Frequently Asked Questions
Over the last 30 years our founder, Stephen Thomas, has seen a lot of changes take place within the investment industry. As big firms have moved to a more commodified approach, Thomas and his team have continued to develop more efficient ways to build tailored portfolios for their private clients in a way that meets each client's needs. Because many of our clients come by referral from other investment firms we are often asked: How are we different from the competition? How do we work? What's the benefit of having a team? For your convenience, we have constructed a list of the most common questions. Please feel free to contact us at Linden Thomas & Company if you have any other questions.
Below are some of the top questions:
Many retail advisors may say they are institutional or may say that they use institutional mutual funds. Because "institutional" is a popular term in today's marketplace, most advisors use the term without delivering. True institutional asset management is when investor's portfolios are managed directly through individual securities. It takes a team to achieve direct portfolio management with different portfolios styles giving investors the benefit of directly hiring the money manager. Most advisors don't have the team, the technology, or the skill to manage assets directly.
There are five reasons why many advisors cannot offer direct access to institutional asset management.
- Background and Licensing
- Resources
- Team
- Desire and commitment
- Regulatory requirements
In order to build an asset management firm and broker-dealer, which is fully registered under the regulatory authorities and provides direct access to institutional asset management, an advisor would need the experience and license to own an independent firm (along with the desire, time, resources, and commitment). Our founder, Stephen Thomas' career got started in Washington, D.C., where he gained the knowledge and insight about the benefits that investors would get by having their assets managed directly. Once he gained insight into institutional direct benefits, he then spent 20 years committing himself to a world-class asset management firm.
One way to compare is to look at the results of our individually managed fixed-income portfolios and our earnings-focused index. The other way investors can make additional comparisons is to look at company's longevity and experience and the specialties of its team. Linden Thomas & Company is celebrating over 30 years of putting clients first, 27 national awards, with an investment team of 20 professionals.
Below is a table that might help: