Our seven fundamental beliefs are:
- Risk and return are related. The cost of capital is the expected return. In order to achieve a higher expected return you must take a higher degree of risk.
- Successful investing is best achieved over the long-term by implementing a clearly-defined investment policy and focusing on total return, utilizing fixed income assets to dampen equity markets volatility.
- Markets work – they may not be 100% efficient or always “right,” but most people are just wasting their time and money when they try to beat the market. The vast majority of mutual funds and professional investment managers have not exhibited sufficient skill to produce risk-adjusted expected returns that cover their costs. The historical performance of the top mutual funds is about equal to what you would expect to be produced by luck.
- Broadly diversified investment portfolios can reduce risk and secure capital market rates of return. Diversification is the only free lunch in investing – so eat as much of it as you can.
- Discipline helps avoid fear and greed.
- Costs make a difference. Clarity of purpose and portfolio construction can reduce risk and costs, as well as enhance tax management. Trading execution can be accomplished efficiently and thereby further reduce overall costs.
- Our clients are entitled to honest and straightforward counsel derived from a collaborative process designed to fully understand what’s most important to them and how to best achieve their objectives within a fully disclosed, transparent and competitive fee structure.