Leith Wheeler: Investment Counsel Ltd.

Our Approach to Value Investing

In today’s chaotic markets, last week’s news drives this week’s trends. Dizzying flows of information reveal countless investments that were inaccessible even a decade ago. And global markets are increasingly connected, bringing far-flung opportunities within reach. Yet despite the hype, the complexity and the scale, some things never change…

The Fundamentals

Trends, by definition, don’t endure. What’s new or exotic isn’t necessarily better. We help discerning investors look beyond the hype, to take a diligent, disciplined approach to building wealth.

Since the firm’s inception in 1982, Leith Wheeler has offered investors a disciplined investment style that puts clients’ interests first. Our goal has always been to preserve clients’ capital while offering superior investment growth, regardless of economic factors.

Our portfolios are managed with the conviction that performance can only be added by being different from the market. Our security selection is based on fundamental research with a strong “value” bias. We will not invest in a company unless we have a high level of conviction in its business model and management team. We take a long-term view with our investments and build meaningful position sizes in companies we admire and trust.

Experience has shown us that a company’s stock does not always reflect its real value. This has allowed us to take advantage of some excellent investment opportunities for our clients over time. We invest in stocks, bonds or other securities when our research indicates they are underpriced, providing us with a margin of safety.

Purchasing securities that are under-valued does not mean our portfolios carry excessive risk. On the contrary, our portfolios tend to hold companies with solid balance sheets and quality management, which are trading at attractive prices. Companies can become undervalued when there is a lack of investor awareness, when an entire industry is out of favour, or when a company experiences a short-term difficulty we believe will be overcome.

We also maintain active relationships with the management of companies whose securities we own. Our dedication to upholding shareholders’ interests has earned us a reputation as shareholder advocates, while also helping our investments achieve performance targets.

As disciplined Value Investors, we strive to deliver long-term, sustainable growth for our clients.

Our Client First Approach

We work hard every day to earn and retain our clients’ trust. By digging deeper with our research, holding to the long view, and maintaining a perspective of courageous independence, we select and structure investments to meet the specific needs of each client.

Whether we’re working with private individuals, families, or major institutional clients, we’ve structured our firm and our approach to put clients first.

We’re Invested In Your Future

Clients value the depth of our experience equally with the strength of our ethical resolve. In a market the size of Canada’s, we’re cautious to maintain Canadian equity assets under management at a level that ensures flexibility and abundance of opportunity for each of our clients.

For private clients, Leith Wheeler helps ambitious, patient investors to earn and enjoy the lifestyles they’ve dreamed about—and to leave astonishing legacies for their families.

For institutional clients, we are trusted, effective stewards of the wealth of some of Canada’s most discerning pensions and institutions.

We focus on companies where the interests of management are closely aligned with shareholders, engaging directors and management to advocate on behalf of shareholders.

Working Together: Well into the Future.

Serving generations of private investors, and some of Canada’s most respected institutional investors, Leith Wheeler has earned a national reputation for building and sustaining prosperity. We create impressive portfolios and generate enviable legacies for our clients.

We’re proud to be a completely independent firm, owned and operated by our employees. Fundamentally, this means our success is tied to yours. If you do well, we do well. We also personally invest alongside our clients in our Investment Funds.

Growing Together

Our approach to working together begins at our first meeting, when we’ll review your current investment strategies, and share insights into how Leith Wheeler might complement or enhance your approach.

Beyond that first meeting, and as we formalize our working relationship, we’ll work with you to develop a unique Investment Policy Statement—a carefully structured set of guidelines for how your portfolio will be invested.

It all begins with a first phone call. What begins today will have you building your wealth, well into the future…

Source: Leith Wheeler: Investment Counsel Ltd.