Risk, Measured — Not Guessed
How much risk is actually in your portfolio?
Many investors have never been given a straight answer. We think you deserve one.
At BDB Wealth Advisors, we use Nitrogen (formerly Riskalyze) and its Risk Center to put an objective number on two things usually left to guesswork: how much risk you are genuinely comfortable taking, and how much risk your current portfolio is actually taking.
Takes under 5 minutes. No cost, no obligation, and no one calls you unless you ask.
Fee-based fiduciary
No investment commissions
Veteran owned
The 1–99 scale
Drag to see how the trade-off changes
62
Portfolio
Over the next six months, would you accept…
Possible loss
−$105,000
Possible gain
+$145,000
A willingness to accept meaningful short-term swings in exchange for higher long-term growth potential.
Get my real Risk NumberIllustration only, for education. Your actual Risk Number® is calculated by Nitrogen from your own answers and holdings. Not a projection, recommendation, or guarantee of any outcome. All investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. The Risk Number® is a registered trademark of Nitrogen Wealth, Inc.; BDB Wealth Advisors LLC is not affiliated with Nitrogen Wealth, Inc.
What it is
The Risk Number® puts a figure on something that used to be a feeling
The Risk Number® is an objective, quantitative measurement of risk tolerance on a scale of 1 to 99, where a higher number reflects a greater willingness to accept potential loss in pursuit of potential gain.
You get a Risk Number. Your portfolio gets a Risk Number. And for the first time, you can see whether the two actually line up.
Nitrogen's patented technology is built on Prospect Theory — the academic framework developed by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky that was cited in the 2002 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics.
In plain English: people do not experience gains and losses equally. Losing $10,000 hurts considerably more than gaining $10,000 feels good. So rather than asking you to describe your feelings about risk, the assessment presents real dollar trade-offs based on your actual investable amount and lets your choices reveal where your comfort zone truly sits.
It is not a personality quiz. It is a series of decisions — and decisions are far more honest than adjectives.
Watch first
Prospect Theory, explained in about two minutes
Before you take the assessment, here is a short explanation of the science behind it. Nitrogen explains it better than a wall of text can.
Video courtesy of Nitrogen Wealth, Inc. BDB Wealth Advisors LLC is an independent advisory firm and is not affiliated with, compensated by, or endorsed by Nitrogen Wealth, Inc.
Why our firm uses it
Four things the Risk Center helps us do well
We are a fee-based fiduciary. We earn no investment commissions, so our only job is to build a portfolio that fits you.
1
Set expectations before the market tests them
The 95% Historical Range shows the span of outcomes a portfolio has historically produced over a six-month period. Knowing that number in advance is what keeps sound long-term plans from being abandoned during a bad quarter.
2
Find the gap between what you want, have, and need
The Risk Center is designed to pinpoint how much risk you want, how much you currently have, and how much you may need to reach your goals. When those three diverge, that is the conversation worth having.
3
Answer “how risky is this?” consistently
The same scale and the same math, for every portfolio, every client, and every review. No moving goalposts, and no reliance on whichever adjective happened to be written down years ago.
4
Document that recommendations fit your best interest
As a fiduciary we do more than act in your interest — we keep a clear written record of why each recommendation aligned with your measured tolerance and your written Investment Policy Statement.
Four steps, and you can stop after any of them
How it works
Take the assessment
A handful of questions built around your real investable amount. Under five minutes, on your phone or computer.
1
Get your Risk Number
You will see your score on the 1–99 scale and what it means in actual dollars rather than adjectives.
2
See how your current portfolio compares
We will run a complimentary analysis of what you hold today and show you the alignment — or the mismatch — side by side.
3
Decide what you want to do next
Maybe nothing. Maybe a conversation. Entirely your call, on your timeline.
4
Find your Risk Number in under five minutes
No cost, no obligation, and no commitment to anything beyond your own curiosity. You will get a real number, in real dollars, based on your actual portfolio — not a label from a checkbox.
Start with the assessment
The fastest way to see where you stand. Under 5 minutes.
Already know your number?
Get a second set of eyes on the portfolio you hold today.
Prefer to talk to a person?
Nothing to prepare, nothing to bring. Just a conversation.
Common questions
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No. There is no cost and no obligation. You are welcome to take the assessment, review your Risk Number, and do nothing further. We will not pressure you to move faster than you are ready to.
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Both names refer to the same platform. Riskalyze rebranded as Nitrogen in 2023, and the Risk Number® and Risk Center are part of the Nitrogen platform we use today.
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The assessment itself only asks about your investable amount and your comfort with dollar trade-offs. If you would like us to analyze your existing holdings, we will walk you through exactly what to share and why before you send anything.
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Yes, and it should be revisited. Retirement, a business sale, an inheritance, or simply a few more years of market experience can shift your comfort with risk. We revisit it as part of our ongoing reviews.
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Often, yes. We serve clients throughout York, Lancaster, Harrisburg, and surrounding communities, and we work with clients in other states where the firm is properly registered or exempt from registration. Meetings can be held in person or by secure video.