INVEST FOR WHAT MAKES WEALTH WORTH GROWING

Money is meant for something more.

  • FOR YOURSELF.

    Investing is about growth: financial and personal. A healthier, more informed relationship with money comes from understanding that your investment portfolio is positioned to help achieve your goals and is aligned with your values.

  • FOR YOUR FAMILY.

    Money can allow your family to experience the richness of life. An investment strategy focused on the long term allows one to feel in greater control of life in the present.

  • FOR YOUR COMMUNITY.

    Wealth is measured by the impact it has on others. A carefully managed portfolio can yield the capital to enact bold visions that can change lives.

  • FOR YOUR LEGACY.

    What we leave to future generations tells the world who we were and what we valued. Wealth grown with purpose lives beyond our own time horizons and transforms the world long after we depart.

About Burl Investment Management, LLC

 

MICHAEL S. POTAPOV, CFA

Michael Potapov, born in Russia, grew up during one of the country’s most challenging and transformative economic times.  After moving to the United States, he pursued a career in economics and finance, finding his niche in investment management. 

Throughout his 19 -year career, he’s invested during ebullient and depressed market conditions and analyzed a variety of businesses.  Today, his multidisciplinary, long-term investment philosophy is influenced by his life experiences and informed by constant pursuit of knowledge.

Michael is a CFA charterholder.  The CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct, enforced through an active professional conduct program, require CFA charterholders to:  

  • Place their clients’ interests ahead of their own  

  • Maintain independence and objectivity 

  • Act with integrity 

  • Maintain and improve their professional competence 

  • Disclose conflicts of interest and legal matters  

THE SYMBOLISM OF BURL

An unusual growth pattern on trees, a burl develops and grows multidimensionally. Burls are prized for internal beauty that cannot be accessed until cut open. So it is with money. Grown for its own sake, money has little value. But once used to provide for life’s goals, shared with family and community, money can offer satisfaction and be transformative.

 

Burl’s Investment Principles

 

The performance of individual equity prices reflects underlying business characteristics over time. Markets are prone to overpricing financial assets when expectations are favorable and underpricing them when expectations are poor. An investor able to identify superior businesses and purchase them at attractive prices can outperform the broad market average return over time.

  • Avoid investments that may result in permanent losses.

  • To outperform, one must be both different from consensus and correct with the analysis.

  • Focus portfolio on best ideas. Identifying relatively few good ideas over a lifetime is enough to produce more than satisfactory investment results.

  • Knowing what the investor owns and why helps him/her stay invested through the periods of price declines and volatility.

  • An investor should know the limits of his “circle of competence” and work continuously to expand it.

  • Maintaining a long-term outlook when making an investment (intent to hold for at least 3 years) forces one to consider the most important factors.

  • Building a portfolio of companies with differing sensitivity to possible risks is essential for effective diversification.

 

What to expect with Burl.

 

  • An annualized asset-based fee of 0.50% is paid quarterly in arrears. Fee rate is negotiable for relationships over $10 million in assets.

  • Yes, $100,000.

  • Charles Schwab. If your account is already at Charles Schwab, a Trading Authorization Form will allow Burl Investment Management, LLC to manage your account.

    If your account is not at Schwab, securities can be generally transferred in-kind (without trades or tax consequences) to your new Schwab account. All of the cost basis information will transfer with your securities.

  • Companies are selected based on a number of qualitative and quantitative factors. Portfolios are managed individually, so clients will see their holdings in real time.

  • A close relationship between financial advisor and investor is central to Burl’s operating philosophy. Clients should expect formal communication at least once a year to discuss any topics relevant for management of the portfolio. Informal check-ins will occur at least every six months. Burl operates on a flexible schedule with no pre-determined office hours, but clients can anticipate availability during the typical work week as well as evenings and weekends for discussions and consultations. All client initiated communication will be responded to within 24 hours.

  • The investment approach employed by the firm is patient and long-term oriented. Investments are generally made with a 3+ year time horizon. There are no restrictions on withdrawals or access to your assets.

  • Burl Investment Management, LLC currently caps the number of clients in order to maintain close, well-informed, and healthy relationships.

 

Ready to take the next step with Burl?

The next step is a conversation. It is imperative that clients feel that their goals, objectives, and constraints are understood by their advisor. These building blocks form the basis for the asset allocation strategy. An Advisor’s investment philosophy and approach should be a good fit for the client. Request a meeting through the form, and Michael will be in touch promptly.