In our efforts to assist clients in achieving their long-term investment goals, we employ a disciplined, five-step investment process:

Step 1: Focus on Asset Allocation

Statistics show the asset allocation decision- how much of your investments you allocate to different asset classes and investment styles- determines more than 90% of your investment performance. Despite what Wall Street wants you to believe, asset allocation is much more important than picking stocks, chasing returns, or deciding when to get in or out of the market. That’s why we focus on developing the most effective asset allocation strategy possible.

Step 2: Employ the Principles of Modern Portfolio Theory

Asset allocation is not a random exercise. That's why the foundation of our investment philosophy is Modern Portfolio Theory, a Nobel Prize-winning asset allocation strategy. Modern Portfolio Theory introduced the concept that a portfolio can be constructed so that all assets classes work together to minimize risk and maximize returns. We employ the principles of Modern Portfolio Theory to build a well-diversified, highly effective portfolio that includes broad exposure to a variety of asset classes and investment styles.

Step 3: Build the Portfolio with Institutional Mutual Funds

In order to implement the principles of Modern Portfolio Theory correctly, it is essential to have investment vehicles that provide complete and accurate exposure to a range of asset classes. Unfortunately, many retail investment options frequently drift among different asset classes, making them inferior for this purpose. That’s why our preference is to use institutional, asset-class mutual funds to construct investment portfolios. These funds are not available to the general public and are used by some of the country’s largest institutions to implement their portfolio strategies. Many of these funds require minimum investments of at least $2 million per fund. With the combined purchasing power of our client base, our minimum investment including all funds in the portfolio is just $150,000.

Step 4: Manage the Portfolio on a Continuous Basis

Once your investment strategy is implemented the work has only just begun. Your investment portfolio will be monitored at regular intervals to ensure that it remains in line with your original asset-allocation policy. If the individual asset classes within your portfolio move outside their target range, your portfolio will be "rebalanced" to bring it back in line with its original objectives. This is a critical component to keeping your investment strategy on track through the years.

Step 5: Provide Objective Monitoring Reporting

As an investor, having concise and unbiased information is vitally important to assessing your progress in reaching your financial goals. That's why Altamont provides a comprehensive Investment Performance Report to each of our clients every quarter. This report details rate of return, performance against market benchmarks, transaction history and much more, all designed to keep you well informed about how your investment portfolio is performing.