FOUNDATION PORTFOLIO

 

Without a strong foundation, a structure will not be able to stand the test of time.

 

Our Foundation Portfolio is constructed with what we believe to be the strongest companies in their respective industries.  A building constructed of the strongest materials will withstand the test of the elements, wind, rain, heat, cold.  Likewise, a portfolio constructed with the strongest companies will withstand changing market elements, inflation, rising interest rates, recession and euphoria.

 

To this end, our primary emphasis is two-fold:

      Preservation of client capital

       Compound client capital at a solid rate of return

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We believe that the loss of capital is more regrettable than lost opportunity, and therefore, we prefer to err on the side of conservatism.  To that end, we are committed to providing an investment program for our clients based upon individual objectives, guidelines, and risk tolerance.  Our responsibility, then, is to seek the highest return available to our clients that is both consistent with the preservation of the assets which have been entrusted to our management, and that is within the investment parameters which have been established by our clients. 

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Investment Philosophy

 

The Foundation Portfolio investment philosophy is founded on the following six principles:

 

• Pay a reasonable price.

• Invest for the long term.

• Select a company with superior management.

• Identify a superior business with strong fundamentals.

• Select a business that experiences gradual rather than rapid change.

• Define risk not by the volatility of a stock, but rather as the erosion of a company’s fundamental earning power.

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Equity Portfolios                                           

 The objective for our equity portfolios is to generate an attractive total return over at least three years.  To increase the likelihood of achieving this goal, we invest for the long term in the equity of high-quality companies purchased at attractive prices. 

 

A three-year holding period is suggested for three main reasons:

• tax deferred compounding and a lower long-term capital gains tax rate,

• higher probability of generating positive absolute returns

• decrease the probability of the portfolio suffering an aggregate loss.

   

  The typical equity portfolio will consist of 80%-100% equity holdings and may be supplemented by an opportunistic element which can constitute 0-20%.  The opportunistic component is embedded to offer flexibility to participate in shorter-term investments and to hold cash in times of market turmoil.