Every printed Schenkelberg Investments newsletter and business card contains the same four key words that define the mission of our firm: Integrity, Experience, Empathy and Fiduciary. After 10 years these four pillars continue to be the guiding light for how we interact with customers and seek to bring to the business every day.
My business coach in a recent session discussed reviewing the top 3-5 values for Schenkelberg Investments. Through this discussion I tried to think of what the key values are. In the end it all came back to these original four pillars that were laid out at the start of the company.
Integrity
Provide objective, independent investment advice. Seek consistent performance with low cost designed with the client’s goals in mind.
I have never found that doing the right thing, even in the face of owning up to errors or disagreeing with others, has led me down a bad path. It is not always the easiest path in the beginning but in the end it provides for a much smoother long-term ride.
Experience
Using 30 years of personal investment experience in portfolio management, strategy development and client planning, I strive to provide resources focused on the individual and collective needs of the firm’s clients.
There is no substitute for experience. Hindsight is always 20-20. However, what experience teaches us is the ability to recognize situations for what they are in the moment and act in the best way we can. None of us can really know how we will react in the face of a call from a panicky investor when their account falls or when the investment trade we were so sure of comes out with surprising news or goes in a different direction. Experience is what helps us make better decisions in the moments as they come.
Empathy
The only way to provide opportunities for clients that fit their goals is to truly understand what the client desires. The ability to empathize, or understand, what the client is looking for is an important way to provide this fit.
This is the pillar that really sets Schenkelberg Investments apart. With every client there is a mental note of the one or two key items that are most important to that client. It may be their family, interest in certain stocks or a focus on their next key goal. Identifying these items and being able to make them more easily accessible for the client is a key ingredient with Schenkelberg Investments. It might even mean knowing that a client prefers a text, phone call or email. Empathy is key to the “easy button”, and that is what we all really want.
Fiduciary
As a Registered Investment Advisory firm and as a Chartered Financial Analyst, Schenkelberg Investments and J.J. Schenkelberg have a fiduciary duty to clients. This means we must always act first in the best interest of our clients rather than for the profit of the firm.
As a person who holds integrity and empathy in high esteem, it is hard to imagine that holding professionals in this industry to a “fiduciary standard” is necessary. However, history has shown what greed can do to some people. A short-term vision is often what catches these professionals in a tough spot.
Investing for our clients is not just about finding the next big stock. It is about planning for clients’ financial future and safeguarding assets that you have worked hard to save. By focusing on these four pillars we feel that our clients can best succeed, which in turn helps the business succeed.