Our investment philosophy

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How our approach works

A key part of our investment philosophy is a culture of challenge and diversity of opinion. Everyone has a unique set of preferences and behavioral characteristics, which can mean that even identical investment portfolios result in very different experiences for different individuals.

Step 1 Identifying your values and objectives

The first step is to try to understand you. We look at your financial situation, which helps us understand the risk you are able to take. We look at your financial goals, which define the returns you require. We look at your financial personality, which dictates the risk you are willing to take. And finally, we look at your values and interests, which reveal the type of investments and opportunities you may wish to consider. Taking these points into account, we ask five questions to guide us in finding the right investment strategy for you:

1.

What do you want to accomplish in your life?

2.

Who are the people that matter most to you?

3.

What do you want your legacy to be?

4.

What are your main concerns?

 

5.

How do you plan to achieve your life’s vision?

Building a financial plan with the Liquitidy. approach

Liquidity

To provide cash flow in the short term to help maintain your lifestyle

Building a financial plan with the Longevity. approach

Longevity

For longer-term needs to help improve your lifestyle

Building a financial plan with the Legacy. approach

Legacy

For needs that go beyond your own to help improve the lives of others

Step 2 Building your financial plan

The second step is to turn your goals into a plan. Our Liquidity. Longevity. Legacy.* planning approach is a systematic way of making your goals more tangible, and identifying the investment strategies you should consider. A Liquidity strategy is designed to fund expenditures and meet liabilities for the next two to five years. A Longevity strategy helps you meet your financial goals for the remainder of your lifetime. And a Legacy strategy is for assets in excess of what you need to meet your lifetime objectives.

*Timeframes may vary. Strategies are subject to individual client goals, objectives, and suitability. This approach is not a promise or guarantee that wealth, or any financial results, can or will be achieved.

Step 3 Choosing an investment strategy

The third step is to set you up with an investment strategy that will help you achieve your financial goals and stick to your plan. Our standard global strategic asset allocation—designed for investors who seek a balanced approach to protecting and growing their wealth over time—aims to efficiently generate returns for a target level of risk over the course of an economic cycle. It benefits from diversification across regions, and invests in traditional liquid asset classes such as bonds and equities, as well as alternative asset classes like hedge funds. But we also have other strategies depending on investor goals and preferences:

Global strategic asset allocation

Ultra high net worth/ institutional style

Systematic allocation

Sustainable investing

Equity model portfolios

Yield-focused

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Behind the scenes

Behind all of our strategies are the concepts of “Strategic Asset Allocation” and “Tactical Asset Allocation.” In a nutshell, the strategic asset allocation focuses on the longer term, while the tactical asset allocation focuses on taking advantage of the short term opportunities that arise when markets overreact to particular events.