INVESTMENT PHILOSOPHY
We believe that adhering to a set of investment principles is the secret to successful long-term investing. These principles form what we call our Investment Philosophy. We believe that if we keep our client focused on the following key principles, they have a much greater chance of achieving financial success.
Diversification means
- Allocating investments across various segments, styles and strategies to reduce risk
- Broadening the investment allocation to produce more consistent results
Discipline means
- Applying a consistent research and analytical philosophy to improve client outcomes
- Focusing on a long-term plan that is systematic and purposeful
- Time in the market is more important than timing the market
- Avoiding the “noise” of the financial market place
- Maintaining a stoic and steadfast attitude in the face of emotional markets
Differentiation means
- Going against the emotion of the moment to find long-term value for clients
- Willing to be different in the short-term to improve long-term outcomes
- Contrarian investing focused on underlying intrinsic values
INVESTMENT SELECTION PROCESS
We discuss with clients their long-term goals and risk tolerance before implementing an investment portfolio on their behalf. Prior to this discussion with our clients, significant research and analysis has gone into building several core strategies that vary based on the level of risk and return desired by the client. Individual components of these portfolios have been chosen for their diversification benefits. Within each strategy, research has ferreted out what we believe to be the most appropriate method to implement that strategy. Our investment selection process includes the following biases or preferences:
Value Bias means
- Selecting investments that trade below what we believe to be their intrinsic value
- Choosing mutual fund managers with a preference toward contrarian value investing
- Choosing out of favor individual securities that are trading significantly below their intrinsic value
- Searching for investments that are trading at low enough valuations to potentially provide a “margin-of-safety” from further significant decline
Diversification means
- Establishing a core strategy and sticking to it over time
- When the components of the strategy get out of balance that overweight positions are trimmed and underweight positions are bought
- A methodology that basically forces a process of buying low and selling high
Contrarian means
- Going “against the grain” of market emotion by buying when others are selling and selling when others are buying
- Focusing on valuation and analysis, rather than the “talking heads” in the media
- A willingness to look wrong in the short-term to improve the chances of long-term success
Institutional Class means
- A well thought out process not often used by the average retail investor
- Mutual fund investments through the institutional share class, which generally have lower expense structures
- No-load mutual funds only to avoid retail commission structures