We're investors, not traders.
Quality investments, diversified by sectors.
We invest in holdings you WANT to own
Our methodology resonates with owner-operators, entrepreneurs and all types of professionals because our definition of quality investing aligns with the attributes they strive to achieve in their business. We call this approach QSect – short for Quality Sector, looking for high-quality holdings on a sector-by-sector basis independent of geography.
TriCert Investment Counsel is registered as a Portfolio Manager with the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) in Ontario, its principal regulator, and with each relevant securities administrator in all other jurisdictions across Canada. TriCert Investment Counsel Inc. is registered as an Investment Fund Manager in Ontario.
Investment Principles
Our QSect approach is based upon a series of investment principles that guide our portfolio management team.
Navigate through our seven guiding principles. →
1. Household–Based Asset Allocation
Where appropriate, we allocate your investments across the various individual and entity accounts in your household to optimize tax efficiency.
2. Sector-Based Equity Asset Allocation
Our comparison of companies is not constrained by the geography of their headquarters. We diversify our holdings from across the major industry sectors of the broad economy. Geographic approaches may lead to sector overexposure.
3. Valuation-Based Active Investment
Our investment strategy focuses on identifying undervalued securities with strong fundamentals. We conduct our own in-house research and valuation work to identify these opportunities, utilizing a long term investment philosophy. This involves performing thorough internal valuations to identify undervalued or overvalued securities. We actively manage the portfolio by making buy, hold, or sell decisions based on these valuations, aiming to align investments with client goals and market opportunities.
4. Timing Market Transactions
We perform our own internal valuation and carefully monitor the fundamentals using this process as a tool to help inform the timing of our buys and sells.
5. Quality Investing
We seek to invest in companies that we characterize as ‘value creators’. These are typically leaders in their industries, have solid, defendable business models, are financially healthy, can pay and grow their dividends, and have share prices that reflect their fundamentals, making them ideal candidates for long term investment.
6. Sector-Based Asset Allocation Adjustments
We seek to capitalize on macroeconomic trends by adjusting our weightings in the various asset and industry classes. Instead of moving assets between different geographies, we move them between various industries based on what’s happening in the global economy.
7. Exceeding Household’s Financial Plan Metrics
Our benchmark for success is meeting or exceeding the appropriate metrics in each household’s financial plan.
In this episode of InFocus, Mike Gassewitz, CEO of TriCert Financial Group, is joined by Brian Durno, CFP®, CFA®, Lead of the Investment Management and Strategy Group at TriCert Investment Counsel.
Listen as they delve into the concept of quality within the QSect approach. The conversation navigates the complex terrain of defining quality in investment management, emphasizing factors such as revenue stability, competitive threats, market share, and the distinction between growth and value creation. Brian sheds light on the team’s methodology in evaluating companies, stressing the importance of qualitative and quantitative analysis and the significance of paying the right price for quality investments. The episode underscores the resilience of quality businesses, exemplified by their consistent dividend growth even in volatile market conditions.
Investment Solutions
We apply our QSect approach to our client’s portfolios based on their unique goals, circumstances and, most importantly, their risk profile. For clients who are early in their journey, we utilize a series of portfolios and our QSect private pools. For clients well along their way, we create portfolios with individual equities and income producing holdings that enable an even higher level of customization as well as streamlined tax loss/gain harvesting.
Let us guide you on a journey to financial growth and peace of mind.
Get a deeper dive into our investment approach.
Investment insights
Podcast: Mitigating taxes within client portfolios
In this episode of In Focus, Joel Baker, CIM, MBA, Chief Investment Officer, sits down with fellow Portfolio Manager Mike Williams, CFA®, MBA, MTax, P.Eng, PCAM, to inform clients about important steps our portfolio managers take in the fourth quarter client portfolio review. They address tax mitigation from an investment perspective and explain how we incorporate tax loss harvesting into our portfolio management strategy.
Webcast: Income Producing Assets. The Big Picture
In this webcast, Mike Gassewitz, President and CEO and Joel Baker, CIM, MBA, Chief Investment Officer, discuss the Income Producing asset class of our portfolio, provide an update on our views on GICs vs Bonds and extend the conversation to include preferred shares.
Webcast: Turning Interest Income into Capital Gains
There’s been volatility in the bond market in 2022. IAIC shares how it has recently focused on a bond strategy within client portfolios. Watch our In Focus Webcast featuring President and CEO, Mike Gassewitz P.Eng., and Chief Investment Officer, Joel Baker, CIM, MBA, as they discuss this opportunity beyond the portfolios should anyone want to deploy with surplus cash in their bank accounts.