Relevance Diversified Credit Fund

 There are lots of claims of intelligent investing often with limited or no explicit explanation of what it means to be invested intelligently.  For Relevance we believe in working with managers that are highly accredited both academically and professionally.  We work with managers who have advanced degrees in business, mathematics, science and technology to ensure they have a deep understanding of what they are investing in and how to best implement their investment decisions though the complexities of the global capital markets.  They have achieved business success running some of the largest investment platforms in the world and many had the confidence to start their own businesses free from the complexities, restraints and scale issues that can exist in larger organizations.  Being the smartest doesn’t guarantee investment success but we believe it puts the odds in our collective favour. 

 Specialists by definition have a greater handle on their areas of expertise than generalists.  There are needs and purposes for generalist but when you are competing in a global market you need specialists if you have expectations for achieving above average results.  Our managers stick to what they are good at and work continuously to maintain their advantage in the markets the operate in.  Being able to identify opportunities in the highly competitive investing world often requires that you go where others have not looked, create opportunities that others haven’t imagined or be experienced enough to identify and benefit from the misunderstandings of others. 

 As Warren Buffett noted in his 1995 shareholder letter, “The giant disadvantage we face is size: In the early years, we needed only good ideas, but now we need good big ideas. Unfortunately, the difficulty of finding these grows in direct proportion to our financial success, a problem that increasingly erodes our strengths.”  Mr. Buffett continued to say that if anyone tells you size doesn’t matter they are selling.  We seek managers with established track records and who can stay nimble.  We continuously monitor a manager’s size to ensure they remain nimble and responsive to changes in the markets.

 While we don’t expect to outperform our peers all the time, our managers create portfolios that are differentiated enough to have achieved performance honours at times throughout their careers.  Excellence can be achieved in good markets or preferably protect in bad times.  Recognized excellence is the outcome of working with smart individuals who stick to their specialties and are nimble enough for their ideas to matter.