Investment Philosophy & Style

Washington Trust’s investment philosophy is grounded in the core belief that unbiased and active decisions, asset allocation and diversification are the keys to successful investing over the long term.

Before we make a single recommendation, we understand your ultimate financial objectives. By asking the right questions and carefully listening to your financial goals, we can recommend personalized solutions, avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach to portfolio construction.

Successful portfolio management requires expert understanding of the companies and securities that we select for our portfolios. That’s why our Senior Portfolio Managers have a sophisticated variety of research tools available to help them evaluate various investment options and to provide a goals-based, customized investment recommendation for each of our clients.

Strategy

Our strategy is to build a well-diversified portfolio that seeks to maximize return while minimizing risk within the constraints defined by our client. As a part of this strategy, we may select and hire highly skilled, rigorously screened and monitored outside money managers. This strategy seeks to employ superior “best-of-class” securities management in appropriate asset classes while maintaining a single point of responsibility and primary investment advisor.

We coordinate traditional asset classes with complementary and alternative allocation protections to maximize portfolio return while minimizing the risks within the portfolio.

Risk Management

To paraphrase Will Rogers: We believe that return of capital is as important as return on capital. This philosophy ensures that our investment approach focuses on the balance between maximizing growth and managing risk.

Our clients must be fully compensated for the risk inherent to their portfolios. We recognize this may result in not participating in the latest "hot" security or market trend; adherence to this discipline ensures that our clients’ portfolios are fully compensated for the risks associated with the securities owned while generating consistent returns.

Methodology

We are fundamentally based in our approach for constructing portfolios and selecting securities, but believe that quantitative analysis plays an important role in screening and selection. The success of our management is based on our proprietary, in-depth analysis of the companies and securities we select for our portfolios.

Washington Trust Bank deploys this strategy in the management of traditional core securities by our in-house Portfolio Managers as well as our best-of-class fund selection for complementary allocation components within our portfolio structure.

Continuous Monitoring

Active management produces consistent, superior results and is a critical component of our success. That’s why we not only monitor the securities markets as experts, but we also proactively monitor allocation and policy objectives to our clients' changing requirements.

Reliable Performance Measurement

Our dependable performance reporting system takes the guesswork out of portfolio performance with easy-to-understand, customized reporting. You will receive accurate performance history since inception of your portfolio, with a focus not only on performance as a percentage, but the risk control measurements that are critical to our position in managing wealth for the long term. Our system allows for reporting multiple portfolios in one succinct report, supporting your individual financial goals and providing a “big picture” holistic performance review of your wealth management.

Weighted benchmarks are assigned to all asset classes to create a custom, blended benchmark to ensure accurate historical performance reporting.