8/15/2008

When you are deciding how to invest the reserve funds of your homeowners association, the first place you should look for guidance is your governing documents. But, as we point out in our just-posted article, those documents are often full of vague language when it comes to an investment philosophy, and many HOAs don't include one at all.

If your HOA doesn't have a documented reserve investment philosophy, you may find it instructive to review the policies of other community associations. Many are available for your review through simple web search. I've posted eight sample policies below. These links redirect to publicly posted web documents.

• Sample 1
• Sample 2
• Sample 3
• Sample 4
• Sample 5
• Sample 6
• Sample 7
• Sample 8

It should go without saying that another association's policy may not be appropriate for your situation.

Still, the more educated you are about HOA investment philosophy policies, the more you'll be able to judge what does fit your association's needs.

As you review these documents, you may be inspired to wonder how many of your HOA's documents are discoverable by the public on the web. It wouldn't hurt to check. When was the last time you googled your HOA?

Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President

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