Steven Jay Backus

The firm's portfolio managers, research specialists and traders are organized into teams by asset class. SCM provides several different investment approaches to both its international and domestic equity portfolios. For its capital appreciation equity management, the firm emphasizes current economic environment and secular themes. In particular, long-term economic trends, Federal Reserve policy and market liquidity serve as a macroeconomic backdrop to the overall direction of the markets. For equity stock selection, disciplined, fundamental research with emphasis on the following characteristics are practiced: strong fundamentals, accelerating earnings and sales, accelerating return on equity, expanding market share, low cost producers, quality management and positive earnings surprises. Its bottom-up security analysis emphasizes management, cash flow, earnings growth, balance sheet strength, competitive position, discounted cash flow and relative p/e ratio.

Provides wealth and asset management, trading & investment banking services

Cleary Gull provides discretionary investment advice primarily with respect to mutual funds, ETFs, fixed income securities, and non-traditional (complementary or alternative) investment vehicles, such as registered mutual funds and ETFs that have alternative strategies, hedge funds, private equity, REITs, and closed-end funds. The firm primarily uses a long-term investment approach that focuses on asset allocation. Cleary Gull generally recommends investments with the intent that they will be held long term.

Ziegler Capital Management is a large-cap US growth investor. Their funds seek a total return from dividends and capital gains that, before deducting the operating expenses, exceed the total return of the benchmark indices. They invest in common stocks that approximately parallel the composition of the indexes but do not intend to replicate the indexes at all times. Ziegler may overweight particular sectors that they believe offer attractive growth potential. The firm relies heavily on Wall Street research. They will sell a stock when there is deterioration in fundamentals. Their research employs both quantitative and behavioral finance methods. Ziegler tends to invest in the stocks of mid-cap and large-cap companies in the electronic technology, technology services and health technology sectors. The firm maintains a low turnover rate.

Functions as a College/University

Johnson Wealth focuses on the purpose of the client’s assets in developing investment strategies and primarily uses an investment approach that is long-term in focus and centered on asset allocation.