Services

Each investor has unique needs. Examination of goals and expectations must come before creation of investment strategy. We can help.

Before we begin managing portfolios, we must first act as investment counselors, helping clients gain understanding of investment objectives (both long term and short term), income needs, risk tolerances and the consequences of different courses of action. These subjects are today often summed together under the phrase wealth management. To convert subjective statements of need into objective strategies and tactics that work toward identified goals, we develop a target asset allocation for each client.
The practice of investment management includes a number of complex activities. Ultimately, the goal is the building of portfolios that successfully meet specific client objectives. To get there requires definition of those objectives that can only come through understanding of a broad number of concepts. From counseling through portfolio building, here are brief descriptions of what we do.

For individuals, we manage portfolios and counsel our clients on financial issues including current lifestyle needs, retirement planning, college funding, legacy planning and other matters.

For businesses, we manage investment of retirement plans including 401(k) plans as well as other business cash.

For nonprofit organizations, we manage endowment funds and other portfolios and often consult on the establishment of investment policies.

As investment managers, we continuously study securities markets through the prism of our disciplined methodology, applying our skills to create specific equity and fixed income market portfolios aimed at fulfillment of client objectives. All our professionals have worked in the investment business for many years.


Investment counseling and wealth management

In today's fast-paced world, it has become popular among individuals and organizations to engage professionals for the planning skills, counseling and comfort they provide. To us, the phrase investment counseling defines a process through which we employ our professional knowledge and experience to help our clients articulate their objectives and to convert these objectives into realistic strategies. Many considerations must be addressed:

	How can portfolio objectives be quantified?
	What asset allocation is appropriate to achieve these objectives?
	How can risk be limited?
	What rate of spending is sustainable?

Finding answers to these questions and others is the sum and substance of activities - often called wealth management today - which must take place before investment management begins.

Investment management

Successful management of significant assets calls for close attention and ongoing diligence applied through a rigorously disciplined method of investment analysis. The Investment Management section of our site describes our philosophy and methodology for managing stock and bond portfolios.

Asset allocation

It is often said that the asset allocation decision is the most important determinant of investment results. This does not imply that there are right or wrong answers, rather that different decisions will yield different results.

Historically, stocks have provided greater investment return than bonds. Does this suggest that all portfolios should be 100% stocks? Stock prices have been more volatile than bond prices; there have been more than a few years of negative results. The decision on the portion of a portfolio to be devoted to stocks must take into account risk tolerance, investment time horizon, cash needs and other factors. Helping our clients find their most appropriate asset allocation is an important part of our work.

Investment management for individuals and families

The majority of our clients are individuals and families. We work with them continuously to assure that asset allocation and portfolio structure are in line with evolving objectives. In addition to portfolio management, we provide counseling to our clients on gifting, education funding, retirement planning, estate planning and other matters.

Investment management for businesses

While investment management concepts are quite similar for all portfolios, investments for business organizations often have different needs that must be addressed.

We manage retirement plan investments for both defined benefit plans and defined contribution plans, including profit-sharing plans and 401(k) plans. In managing the latter, an important part of our work is participant education. We typically meet at least annually with participants in 401(k) plans we manage to remind them of the long-term value of participation, to refresh them on their investment alternatives and to update them on portfolio results.

Some businesses are fortunate enough to have more liquidity resources than are needed for day-to-day operations. We are able to help determine objectives for such reserves and to create appropriate portfolios.

Investment management for nonprofit organizations

We are particularly proud of our work for nonprofit organizations. We manage assets for more than fifty nonprofit organizations in Maine, nearly all of which have chosen us in competitive selection processes.

Funds endowing nonprofits outlive the tenure of trustees. Today's decisions affect future trustees more than present trustees. Nonprofit organizations seek:

	Protection against inflation
	A growing stream of income
	Protection of principal
	Future spending flexibility

The goals can be stated as competitive return without unnecessary risk - which our methods are designed to accomplish.

Click here to learn more about some of the nonprofit organizations we serve.