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.
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 prerequisiste 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 eshew 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.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
I Know Nothing About Investing. How Do I Start?
You start at the beginning, with a simple conversation with one of our advisors. It’s our job to assess your needs and create an appropriate investment plan.
How Can I Be Sure I’m Receiving the Best Possible Advice?
You start at the beginning, with a simple conversation with one of our advisors. It’s our job to assess your needs and create an appropriate investment plan.
How Can I Keep Track Of My Investments?
Clients can log in to Fairfield Stern’s secure website 24/7 to view their holdings, in an up-to-date and straightforward manner.
Will My Personal Information Remain Confidential?
Absolutely. One of the reasons for our longstanding client relationships is discretion, matched by loyalty and performance. Fairfield Stern also employs advanced firewalls and state-of-the-art cyber security to protect all our company and client data from unwanted eyes.
I Work In The Finance Industry. Why Would I Need Fairfield Stern?
Many financial professionals prefer to hold assets outside of where they work. They may want privacy, to hold assets offshore, access to a broader range of opportunities, or the benefit of objectivity a professional wealth manager brings to the table.
What Happens If I Move?
All financial solutions are international—clients can invest or receive income from anywhere. We service a global clientele, some domiciled overseas and either retired or working as an expatriate.
What Happens If My Advisor Leaves?
Clients belong to Fairfield Stern, not individual advisors. Portfolio decisions are guided by Fairfield Stern’s inhouse analysts. If an advisor leaves, a suitable replacement will be assigned for a seamless transition.
What’s Your Minimum Investment?
We don’t have an defined minimum. Fairfield Stern works with clients across career stages and ensures all receive optimum levels of service. We work with multigenerational families, and have clients that started with us as children whose parents wished to start them off in life with good financial habits. We’ll meet you where you are.
I’m Not Free to Speak During the Workday. When Can I Speak with My Advisor?
Fairfield Stern accommodates clients’ schedules—we can set appointments to speak at your convenience and communicate electronically.
I’m an Insider of a Publicly Traded Company. Can I Open An Account With You?
Yes. Fairfield Stern has a thorough compliance process for opening new accounts and overseeing all trading. We have systems in place to ensure you are always compliant with existing regulations.