Justin Akin

SMC's large-cap equity approach employs a top-down, GARP strategy, overweighting secular growth opportunities and underweighting cyclical industries. The primary focus of this approach is the S&P 500 or securities that have a significant weighting relative to their sector. The firm screens to find companies that have a pattern of consistent earnings growth over a period of years that exceed the S&P 500 historical earnings. The firm's small-cap strategy combines internal investment management capabilities with an ability to identify and use external fund managers. This approach employs a bottom-up, fundamental driven strategy that targets firms whose above-average growth prospects are not yet reflected in their share price. SMC typically screens for growth-oriented and special situation companies trading at a discount to their private, or fair market, value based upon a multiple of cash flow. Often the small cap stocks in which they invest are undiscovered, under-followed or misunderstood by Wall Street investors. SMC's multi-cap equity fund targets companies with significant potential for growth, regardless of size. The multi-cap team employs an 'hourglass' investment approach, combining top-down theme-based trend analysis with bottom-up fundamental analysis. The firm often targets young industries, new business concepts and more complex technologies and may make concentrated investments in high-growth sectors, such as healthcare or technology. Their bond investment strategy calls for a laddered approach. The fixed-income team employs various proven techniques in security selection, maturity structure and market timing to enhance total return. They purchase only investment grade bonds and investment positions are sized for optimal transaction costs and diversification.

Functions as a College/University

River Road employs a bottom-up, fundamentally driven investment approach called Absolute Value® which seeks to generate attractive, sustainable returns over the long-term, with an emphasis on minimizing downside portfolio risk. The firm employs a balanced approach to diversification and a structured sell discipline that seeks to reduce portfolio volatility and the risk of permanent loss of capital.