CSM Capital Corporation offers unconflicted strategic advice and bespoke asset management services to a select number of U.S. and offshore families, endowments and foundations
Our History
CSM was founded in 2004 to meet the investment and family office needs of a small group of clients and principals of the firm. We assist families with complex investment strategies, management of concentrated assets, tax planning, corporate finance and other business planning, and many other matters. Our high ratio of investment professionals to clients creates a level of service not often found in this industry. We are a privately-owned SEC Registered Investment Advisor.
Our Clients
CSM works with onshore and offshore families as well as with endowments and foundations. We are relationship oriented and believe the families and institutions we work with consider us partners. A typical CSM client is one with significant financial assets, and, in the case of families, often multi-generational with a range of individual, retirement, and trust accounts. In over 15 years of business, we have had near-perfect client retention. We believe that our ability to sustain long term relationships with our clients is due to our consistency of leadership, robust asset allocation, rigorous investment process, and intense level of client focus.
Our Principles
Fiduciary Mindset
We view ourselves as fiduciaries, providing conflict-free advice, unbundled asset management services and planning to a small group of families, with whom we establish long-term relationships. We do not—and never will—have any financial relationship or incentive compensation structure with third party investment managers. We perform the same investment management services in a meaningful way for our own families.
Strong Risk Focus
The investment process is best governed by a strong sense of risk and suitability. Our principals have had meaningful capital commitment and risk management responsibilities in their careers. That, coupled with our intimate first-hand knowledge of a broad array of financial instruments and asset classes, gives us a superior ability to assess both the risk and the return dynamics of our clients’ portfolios.
Open Architecture
We believe in a robust, comprehensive asset allocation and utilize open architecture in the construction of our portfolios. We utilize both proven independent managers and indices in client portfolios. We are particularly aware of the impact of taxes and fees on returns. Our principals’ experience with each of the asset classes we employ greatly assists us in evaluating investment processes, risk management, and the likelihood of repeatable investment performance.
Confidentiality and Trust
Our size and low employee turnover further the essential goal of maintaining the trust we are given when clients enter into what is best characterized as an extremely confidential and complex relationship with us.