Our investment process

Our approach to managing client portfolios is based on a solid foundation of disciplined steps and procedures.

Develop an investment strategy

We spend a great deal of time getting to know our clients before developing a suitable investment strategy. This includes understanding what our clients would like to achieve, their prior experience, tax status, liquidity requirements, time horizon and risk tolerance. Our goal is to develop a strategy that will achieve each client’s investment objectives within an acceptable level of risk. We also take into account realistic assumptions about the capital markets. A customized investment strategy is then presented and the rationale behind our recommendations is carefully explained.

Implement the investment strategy

Once a client approves the investment strategy, the implementation process begins. The first step is to assist with drafting an Investment Policy Statement, a written document that serves as a road map for the investment strategy. We have found that it is particularly valuable during periods of market volatility, when investors may be tempted to let their emotions dictate investment decisions.

After helping develop the Investment Policy Statement, we turn our attention to identifying a list of investments, funds and managers whom we believe are best qualified to help our clients meet their investment goals and objectives. Recommended investment fund managers are subjected to a stringent evaluation process that consists of a number of quantitative and qualitative screens. Once investment fund managers are selected and approved, the investment strategy is implemented.

Monitoring the investment strategy

As wealth management consultants, one of our primary responsibilities is to track every aspect of each client’s investment program including performance reporting, rebalancing and reallocating assets. Monitoring the correlation of the investments, managers and funds is also a crucial aspect of the process. In addition to careful supervision of individual portfolios and strategies, we are always available to answer any client questions that may arise.

We like to meet with our clients on a quarterly basis to review their portfolios. The purpose of these meetings is to make sure our clients’ investment objectives are being met and to discuss recent economic and financial developments. We also want to know about any changes in our clients’ lives that may prompt us to make adjustments to the plan.