Thank you for your interest in Southeastern Advisory Services. Our firm provides the full array of investment consulting services to public funds, corporations, endowments and foundations located throughout the Southeast. We are currently consulting to over $4.1 Billion in client assets. Founded in 1986, we have over 20 years of consulting experience. The firm is registered with the SEC under the Investment Advisors Act of 1940 and is owned by John L. Small and Todd K. Borton.
We provide completely independent advice and unbiased analysis because we sell no products to investment managers, no investments to plan sponsors, and we operate free from any broker-dealer conflicts of interest
The Wilshire Cooperative
Wilshire is one of the largest investment consulting firms in the world with over 350 associates worldwide. As a member of the Wilshire Cooperative, we are granted access to their live universe comparisons, industry-leading analytics, and customized reporting platform. The
Experience
All of our consultants bring extensive experience and commitment to their clients and their portfolios. There is significant value in working with someone who knows your history and is committed to your future. Our Senior Consultants average in excess of 20 years of investment experience.
Culture
We observe that many of our competitors are too focused on the marketing/growth of their business as opposed to client investment success. We do not maintain any marketing personnel. We respond to only a limited number of RFPs. We are not interested in being the biggest - we strive to be the best.
Service
Unique to our firm, is our client to consultant ratio of 10:1. We know that investment success is driven by meticulous research and attention to detail. Our consultants are each focused on the portfolios of their key client relationships. We challenge you to compare the client to consultant ratios of our competitors. This should be a key factor in your decision.
Our Commitment
Our service commitment to you is open-ended. We will provide any investment-related research or special projects upon request. We will also meet with your Board as often as necessary to ensure a quality investment program. Our objective is to provide the best possible service to a limited number of clients.
Achieving Performance
Our focus is on achieving absolute returns through efficient portfolio construction using both traditional and non-traditional asset classes. We strive to deliver consistent performance despite the market environment. Our independent model enables us to source best-of-class asset managers that are not tied to any revenue model or group.
Focus on Absolute Performance
One of the consulting industry’s common practices is to set the primary investment objective as a “target index” (i.e. 60%/40% equity and fixed income allocation). By doing so, consultants have convinced their clients that their investment success is subject to swings in the capital markets. This approach leaves you open to event risk, funding gaps during bear markets, and the need for increased contributions from members and the plan sponsor.
We recognize clients should strive for absolute performance (i.e. your actuarial assumption or spending policy). Our goal is to assist clients in constructing diversified portfolios that will deliver consistent target returns that exceed their absolute return objectives.
