We trust much of our lives to the expertise of others. We expect that our mechanics, pilots, doctors and bond managers have adequate knowledge to practice their craft. Rarely, however, do we examine the depth and scope of that experience.

At Belle Haven, our Portfolio Management and Credit Research teams have spent their careers focused on the fixed income market. Their experience includes underwriting, trading, banking, consulting, portfolio management, and institutional sales. Our investment professionals are often called upon by major news organizations, including The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, The Bond Buyer, Thompson Reuters and Debtwire.

Leveraging our experience from varying vantage points, we have developed a perception of the market both as we know it and as others view it. The institutional relationships we have fostered over the years have proven to be valuable conduits through which we can take the pulse of the market. We have seen what has worked, and perhaps more importantly, what has not worked.

The fixed income market is an ever-changing landscape, littered with complex structures. Our clients know they can leave the homework to us. While alpha generation and total return are important, our fundamental approach is the preservation of principal. That begins with understanding the nuances of each individual issue. We believe in unfiltered credit research, both internal and external, that is ego-less in the search for knowledge.

 

Our research is not limited to just credit and sector evaluation; we monitor economic trends and statistics as well as demographic data. It is our belief that a key component to limiting credit risk is not only though diligent credit research, but also through limiting exposure to any single issuer by maintaining a diverse portfolio. We evaluate holdings and portfolios on a periodic basis to ensure state allocations, yield curve positioning, and credit quality.

The goal of many investment managers is to ensure safety while simultaneously working to enhance total return. Traditionally, managers rely primarily on two levers to generate performance and stay competitive: interest rate positioning and credit selection. While these approaches are common, neither can consistently deliver results in all market environments. As a result, many portfolios do not reach their full potential.

Our investment process incorporates an additional, often underutilized source of value: efficient trade execution. By emphasizing execution quality, we seek to reduce the portfolio's dependence on interest rate or credit risk as the sole drivers of return, creating a more stable and repeatable framework for capturing incremental performance. 

This approach enables us to apply our research, experience, and market insights more deliberately, allowing us to make disciplined investment decisions. In essence, we have the liberty to pick our battles very carefully.

When you have questions, we have answers. We pride ourselves on the exceptional level of service and support we offer to our advisors and their clients. With a partnership mentality, our pre-emptive approach centers around keeping the advisor informed so they can better anticipate client questions and needs. The standard of care you can expect is accessibility across all levels of our team, prompt and professional responses, real-time market insights, regular updates on investment management, and an ongoing dialogue to understand how we can better partner with you. Our Advisory Solutions, Investor Relations, and Investment Teams are always ready to deliver assistance. The entire team can be reached at service@bellehaven.com.

Belle Haven offers a comprehensive range of services intended to assist with client conversations. Below is a brief sampling of the services we offer:

The funny thing about opportunity is you never know when it’s going to present itself. By keeping our clients’ portfolios in a constant state of readiness, we are positioned to harvest opportunity when it strikes.