We're investors, not traders.
Quality investments, diversified by sector.
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 with the securities regulators as a Portfolio Manager and is engaged to provide clients with discretionary portfolio management.
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 money around the world, we move it 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.
Defining Quality in our QSect® Approach
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.
Customized Portfolios
We apply our QSect® approach to our client’s portfolios based on their unique goals, circumstances and, most importantly, their risk tolerance. For clients who are early in their journey, we utilize a series of portfolios and we’ll be adding our TriCert QSect® Equity Pool in the near future. For clients well along their way, we create portfolios with individual QSect® 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
Income-producing investor insights: From rate cuts, yield curves, and bonds
In this episode of InFocus, Mike Gassewitz, CEO of TriCert Financial Group, is joined by Nicholas Leach, CFA®, TriCert Investment Counsel Portfolio Manager, to provide an update on the income-producing portion of our portfolio. They discuss recent interest rate cuts by the U.S. Federal Reserve and the Bank of Canada, market reactions, and the implications for bond yields and corporate credit spreads. The conversation also covers the impact of upcoming U.S. elections on the bond market, the normalization of the yield curve, and the performance of preferred shares.
TD Bank’s Setbacks and an Update on the Financial Sector
In this episode of InFocus, TriCert Financial Group CEO Mike Gassewitz speaks with TriCert Investment Counsel Portfolio Manager Lee Grimshaw, CFA®, about the financial sector’s performance over the past quarter.
Market Movers: Technology and Industrials Insights
In this episode of InFocus, TriCert Financial Group CEO Mike Gassewitz and TriCert Investment Counsel Portfolio Manager Dave Gill, CFA®, MBA, discuss the performance of the Industrials and Technology sectors.