfolio?

Access to Private Assets

Paragon Investing provides access to institutional-caliber Private Debt and Private Equity investments, the same funds that are owned by ultra-wealthy families, endowments, hospitals, and other sophisticated investors with $100M+.

Invest in Restricted Funds

Certain sophisticated funds restrict the number and types of investors that can participate, and are selective in the advisors they choose to partner with. Paragon Investing has been approved to provide our clients with access to such funds.

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Better Due Diligence

Paragon spends hundreds of hours each year on original fund due diligence, while our providers spend thousands of hours each year on macroeconomic research, allowing us to seek greater returns for a given level of risk, or reduced risk for a given return goal.

One Low Advisory Fee

Paragon clients pay just one low fee, which depends on the level of service and amount of assets under advisement. This fee includes full access to every investment we offer and a dedicated investment advisor who will guide you through the entire process.

+ . %

Average Annual Outperformance

Private Debt over Public Bonds 4

Private Debt and Private Equity have historically provided significantly higher returns than their publicly-traded equivalents.

Often referred to as the "illiquidity premium" due to private investments having some degree of illiquidity (not daily liquid).

+ . %

Average Annual Outperformance

Private Equity over Public Stocks 4

Paragon Investing

Annual Fees

Fee Rate Annual Cost

Pricing and fees for Paragon Investing advisor services are based on a percentage of total assets under advisement (AUA).
Fees shown are on a per-year basis, but fees are assessed at the end of each quarter, after advisor services have been rendered.
This pricing does not include fund fees (expense ratios), trading fees/commissions, transaction fees,
wire fees, or other Charles Schwab fees. Paragon’s only compensation is the advisor fee.

All Paragon Plans Include

Dedicated investment advisor
Access to private/restricted funds
Reduced fund minimums
Low fees relative to peers
Institutional share classes
Personalized recommendations
Detailed performance reports
Tax analysis & tax-conscious trades
On-Demand meetings with advisor
Quarterly newsletter with model portfolio performance and market commentary
Monthly fund recommendations
Do you have more questions?   Please see our FAQ's, or you may also contact us here.

Calculate My Fee

* Total size of portfolio, including all investable assets across all accounts.

Key Providers



Learn More About Paragon

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Why Join Paragon?
Key Benefits


Would you benefit from joining Paragon Investing and getting access to private investments?

Getting Started:
What Happens Next


Learn more about how the Paragon Investing service works, what's the process for joining, and how to get started investing with Paragon.

Private Investments Enhance Performance


Compare asset class returns over the past 19 years for Public Stocks, Private Debt, Public Bonds, and Private Equity.

Paragon Investing

Contact Us

Interested in becoming a client?   Have a question?   Just want to talk to someone?

Paragon Investing Offices

Metro Detroit Locations:
Northville & Royal Oak

Corey Wangler, Chief Investment Officer

Jonathan Carender, Investment Advisor

718 North Gainsborough Ave.

Royal Oak, MI 48067

[email protected]

Mon-Fri: 8am-5pm ET (7am-4pm CT)


1. Paragon's lowest published advisor fee of 0.45% is for Access Only service with $1.0M+ in assets under advisement. That fee level is 55% lower than the industry-average retail advisor fee of 1.00% (as of 2018):
    PriceMetrix by McKinsey: State of Retail Wealth Management, 8th Annual Report, 2018

2. Return Assumptions & Disclosures for Paragon Investing.

3. Private Debt Illiquidity Yield Premium: Disclosures & Assumptions.

4. Private Debt & Private Equity Historical Outperformance Table.

5. Max drawdown figures are quarterly max drawdowns for all asset classes.


All investing involves risk, including the possible loss of money you invest, and past performance does not guarantee future performance. Historical returns, expected returns, and probability projections are provided for informational and illustrative purposes, and may not reflect actual future performance. Please see our Full Disclosure for important details.