W & W Investment Firm, LLC has served institutional clients for more than 3 years. Interestingly, the very first organization that became a client remains a client today. We believe that says something about how well we serve the needs of these unique clients.
Your organization's staff and board are obligated to act in the interest of the organization and its constituents. When it comes to managing your investment portfolio, a completely transparent relationship with an adviser who acts as your fiduciary makes your job much easier.
Organizations have different needs than individuals; one simple example is communication. An extended, wide-ranging conversation can be very beneficial for an individual, but it generally doesn't work well in a board meeting. Clear and concise is more likely what is needed. An adviser who understands those differences makes your job much easier.
We have a long history of serving institutional clients extremely well, and creating and sustaining long-term relationships. If your organization needs that kind of partner, we can help.
Organizations today face an ever-more-complex, often turbulent, market environment. Understanding and applying industry best practices in the oversight of your organization's resources increases the probability of your mission succeeding.
At the organizational level, this means clear definition of purpose for the investment portfolio and structure to provide for its guidance and oversight. For fiduciaries of the organization, it means applying personal knowledge and experience as well as awareness of regulatory requirements and fiduciary obligation.
Two critical examples of best practices:
Creating a written Investment Committee Charter Document that clearly defines roles and responsibilities of the committee. Upfront agreement to the principles detailed in this document encourages committee members to unite around your organization's purpose and policies for achieving its goals.
Crafting a thoughtful Investment Policy Statement (IPS). This document defines investment purpose and strategy and provides guidelines for portfolio construction, risk management, manager selection and performance evaluation. A well-crafted IPS can also protect your organization from emotions hijacking a committee's decision-making process.
There are many other important practices that help ensure your organization functions well and demonstrate the highest ethical standards to your constituents. If you feel like you're in uncharted waters, we can help.
Organizations face multiple challenges in deciding how to allocate resources. One of the most difficult is implementing a spending policy that successfully balances two ever-competing goals:
Ideally, a policy would exist to perfectly address all your needs and desires. Reality suggests compromise is likely required. Rigid spending policies that ignore investment volatility simply push problems into the future. Shortsighted policies fail to acknowledge the impact significant year-to-year fluctuation in distributions has on budgets and initiatives.
Fortunately, best practices exist to help tailor your spending policy to your unique circumstances and improve the probability of success for your organization. While there are many ways of approaching the creation of your policy, its flexibility is key to your long-term success.
An effective policy reflects what's most important to the organization and balances the demands of the present with the desires of the future. The path to getting there isn't always short or straight, but navigating it successfully is critical to your organization's success. We can help you get there.
