Investors Trust Company Overview Brochure

About Our Brand

North Carolina’s state motto, Esse quam videri, is a Latin phrase meaning “To be, rather than to seem.” Our brand builds off of how we are in constant but quiet consideration of our clients’ needs and goals. We always have the big picture in mind, without ever losing focus of the details. In a nod to our heritage, we take subtle inspiration from the North Carolina flag. The star from the flag represents our constant “North Star”—your financial goals.

Why should you choose Investors Trust?

Strong history and local heritage

Investors Trust is a North Carolina-based, independent, fee-based, state-chartered trust company, providing investment management, financial planning, and trustee services to affluent individuals, business owners and entrepreneurs, families, endowments, and foundations.

What does this mean for you?

Most of our clients reside in North Carolina, and others have a connection to the state. We built our reputation on delivering high-quality services to people like you for nearly two decades. Preserving that reputation means making sure you are satisfied with the value you receive.

We are intertwined with the community we serve, and we probably see you at local events. Our character and standing have been paramount to building our business in North Carolina for nearly 20 years. You can feel secure and safe, knowing you have us as your partner—for the entire range of your wealth planning needs.

Disciplined investment process

We follow a disciplined, methodical, and repeatable process that has successfully generated attractive risk-adjusted returns in both good and challenging times. We expand on that process on page 5.

What does this mean for you?

When you entrust us to be stewards of your wealth, we are honored you have chosen us. You deserve to know how we structure and oversee your portfolio. It’s our job to help you understand and be comfortable with how we manage your resources, giving you peace of mind that we’re watching out for you.

Outstanding investment management with quality strategies

We create the right mix of assets and carefully monitor them so you can benefit from market dynamics.

What does this mean for you?

You have a distinct set of goals and aspirations, and our solutions position you on the path to achieving them. We create equity and fixed income strategies that can fulfill your long-term growth and current income needs and stabilize your portfolio to help withstand market volatility. We make modifications in response to changing economic conditions and, more importantly, to your evolving needs.

Holistic approach

We take a holistic approach, based on the premise that the whole of your wealth plan is greater than the sum of its parts.

What does this mean for you?

We examine your entire picture—not just your investments or trust needs, but how you allocate your resources, your future goals, the retirement lifestyle you desire, your legacy and philanthropic plans, and everything between. Integrating each element is vital in plotting your financial success. We include your attorney, accountant, and other professionals as required, coordinating your entire team to work on your behalf.

Superior client service

Many companies claim to offer superior service, but fail to deliver on that promise. We are different, because we focus on you: We take your needs seriously, and we respond to them immediately.

What does this mean for you?

We know that you…

• Seek a trusted advisor at a boutique firm that exudes a personal, high-touch feeling.

• Want to work directly with primary decision-makers, rather than be at the mercy of a representative relaying advice from decision-makers in a distant city.

• Desire complete transparency, including disclosure of all relationships and fees.

• Welcome policies and procedures that protect your wealth and comply with rigorous standards of regulators and auditors.

We impart white-glove service, proactively arranging monthly progress calls and scheduling quarterly reviews. You can count on us to:

• Return your call or respond to your email generally within a few hours.

• Know who you are when you call—you don’t need a special pass code.

• Keep you from being stranded in “voicemail jail” or placed on hold by calling an 800 number.

• Follow up with you to make sure your requested distribution is credited to your bank account.

• Seek tax-loss harvesting opportunities across all your portfolios.

• Build and maintain a personal relationship with you, your family, and your beneficiaries.

• Be your partner throughout your wealth management journey.

It’s our job to help you understand and be comfortable with how we manage your resources, giving you peace of mind that we’re watching out for you.

Meet Our Team

Each client works with an experienced team of professionals, including a relationship manager, a portfolio advisor, and a client service specialist. These teams are supported by the expertise of our investment professionals. Together, we strive to provide you with exceptional service while helping you attain your goals.

Jim Fine, CFA Chief Executive Officer

Robert G. (Bob) Fontana, CFA Chief Investment Officer

Shelly Gelberg Client Service Administrator

J. Deeds Kienker, CFA Investment Analyst

Craig Lewis, CFA President

Eileen Marnell, CIS Client Service Administrator

Crystal Pennypacker Client Service Administrator

Ginger Rouse SVP, Relationship Manager

Robby Scholes, CFA, CFP® VP, Wealth Advisor

Charles Wright AVP, Middle Office Manager

Michael Zuber, CFP®, CTFA, AEP® SVP, Managing Director

Ty Powers, CFA Director of Asset Allocation & Portfolio Advisor

Investment Management

Our investment approach is a mosaic, rooted in the belief that managing your portfolio risk is as important as generating returns. We combine disciplined fundamental analysis with quantitative research to build customized investment solutions that correspond to your objectives and the level of risk you are comfortable assuming. All members of our investment management team have earned the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA) designation.

• Your Goals – We begin by listening to what you want to accomplish, both now and in the future. You may be contemplating purchasing a new house, funding your children’s education, accumulating retirement income, or making philanthropic distributions. We help you assess and clarify your tolerance for risk to align with your goals.

• Investment Policy Statement – We create an investment policy statement (IPS) that formalizes your strategy and serves as a guidepost for managing your assets. We review it regularly, adapting it to your changing needs and circumstances.

• Investment Strategy Committee – We meet regularly to consider updated macroeconomic events, market cycles, valuations, returns, trends and regulatory policies and how they affect your portfolio.

• Strategic Asset Allocation – We identify a mix of assets that is consistent with your goals and income requirements, overlaid with the level of risk you are comfortable assuming.

• Investment Selection – We take a top-down and bottom-up approach in selecting quality investments in line with your asset allocation.

• Tactical Asset Allocation – We make tactical shifts in market segments, weightings, and asset class exposures in your portfolio so you can capitalize on market opportunities and imbalances as they arise.

• Risk Management – We monitor your portfolio to ensure you are comfortable at all times with its level of risk, applying various metrics to assess potential market drawdowns.

Equity Investments

Our active equity strategies seek to exceed the S&P 500 Index’s return over a full market cycle on a risk-adjusted basis.

We follow a three-pronged process for our equity strategies:

Market Review

Universe Evaluation

Our Investment Strategy team meets weekly to synthesize macro events in the market with high-level asset class and capital markets assumptions. We use that data to drive our sector decisions and determine their weightings in your portfolio.

Stock Selection

We screen the universe of the Russell 1000 Index of large capitalization, publicly traded US companies. You will recognize the names in your portfolio, giving you an extra layer of comfort. We deliberately steer clear of equities that present undue risk.

We select individual securities for your portfolio based on fundamental research such as earnings reports, SEC filings, interacting with management, competitive positioning, and valuation.

We offer three distinct strategies (Growth Equity, Blue Chip Dividend, and Equity Select) designed to meet your particular goals and match your risk tolerance, and an Asset Allocation Fund Model that provides broad diversification in several equity and fixed income asset classes.

Fixed Income Investments

Our fixed income investment strategy seeks to maximize your current after-tax income while minimizing risk.

Our Investment Strategy team examines overarching factors affecting interest rates such as the current economic landscape, government spending, Federal Reserve policy, and the general direction of interest rates. We then drill down on fixed income-specific metrics such as yield spread, yield curve, duration, and credit quality to select bonds for your portfolio.

Financial Planning

Our holistic approach underpins our emphasis on financial planning, both for you and your family’s life, now and in the future.

Your Certified Financial Planner ® develops your financial plan, grounded in a collaborative and authentic process, to define and clarify your objectives and analyze your current situation and family dynamics. We develop recommendations that support your current spending patterns, funding your children’s education, planning for retirement, investment portfolios, risk protection/management, tax situation, and estate and philanthropic aspirations.

You are the focus:

We listen and understand what you hope to accomplish, outlining a plan with specific targets, and building and implementing each component. We monitor your progress on a regular basis, making adjustments when required.

You benefit from our core competencies:

These include balance sheet and cash flow analysis, risk protection/management, retirement planning, education funding, investment management, tax-planning strategies, and estate and philanthropic services.

Your financial plan includes:

• Scenario simulations – Market volatility and changes in your personal situation can have major consequences to your financial plan. Employing a Monte Carlo Analysis to stress test our assumptions, we explore different combinations to determine how an increase in spending, lower investment returns, or unplanned expenses can affect your outcome.

• An ongoing partnership – We stand alongside you, empowering you to plan and prepare to withstand whatever the future may hold.

For further details on our strategies, reach out at any time and we will walk you through our approach.

Trust Services

Trusts are an effective vehicle for you to manage, preserve, and transfer your wealth according to your wishes, during your lifetime and for multi generations to come. It is imperative that you select a trustee who knows you and is aware of your family dynamics, with the experience to manage the complexities of investments, taxes, and administration.

Your trustee assumes legal responsibility for:

• Administering your trust

• Performing recordkeeping

• Investing and managing your trust’s assets

• Filing tax returns

They also:

• Balance the interests of your beneficiaries

• Carry out the wishes of the grantor in making distributions

• Pay beneficiaries’ bills when appropriate

• Custody your trust assets

Investors Trust is an independent, North Carolina-chartered trust company, and is the foundation of our heritage. We specialize in corporate trust administration, delivering a comprehensive, locally managed corporate trust administration solution.

Unfortunately, the corporate trust arena is marked by a recent movement to centralize trustee services, which have major drawbacks:

• They are rarely personalized

• They make all distribution decisions through committees, which may meet only once a month

• They tend to have significant minimums on the size of trusts they manage

Our personal service model makes us different.

• As an independent corporate trustee, we make it our business to know you and your beneficiaries, including all family intricacies.

• We respond in a timely manner. You can stop in to see us whenever you need to, and you won’t have to wait for a trust committee to decide on your distribution request.

• We apply a common sense approach. If you are the grantor, we know your intentions, and what is in the best interest of your beneficiaries.

• We can serve as sole trustee, co-trustee, or agent for revocable, irrevocable, and charitable trusts. Our initial meeting with you can be from two to four hours, during which we learn about you and your children, including their age, hobbies, and issues. We discuss your goals and what you envision your trust will accomplish.

We are selective about the trusts we take, exercising care and effort to make sure we can deliver on the value you expect and deserve.

If you have reached this point, it’s a good indication that what we offer resonates with you. We’d like to meet you, so please call or text us at 919.257.8929 or email Craig at clewis@invtrust.com. We will do our best to respond within an hour.