You Would Not Go to the Cardiologist for a Cavity
Stone Creek Advisors, LLC (SCA) was brainstormed over many late-night zoom meetings and weekend phone calls. We laid everything on the table, what we wanted to be and what we did not. The culmination of 35 years of collective experience taught us what we liked and did not about the industry and our experiences, and how we wanted to differentiate ourselves from peers.??
The idea of being a fiduciary in every sense of the word was something that truly connected us. We had a similar view of?the industry and vision for our purpose within it. SCA was founded on a mutual conviction?that the?client should always come first. Being a small, independent advisor was appealing?for the flexibility and customization that it allows, but also the alleviation of many conflicts of interest.?Our aim was to do everything possible to eliminate conflicts of interests for ourselves and for anyone we hire.??
One of the largest conflicts of interest that we sought to minimize was capturing the whole of someone’s wealth in?products managed by only one manager. Asset managers have certain areas of the market, asset classes, and strategies they specialize in. We cannot replicate the amount of due diligence done without an incredibly large staff and, even then, one manager cannot be the best at everything.??
Instead, we believe it is in our clients’ best interest, and more efficient for us, to find the best solution in the area we are seeking to allocate capital. This led to our conscious decision not to have our own proprietary products. We also do not accept ANY incentives to use investment solutions from any third party, freeing us from that conflict of interest as well. The investment that we see as the best fit could be in the form of an ETF (Exchange Traded Fund), a separately managed account sleeve, or a mutual fund depending on the circumstances.?
Our background?is in macroeconomic analysis, asset allocation, portfolio management, risk management, manager due-diligence, and portfolio monitoring. Not being beholden to one manager or a handful of strategies broadens our toolset and allows us to access best-in-class managers and solutions. Our asset management background gives us the knowledge to ask the right questions, screen managers, evaluate investment processes, and monitor portfolios for red flags. ?
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Distinct factors, strategies, and managers are appropriate in different market environments. SCA identifies what environment we are in, where the opportunities lie, and what vehicles are ideal for those opportunities. We then identify which manager within that vehicle should perform best in the current environment.?
We typically choose an ETF when we just want exposure to an area of the market, and we do not think active management will provide additional value. Other opportunities and areas of the market are very conducive for stock pickers, and we allocate to separately managed accounts, and occasionally mutual funds, in those areas. We look for managers with minimal style drift. If they have their own macroeconomic overlay that adds another layer of uncertainty and another factor that needs to be monitored.?
As allocators we are consistently meeting with new managers to find the best solutions for our clients at the lowest cost. Through our relationship with OneSeven we have access to hundreds of managers and thousands of strategies at very reasonable costs that can serve as a small sleeve of a client’s entire portfolio.??
Our portfolio management and risk management and monitoring background allows us to analyze the client portfolio holistically. We seek to identify and understand what risks are being taken within the portfolio, ensure they are intended, and they are appropriate for the current environment. In extreme environments it tends to be the factors and sectors that drive performance rather than company specific fundamentals. A client portfolio may seem diversified given the number of holdings. But, if the holdings are all exposed to the same fundamental or economic factor or are highly correlated for another reason, they will not provide proper diversification when it is most necessary.?
If you would like us to review your portfolio, please reach out.??