Some investors – especially among the younger crowd – are feeling buyer’s remorse these days.

Time Magazine recently chronicled the regrets that millennials and members of Gen Z have had in blindly plunging into the world of cryptocurrency during the pandemic.


While we take no pleasure in seeing anyone lose money, it does provide us with a measure of vindication in our own investing style.


Instead of gravitating to stocks celebrated through memes or flavour of the day currencies, our firm has taken a very methodical and principled approach to investing since launching in 2004. Preserving and growing wealth remains our prime objective and this is accomplished by ignoring the noise and scouring the universe for compelling investments while placing a focus on financially strong, dividend-growth stocks along with those that offer potential capital appreciation.


You may wonder how some people got caught up in this web of woe? It’s our take that it’s just history repeating itself. 


Although the world constantly changes, the reality is people don’t. The biases and biology of people now are like those in the 1950s or 1980s. What has changed is the amount of information we consume – through emerging channels such as social media – which has served to quicken and strengthen biases.

 

HOW WE MAKE OUR MARK

If our premise that investors can be influenced by the times they live in is correct, then how do they stand a chance of growing their wealth? That’s where boutique firms like ours come in.

We try to mitigate the biases that most people experience by taking a more thorough approach to investing – one which is focused on long-term macro themes like demographics, connectivity and deglobalization.

If you had an opportunity to read our Outlook 2022 report earlier this year, you learned about some of the themes that we find particularly compelling. This includes: 

  • Med-tech
  • AI/Machine learning
  • Automation
  • Cyber security
  • Blockchain
  • Sensor networking

Within these themes, we identify companies that are leaders in their field and possess the best opportunity for capital appreciation while representing reasonable risk. 

And while we don’t recommend investors closely monitor their portfolios on a daily or even weekly basis, we do take a hands-on approach to the money we manage on behalf of our clients to consistently rebalance or add compelling investments to our portfolio. 

This is more important than ever as it’s our belief that the low-interest environment that we encountered over the past decade will shift to one that will require more active management with a focus on dividend growth as rates continue to rise. Paying the right price for an equity determines its attractiveness.

Also, unlike some investment firms that have a certain bias – such as favouring growth or value – we have a more balanced approach to investing. At any time, our holdings could include: 

  • Value and growth equities
  • Publicly traded companies along with private holdings
  • Equities and bonds
  • Developed and emerging market companies

Through this mixture, it provides us with the opportunity to rebalance and minimize volatility over the long run compared to funds that favour a particular style that may be out of style and underperform for a short or prolonged period of time. 

added vALUE OF oUR FIRM

Along with managing money, we’re proud that we are able to offer a suite of other services that benefit individuals and their families along with foundations. This includes tax management, financial and estate planning, and our popular Connects Speakers Series that was held prior to the pandemic, and which will be returning this fall.

Our ultimate goal is to help empower people so they can achieve their aspirations – whether it’s to purchase property, enjoy a vacation or prepare for and enjoy a well-deserved retirement.

Our investors can also take great comfort in knowing the regulatory authorities that monitor our operations such as the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) and the Canadian Investors Protection Fund (CIPF).

Bottom line

Investing is serious business. Preserving and growing wealth is not easy and shouldn’t be underestimated. It takes patience and expertise.

We believe our firm is well-positioned to deliver superior returns over the long-term. Whether you are a current client or considering our services, feel free to reach out to us at info@sandstoneam.com. We would love to have a chat about how we can help you achieve your financial goals.

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