Foundations & Endowments
Helping non-profit organizations meet their investment goals while minimizing risk.
Managing a foundation or endowment is an important yet challenging endeavor. It requires a balance of short- and long-term planning, daily operations and active investment oversight. To add greater complexity, all of the above must be done in a fiduciary-compliant manner.
When you work with American Trust Wealth, you can ‘trust’ that we are always acting in the best interest of your mission and doing so at an expert standard of care.
We assume full fiduciary responsibility over the selection and management of your investments by helping to implement a fiduciary governance process that is well-documented, actively managed and prudently monitored.
As a fiduciary, we’re bound by law to always act in the best interest of your institution; to do what’s best for your organization at all times. This is just one of many reasons why you can put your trust in American Trust Wealth.
Our Approach
American Trust Wealth works closely with nonprofit investment committees to develop an investment policy statement (IPS) that incorporates the dynamics of spending policy, inflation, risk metrics and return expectations.
We begin by helping you set appropriate target performance and risk objectives. We essentially become the “outsourced” Chief Investment Officer to your organization’s investment committee.
Our comprehensive investment management, advisory and fiduciary services include:
Portfolio Modeling, Construction and Analysis
Asset Allocation and Investment Policy Development
Manager Selection and Due Diligence
Investment Committee Best Practices
Portfolio Monitoring and Rebalancing
Economic and Capital Markets Analysis
No Conflict-of-Interest Approach
Our open architecture platform provides your organization with a wide range of investment options, flexibility and an appropriate level of objectivity. Disclosure of all fees and our compensation structure is completely transparent to your organization.
CEFEX Certified
The Centre for Fiduciary Excellence (CEFEX) certified our American Trust Wealth accounts as meeting its highest standards of Fiduciary Practices for Investment Advisors. We were among the first Investment Advisors globally to successfully complete the independent certification process and the first trust company certified in the United States. To maintain our CEFEX certification we submit to annual audits by the Centre for Fiduciary Excellence.
Navigating your mission to its financial goals is a process, establishing a plan is only the first step. Success requires ongoing monitoring, managing and adjustments over time.
Sustainability Study:
At American Trust Wealth, we work with your organization to provide a prudent sustainability study evaluating the investment life of a portfolio given different distribution rates (on a percentage basis) relative to various risk levels. The goal of the study is to provide your organization with the framework to make distribution and planning decisions.
Harvesting Policy:
Our Trust Investment Committee will evaluate which investments or investment categories should be sold to generate anticipated cash flow needs for organization. Planning for cash flow helps you reach your immediate goals while extending the longevity of your portfolio.
Spending Policy Reviews:
American Trust Wealth will help your organization with a qualitative review (purpose, objectives, time horizon, donor restrictions, etc.) as well as a quantitative review (spending rate) to help provide a cohesive plan where investments are aligned with your goals.
Investment Policy Statement:
American Trust Wealth will provide your organization with an Investment Policy Statement (IPS) that adheres to prudent best practices.