Mission
Principium’s mission is to guide our clients toward a healthy future, through the risks and opportunities of wealth management, including personal finance, investment strategies, and positive social and environmental impact. We serve generous people who do meaningful work, build great businesses, raise loving families, or serve dynamic communities. We often provide integrated support for those facing “a whole new life,” whether they chose it, or not.
Our Core Principles
Responsibility
Responsibility is a measure of integrity.The SEC designates different levels of responsibility for professional financial advisors. Registered Investment Advisors, like us, must uphold a “fiduciary standard,” which requires us to act in our client’s best interest. Investments professionals who are brokers are held to a “suitability standard,” which is less stringent, and allows them to earn commissions selling financial products. Registered Investment Advisors only earn money from a small fee on invested assets, and never accept commissions (more from Forbes, here). We hold this responsibility in our heart, and offer unbiased financial advice, in your best interest.
Relationship
Relationship is a measure of connectedness.We have been building long-term relationships for decades. Internal to our firm, we like and appreciate each other, maintaining a fun environment, even while working through the tough days in the market. With our clients, we have built new services and products, advised on the sale of businesses and the purchase of homes. In our community, we have built institutions, made valuable connections, and supported philanthropic and charitable initiatives. In every relationship, we exemplify the belief that, "once you have more than you need, build a longer table, not a higher wall."
Resilience
Resilience is a measure of response to volatility.Resilience addresses recovery from a shock to the system, a design in which things quickly return to a previous form. Our resilient approach has provided three decades of experience in navigating the swings of the stock market. We take an active approach to managing risk in volatile times. We have multi-generational clients, who have stayed with us for our ability to recover quickly from shocks in the market.
Respect
Respect is a measure of empathy.We are grateful for what you bring to your community, how you raise your family, and what you build in the world. We have gained humility and empathy for the challenges we all face in life, and help you and your family plan for, and move through, transitions with ease and dignity. We understand that your savings for college and retirement, the money you inherited from family, or the sale of your business, represents substantial hard work.
learning
Learning is a measure of improvement.We continue to evolve personally, professionally, and organizationally. Just as we effectively anticipated and guided clients through the tech boom and bust in the 90s, today, we avidly study the AI and robotics revolution, actively engage the discussion of regenerative economics, and continuously explore new models like antifragile (a systematic look at investments that improve with volatility), among other trends. While we retain a conservative, resilient core to asset management, we consistently seek alpha (a measure of financial out-performance) through emergent trends.
Impact
Impact is a measure of how we live our life.Everything we do has impact. Each breath turns oxygen into carbon dioxide. Every gallon of gas burned releases carbon monoxide. Every dollar spent supports a local farmer, or a publicly-traded company. Every day, we make impact decisions with our money, adding up to a substantial lifetime total, for better, worse, or somewhere in between. The financial markets now measure this in terms of environment, society, and governance (ESG). Our expertise helps optimize the impact you make with your money, in alignment with your personal - and family - values.