Our investment process

We invest across the globe according to the key principles of ‘Quality‘ investing, following in the footsteps of the investors such as Benjamin Graham, widely known as the ‘father of value investing’. This guides all aspects of our investment process and studies show the strategy produces superior long term, sustainable, investment returns. Crucially, we also apply environmental, social and governance factors to our approach to ensure our strategy is green, responsible and ethical.

Focusing on the elements that matter

We research a broad range of asset classes and underlying investments for our clients. Many of our portfolios are structured via internally managed funds, whereas most underlying assets are managed by other successful professionals.

There are two main parts to our investment process:

Asset Allocation
Portfolio management

Studies show that Asset Allocation is the most important determinant of long term performance.

We also apply environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles which deliver a lower risk investment portfolio without sacrificing performance. We are signatories to the UN PRI (Principles of Responsible Investment).

Oakham worked with Mercer Investment Consultants as a strategic adviser to support its investment research and portfolio construction functions. Mercer advised Oakham on strategic asset allocation, dynamic investment market views, model portfolio construction and fund solutions.

Mercer is a global leader in independent investment consulting, due diligence and investment solutions. Mercer provides tailored investment advice to all types of asset owners to support them in meeting their investment goals within an agreed risk framework.

Mercer’s independence means that they can support the implementation of this advice through best in class managers while their scale (over US$10trn of assets under advisement and US$250bn under implementation) means they are well placed to support Oakham in achieving fee savings for clients.

Our investment philosophy

Our investment ethos is distinct in the following ways:

Finding intrinsically good value. We aim to avoid emotionally driven herd behaviour by understanding the true ‘sum of the parts’ before investing,
Buy & hold. We don’t try to time the market, but focus on long term investments which we monitor closely over time to ensure they deliver the expected result,
Know what you own. It is essential to understand what you are investing in and how the asset should perform at different points in the market cycle.
Be prepared to be contrarian. Going against the grain won’t always be the right decision, but at key times it is critical not to follow the crowd.
Prefer liquidity and efficiency. An attractive investment may only be available in a format which ultimately negates the investment premise.

Invest responsibly. A sustainable approach to investing, incorporating environmental, social and governance factors, will deliver a green, ethical, but also lower risk portfolio without sacrificing performance.
Diversify across the globe and research all asset classes. This is essential in order to maximise return while minimising risk.
Avoid excessive diversification however. The pursuit of diversification should not override the selection of good long term investments vs poor or inefficient investments.
Avoid fixating on benchmarks. An index benchmark will always contain some sub-optimal investments.
Minimise bureaucracy. The investment process must be allowed sufficient freedom without excessive restrictions.

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