Our Philosophy

If you don't have a plan, how can you possibly know which investments are appropriate for you?

First, we insist on having an investment plan, a Statement of Investment Policy (SIP). In the SIP we address your goals and objectives but we also address what we will and will not invest in; what limits will be in place to help control greed and fear plus when and how to measure performance.

We are "Top Down"

There are two basic approaches to portfolio construction: Bottom Up and Top Down.  In many ways the two approaches are: "find the good" and "eliminate the bad".  The bottom up approach involves reviewing hundreds of companies; then the best are selected and combined into a portfolio.  The top down approach begins with studying the overall economic environment, grasping the big picture first, and eliminating from consideration those economic sectors that are poor.  Then each remaining part of the economy is broken into sub-sections and evaluated for potential investment eliminating those that don't measure up until a portfolio of acceptable investments remains.

Strategic and tactical

All asset allocation models are strategic, meaning that the manager creates a "perfect" portfolio by combining different investments that enhance and balance.  Strategic managers, then, leave the portfolio alone come rain or shine which can take an investor on a roller coaster ride as market conditions change.  By adding a tactical element, a manager can modify the portfolio to take into consideration current market conditions.

Review and monitor

We try and meet with each client once per quarter for a quick review and once per year for a full review.  We believe this encourages open communication between you and your investment representative.  It helps keep your investment portfolio fresh and mitigates negative results due to changes in risk or reward requirements.