Our Approach to Investment

We Approach You Individually and Your Investments Conservatively

At the Bank of Millbrook Trust and Investment Services, we emphasize the importance of understanding your financial goals. As Dutchess County’s only locally based trust and investment institution, we combine considerable expertise and a sound, conservative approach with a strong knowledge of our clients and this community. We know that relationships matter, and we work as your ally.

Meeting your needs

With that understanding, the bank provides you or your organization numerous services to order and simplify complex financial decisions and requirements. Your needs may involve the interposition of an impartial trustee, continuity and expertise in an executor, or the often intimidating task of investment management. Our staff spends the time with you individually to define your objective, recognize your aspirations, determine which services and approach suit you best, and create a strategy that makes sense.

Investment Plans Built With You In Mind

Like our detailed professional approach to establishing a plan for you, our investment approach is sound, based on experience, and built according to your individual prerequisites. We work with you to gain a thorough understanding of your financial goals, risk tolerance and investment time horizon. We then determine investment objectives and asset allocation to design a balanced, diversified portfolio with an eye toward maximizing performance while reducing volatility.

Professional, Uncompromised Research

The Bank of Millbrook Trust and Investment Services works closely in partnership with industry leaders in investment research, to ensure our clients’ investments are made with the most thorough and up-to-date intelligence available. Portfolios are divided into different asset classes, including: large cap, mid cap, small cap, international and fixed income securities.

Quality and Diversification

Participation in small cap, mid cap and international asset classes will generally be done through the use of no-load mutual funds and ETFs, to ensure diversification in these classes. For large cap stocks, our philosophy is to purchase high-quality equities with above-average return potential, a record of consistent earnings and dividend growth, strong balance sheets with below-average debt, and a long-term commitment to research and development, regardless of equity style. We construct each portfolio with sensitivity towards different industrial sectors, as well as the different types of companies within each sector.

We recognize long-term global trends as investment themes, and look for leading companies to represent these themes. Over time, we seek to outperform the S&P 500 and to be competitive with managers of a similar style.

Fixed Income

For our fixed income securities, we purchase bonds that are rated A or better by Standard and Poors and Moody’s, utilizing a laddered maturity approach.

At the Bank of Millbrook, we believe that the investment process is a dynamic one. We value your feedback and communications in assisting you to meet your goals.