About Us

In March of 1994, Rich Berg and Phil Nussbaum started a small firm in Wheaton, Illinois under the conviction that the interests of the customer should supersede the need to sell fixed-income products. We started with six employees, a handful of customers and capital of $300,000. Today, we employ over 100 of the most talented people in our business, serving hundreds of the most successful fixed-income portfolio managers in the world. After experiencing firsthand the weak structural integrity of the Wall Street product-centered model, Rich Berg and Phil Nussbaum started a firm that would value a disciplined analytical approach to investments over conventional analytics and imprecise conjectures. As they sought to teach their community financial institution customers about this approach and its effectiveness in determining the most beneficial risk/reward decisions, education quickly emerged as another key value of the new firm. Rather than simply telling customers which decision to make, they detailed the objective analytics that supported these decisions. This unbiased methodology and transparency helped customers build confidence not only in the firm’s ability to make informed investment decisions, but in their own ability to make these decisions as well. Over 17 years later, the firm continues to apply its analytical framework to evaluate the potential risks and rewards embedded in complicated securities.

Mission

We exist to inspire financial decision makers to pursue the Path of Great Performance™ and help them achieve results that surpass those they would otherwise attain.

Values

The rich legacy of our story is passed on to our employees within a specific values context—the means being integrity and the end being excellence. These values guide our day-to-day responsibilities and interactions, providing a unique framework for our business decisions.

Integrity

• Decisions, behavior, and character consistently in alignment with our values
• Seeking, understanding, communicating and applying the truth
• Following through on our commitments and responsibilities
• Placing justice before self-interest

Excellence

• Superior quality, execution, and responsiveness
• Exceptional talent, knowledge, and skill
• Accountable to high standards, challenging goals, and disciplined methods
• A passion for learning and improvement

Teamwork

• Successfully leveraging different and complementary talents (1 + 1 > 2)
• Genuine commitment to our mission and to each other's well-being
• Sharing resources and empowering each other
• Mutually respectful, encouraging, and unselfish interaction

Results

• Mission fulfillment
• Just, appropriate, and inspiring economic returns for all stakeholders
• Careful stewardship of all stakeholders' resources and information
• Appropriate balance in life and business

Excellence + Results = Performance
Integrity + Teamwork = Trust