Accessible
Investment
Management
Providing Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO) solutions for foundations, non-profits, endowments and high-net-worth individuals.
How OCIO Services Can Add Value
An Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO) serves as a dedicated investment partner, providing professional management of an organization’s investment portfolio. This model is designed to support governance, help reduce internal resource demands, and can promote a more consistent, long-term investment approach.
How We Add Value
We act as your internal investment partner, providing cost-conscious oversight and managing the day-to-day demands of your portfolio. Our disciplined, transparent solutions are structured to align with your organization’s mission and built to adapt to its evolving needs.
Stay Mission-Focused
helping free up internal resources so you can focus on strategic priorities.
Navigate Market Challenges
adaptive investment strategies built around your organization’s goals.
Meet Compliance
supported by policies and risk management frameworks that align with regulatory standards.
OUR SERVICES
Comprehensive Portfolio Management
Investment Policy Development
A clear, customized policy statement defines investment objectives, constraints, and governance for your portfolio.
Cash Management
Portfolios are structured to meet near-term liquidity needs while balancing yield with policy compliance.
Portfolio Construction
Portfolios are built around your organization’s goals, risk tolerance, and time horizon using a disciplined, evidence-based framework.
Risk Mitigation
Active monitoring and strategic diversification are used to help reduce exposure to unnecessary or concentrated risks.
Rebalancing & Optimization
Portfolios are rebalanced regularly to maintain strategic targets and adapt to changing market conditions.
Performance Reporting
Timely, transparent reporting tracks portfolio performance relative to benchmarks and policy goals.
Why We Are Different?
Simple
We help clients make informed decisions through clear, straightforward guidance. By avoiding unnecessary complexity and high-cost products, we focus on education that helps foster confidence over time.
Transparent
We take a cost-conscious approach to investment management, making high-quality investment management more accessible. Fees are transparent, with no unnecessary upselling and a commitment to clarity in costs.
Focused
Our decisions are evidence-based and guided by data, with an emphasis on disciplined strategies intended to help clients make the most of their resources over the long term.
OUR APPROACH
Your Needs Are Unique. Your Guidance Should Be Too.
1. Diagnose
Collaborate with your team to understand investment goals, time horizon, liquidity needs, and risk tolerance. This includes a full review of your existing portfolio, policies, and governance framework to identify areas for improvement.
2. Construct
Apply an evidence-based approach to build a customized portfolio with quantitative asset allocation, cost-conscious implementation, and informed risk controls. Decisions are guided by data and built around your objectives.
3. Monitor
Ongoing oversight helps keep portfolios aligned with investment policies and current market conditions. Regular reporting includes benchmark-relative performance, confirms compliance, and highlights key market trends.
CASE STUDIES
See Our Tailored Investment Solutions in Action
5 min read
Case Study A:
Solutions for A Non-Profit
A non-profit organization seeking to minimize risk in its portfolio while seeking steady growth.
Case Study A:
Solutions for A Non-Profit
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: The case study presented is hypothetical and for illustrative purposes only. It does not represent an actual client, nor does it guarantee future results. Investment outcomes may vary based on individual circumstances, objectives, and market conditions.
Our Client
A non-profit organization seeking to minimize risk in its portfolio while achieving steady growth. Their goal was to ensure they had ongoing funds available to support their mission’s needs.
Our Approach
We began by gaining a deep understanding of how the client’s investment objectives align with their mission’s core goals.
We analyzed their past investment performance to identify potential vulnerabilities and risks that could hinder their ability to address the needs of their mission.
By studying the client’s business model, sector, and future resource demands, we tailored our strategy to fit their specific financial needs.
Our investment plan prioritized protection against volatility while ensuring steady growth and maintaining enough liquidity to meet urgent funding demands.
Our Solution
We rebalanced the portfolio to focus on cash and liquid assets, ensuring the organization could meet sudden, high demands for funds when necessary.
We established a robust oversight system for managing cash and liquid assets, securing them in low-risk, steady-return investments.
A small portion of the portfolio was allocated to higher-risk, diversified investments to boost returns without compromising security.
Throughout the process, we ensured that every investment aligned with the organization’s mission and values.
5 min read
Case Study B: Solutions for A Professional Services Firm
A mid-sized professional services firm managing multiple pension plans and investable assets looking for a tailored investment strategy
Case Study B: Solutions for A Professional Services Firm
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: The case study presented is hypothetical and for illustrative purposes only. It does not represent an actual client, nor does it guarantee future results. Investment outcomes may vary based on individual circumstances, objectives, and market conditions.
Our Client
A mid-sized professional services firm managing multiple pension plans and investable assets looking for a tailored investment strategy to ensure financial stability and future growth.
Our Approach
We conducted a comprehensive analysis of the firm’s business, assessing cash flows, liability profiles, and key factors impacting long-term sustainability.
We worked closely with the client to understand their growth vision, resource requirements, risk tolerance, and potential vulnerabilities to market shocks.
Our Solution
We implemented an investment strategy focused on building resilience against fluctuating cash flows, economic volatility, and changes in the firm’s customer base.
We advised the client on proactively identifying potential business risks, ensuring rapid interaction with Gaard Capital OCIO and responsiveness to secure effective hedges and diversification.
The portfolio was carefully balanced across varying risk levels, with an emphasis on both preserving capital and achieving long-term growth.
What is an OCIO?
An Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO) is a fiduciary partner that manages day-to-day investment responsibilities on behalf of an organization. Under this structure, the asset owner defines objectives such as return goals, risk tolerance, and spending policy, while the OCIO implements, monitors, and reports on the investment strategy in alignment with those objectives.
Who can benefit from the OCIO model?
OCIO services are designed for organizations that want to maintain control over their investment objectives while relying on professional management and oversight.
Examples of institutions that may benefit include:
- Endowments
- Foundations and other charitable organizations
- Pension and retirement plans
- Healthcare systems
- Insurance providers
- Trusts and other long-term investment entities
Why do organizations adopt OCIO services?
Many organizations engage an OCIO to strengthen investment governance, enhance oversight, and maintain consistency in executing policy decisions. The OCIO model allows boards and committees to focus on mission and strategy while delegating portfolio implementation to experienced professionals who operate within defined guidelines.
How can an OCIO help organizations with limited resources?
For organizations without dedicated investment staff, the OCIO provides professional management, reporting, and operational coordination. This structure can reduce administrative workload, allowing boards and employees to concentrate on the organization’s mission while maintaining sound oversight of invested assets.
How can an OCIO improve access to investment opportunities?
An OCIO often provides broader access to institutional investment opportunities that may be difficult for individual organizations to source or evaluate independently. By leveraging established research networks, manager due-diligence processes, and scalable investment platforms, the OCIO can identify and implement strategies across a wide range of asset classes. This approach helps align portfolio construction with the organization’s objectives and with the evolving opportunity set in the market.
How does an OCIO improve governance and decision-making?
An OCIO brings structure and accountability to the investment process. Rather than relying solely on periodic meetings or delayed data, the OCIO provides ongoing monitoring and can implement portfolio adjustments in accordance with established policies. This approach supports transparency, responsiveness, and clear documentation of fiduciary actions.
How can an OCIO support investment outcomes over time?
The OCIO model is designed to help organizations maintain alignment between their investment policy and long-term objectives. Through disciplined rebalancing, diversified implementation, and cost-efficient execution, the OCIO seeks to support portfolio consistency through changing market conditions.
How does an OCIO manage risk and enhance portfolio oversight?
An OCIO monitors portfolios on an ongoing basis to evaluate exposures, liquidity, and compliance with investment policies. By integrating research, analytics, and regular reporting, the OCIO helps identify potential risks early and provides visibility into how portfolio positioning aligns with defined objectives.
Can an OCIO help reduce costs or improve operational efficiency?
An OCIO can simplify investment operations by consolidating oversight, reporting, and manager coordination. Larger OCIO platforms may also have the ability to negotiate more favorable fees with investment managers, creating potential efficiencies that individual organizations might not achieve on their own.
What should organizations look for when choosing an OCIO partner?
Key factors include fiduciary alignment, investment philosophy, transparency in communication, and experience with similar types of institutions. It is important to evaluate how an OCIO’s governance model and decision-making process integrate with the organization’s existing oversight framework.
Is every OCIO engagement the same, or can it be customized?
OCIO relationships can be structured to meet each organization’s specific needs. Some clients delegate full discretion for portfolio implementation, while others retain certain responsibilities such as manager selection or policy updates. A tailored OCIO arrangement can reflect the governance structure, objectives, and operational capacity of each organization.
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Still Have Questions About Us and How We Can Help Your Organization?
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