People often say the one constant in our lives is change. This has certainly been true in the financial industry. It’s hard to keep track of who’s who and who’s where. What is the bank or insurance company’s new name? Which broker is with which firm, and in which office are they located?
This leads to the big question: How can their clients receive the personal attention they deserve?
Just a reminder: As our organization continues to grow, we are still the original Heartland Trust Company. We are still independent, still locally owned, and still headquartered in Fargo. We set our own policies, make our own decisions, and answer our own phones. All of our employees live in, participate in, and support our local communities.
For 28 years, Heartland Trust’s experienced staff has staked their personal reputations and financial well-being on assisting clients with meeting their personal and financial goals. When our customers deal with us, they know they receive unbiased, focused, individual attention. These qualities stem from the values Heartland Trust lives by as an independent provider of financial services. We are not associated with any parent company, broker-dealer, or mutual fund company.
Webster’s Dictionary uses the follow words to define TRUST:
- Assured reliance on the character, strength, or trust of someone or something
- A basis of reliance, faith, or hope
- Confident hope
- Financial credit.
We strive to build TRUST in the way we do business, in the way we conduct ourselves, and in the time-tested and proven investment principles we use to build our client portfolios.
Each client, whether an individual, company, or foundation, has its own unique goals and aspirations when it comes to investing money. As we all have learned from human nature, people like to see things grow and it hurts to lose something. This easy-to-understand concept is a good analogy for how we approach taking care of other people’s money. Ultimately, we want to know what you are passionate about.
Our investment principles revolve around risk, quality (companies and credit), value, and diversification. When it comes to helping each individual client invest to meet their goals, we focus on asset allocation, sticking with high-quality investments and rebalancing to maintain the correct ratio of stocks to bonds in your portfolio.
Keeping all of this in mind, we can accommodate those looking for aggressiveness and growth or those looking for safety and income – and everyone in between.
What does this mean for investors? Investing should be long-term in nature (not only to make money, but also keep it!) and should also be transparent and understandable. Markets are bound to go up and go down over time. This means that your investments will go up and down. Having a game plan and sticking to it is the best approach.
In 2017, the economy steadily expanded and the bull market continued. But, as we were reminded earlier this month, there will always be corrections to the market. The natural cycle of any market is to go up and down. At times, the market dips and rebounds can feel like a roller coaster, but they are normal and should be expected. Stick to the game plan.
At Heartland Trust, we promise to work diligently to keep up with changing world economies so we can communicate with you about how they might impact your investments and goals.