"The intelligent investor is a realist who sells to optimists and buys from pessimists."
Benjamin Graham
Fairfield Stern manages generational wealth for high net worth individuals, families and institutions. From our office in Tokyo, Japan, we give our clients access to in-depth financial expertise and first class investment products.
At Fairfield Stern, our investment philosophy is based on a winning combination of expert portfolio managers sharing and developing ideas. Working as a team, we take great care to customize each investment portfolio based on our clients’ financial targets, personal objectives, existing assets, and risk profile. This bespoke approach, wedded to a high level of personal service, sets us apart from the competition. It also allows us to be more agile and objective in our decision-making process.
Both individual and institutional clients get the best advice from independent firms that are free from conflicts of interest inherent in larger bank-owned firms that deal in large principal positions. And, as a company dealing with multigenerational clients, compliance is of primary importance to Fairfield Stern. We are members of multiple investment associations worldwide, and insist on the highest levels of accreditation for our senior investment managers.
Our Mission
Fairfield Stern’s mission is to serve as the premier investment portfolio advisor to a small set of high net worth individuals, families and charitable foundations. Our goal is to achieve higher long-term, risk-adjusted returns in a tax-efficient manner. We seek growth through referrals from our well-cared for clients, as well as developing relationships with the next generation of our existing clientele.
Our Principles
Trust
Trust must be earned, and nurtured. With both our team and our clients, we work with people we trust, who in turn trust us. We have extensive global networks with whom we have build close connections over time. We hire financial professionals who have earned our trust and demonstrated unwavering integrity.
Client-Centric Approach
Our goal is to provide the highest level of services to a discrete list of clients. Experience has taught us that providing world class service and above average returns rewards us with higher client retention and subsequent referral business. This is both rewarding and the best business model over the long term. Open communication and transparency established the foundation for comfortable relationships that facilitate an ease of doing business for both sides.
Performance
Wealth management is an art that cannot be simply quantified. Success requires achieving the right balance between risk and reward for each and every client. The measure of aggressiveness in pursuing capital growth must be balanced against the needs for asset protection and stability. Risk adjusted returns should be maximized within the bounds of safety and capital preservation. Our role is to achieve above average risk-adjusted returns, at the lowest possible cost, to generate high net-rate performance for our clients.
Independence = Objectivity
Fairfield Stern is privately owned, and independently operated. Because we are a private institution, we enjoy complete freedom to advise our clients in an objective and unbiased manner. We advise our global clientele based solely on what is in their best interests. We answer only to our clients.
Experience
Formal education is a crucial prerequisite for any profession. But all professionals will tell you that one’s real education starts the day they start to work. There is no substitute for experience. Our client guidance stems from learned experience in the financial industry, which, when combined with a broad understanding of the current landscape, provides the foundation for decision-making that leads to future success.
Long–term Relationships & Networks
At Fairfield Stern, we value relationships. Our current success is built on long-standing relationships: with our valued clientele, our team, and the greater financial community. Our reputation in the financial world, built over several decades, has attracted superior talent, enhancing our ability to provide our clients with both world class service and exceptional returns. We place great importance on working as a harmonious team, and strive to hire talent that enhances that which we have proudly built.
Strict Compliance
All activities at Fairfield Stern are overseen by our compliance department, which has been endowed with the authority to act at all levels of the company. Since we are protecting our clients as well as our long-standing reputation, our compliance standards exceed those demanded by the agencies with which we comply.
Investment Philosophy
Our investment philosophy stems from a conservative growth outlook. We define ourselves as neither bottom up nor top down investors. Rather, we consider the greater macroeconomic outlook as a starting point to ensure our eyes are always on the horizon. Protecting client capital is a foremost consideration. Individual asset selection requires stringent fundamental due diligence. We avoid leverage, and eschew short-term trading strategies.
Investment Method
At Fairfield Stern, we build portfolios tairlored to each client’s life situation, goals, and individual personality. Even more than achieving investment return success, we want our clients to sleep at night. We exist to improve people’s lives. For some that prioritizes capital growth, for others the priority is safety and enhanced risk management. Our clients are people, not portfolios. With this understanding, we build client portfolios using an appropriate mix of assets, which can include both public and private markets. We are always mindful of our international clients’ tax implications in the multiple jurisdictions in which they live, work, and call home.
Our Team
While we have many departments and specialties, we operate as one team, guiding our clients to increased financial security. Our core beliefs are: integrity, personal responsibility, and client service. We value mutual respect and ongoing education. We believe in our people and foster promotion from within, both vertically and laterally, which promotes team cohesion. People at all levels are encouraged to speak out and contribute, and we even learn from our clients. An open mind catches good ideas.
What experience has taught us:
Clients come first
As fiduciaries, we prioritize our clients’ best interests. We’re responsive and committed—returning calls within one business day.
We lead with initiative
Proactive communication is key. Our dedicated analysts are continually monitoring the market to stay ahead.
We focus on solutions
Even in volatile times, we stay calm and thoughtful. Every recommendation is tailored to each client’s unique situation.
We keep our word
Reliability matters. When we say we’ll do something, we follow through—every time.
We succeed together
Your goals are our goals. Each client benefits from a dedicated team working toward a shared future.