Simply stated, we strive to generate the best return with the least amount of risk.

It is our firm's investment philosophy to invest with a long-term outlook. When an asset is purchased, it is expected to be held longer than three years. Based on this outlook we are not quick to sell a security unless conditions have deteriorated so rapidly that quick action is required. A byproduct of this investment process is low turnover in our accounts.

After researching trading practices, we concluded that high trading activity does not contribute to outperformance, and many times it is associated with underperformance. Thus, we strive to invest in companies that have bright short-term as well as long-term potential. Growth stocks at a reasonable price fit these criteria rather well. For both liquidity and risk management purposes, we primarily focus on large-cap domestic equities, though we consider mid-cap, small-cap, and international funds in all of our Worldwide Templates.

Our basic investment style is bottom-up fundamental analysis. We utilize fundamental analysis screens to focus on a manageable group of stocks. We then carefully analyze this group using quantitative and qualitative factors, producing a final set of candidate firms for inclusion in our portfolios.

Fixed income investments are used in all Moderate, Conservative, and Ultra Conservative accounts. U.S. and International fixed income instruments are not highly correlated to U.S. stocks and, therefore, provide additional diversification and buoyancy to accounts during market downtowns.

We tend to hold higher quality, shorter duration bonds and use both corporate and municipal depending on the types of accounts. Our most conservative accounts will be overweighted with U.S. Treasuries and Government Agency issues.

• We strive to provide consistent performance and to maximize risk-adjusted return by investing in large-cap growth stocks at a reasonable price.
• We buy and hold companies we believe possess attractive short and long-term growth potential.
• We seek to invest in established market leaders with a history of integrity.
• We place priority on the efficiency/effectiveness of a company.

Our research process involves both quantitative and qualitative approaches. We begin by reducing the universe of potential investment candidates through quantitative screening. Next, we use an equal balance of quantitative and qualitative analysis to arrive at a focus list of stocks. On the sell side, qualitative analysis is more common for final sell decisions, but quantitative issues are not ignored.

For fixed income investments we supplement individual bond selections with "no-load" bond mutual funds during periods of low interest rates. As interest rates increase we begin to ladder individual bonds and certificates of deposit as we reduce the bond mutual fund holdings. Our fixed income investments include the following: 'A' rated or higher Corporate or Municipal Bonds; Government Notes and Bills; Government Agency Issues; and Certificates of Deposit, which are fully insured.