Three Pillars of M2

The M2 Stewardship Group was launched by founder Mark MacArthur in 2017 with the goal of bringing together various investment resources and tools, quality relationships and high-caliber people with a mindset of wisely handling or counseling others on the decisions regarding investable financial assets entrusted to them by various means.  When it comes to money, finances and investing, we believe a stewardship mentality is imperative to enjoying and effectively benefiting from those resources.  

There are three primary pillars that form the strength of the M2 Stewardship Group's effort:

1.  Technical Proficiency

    It is inaccurate to present, in person or through communications, a caricature of investing expertise and not have the access, ability, experience or know-how to actually, functionally do the work.  Proficiency carries with it a level of mastery that is above the minimum or average.  There are a number of competent people in the investment and financial services business, but I don't believe most are excellent at it.  Being excellent at something requires a robust knowledge of the subject or work, ability to function within it and then consistently manifest the skills to be effective.  At M2, we are experienced and proficient at public and private market investing, making timely decisions, understanding risk and most importantly bringing a skill-set that is true to our presentation.  Far too many people in the financial sector hold themselves out to be investment professionals, when in reality they do not carry the tools, access or experience to be proficient in it.  We have a duty and desire to be good at what we do and have the confidence and ability to actually make investment decisions, which requires a know-how that goes far beyond presenting a product or a boiler-plate response.  Part of our stewardship to clients and our own business is to continually increase our skill, knowledge and familiarity with market dynamics.

2.  Character and Conviction

    Money is neither evil or good.  It does not make or measure a person.  But how we earn, pursue and manage it does reflect our "nature": values, interests, personality and often our "nurture": upbringing.  There is much to consider on those dynamics, which I hope to communicate more on in the coming months.  Money is an aspect and resource that requires diligence and oversight to manage well and, as a result, allow it to be significantly beneficial to life.  Conviction is a position or mindset that results from taking truth with accurate information and combining it with experience to form decisions on the best practices for with whom and how we function.  Convictions are the driving force for action in important or valuable areas of life.  Here at M2, we are committed to doing all we can to make any interaction with our people and resources as consistent with our values as possible.  From direct communication with advisors and employees,  to interaction with key vendors and strategic partnerships, we expect each of them to represent high character and consistent convictions aligned with our company's leadership.  M2 has developed a disciplined method of investing that we believe is worthy of a client's accumulated capital; one in which the process and implementation is a result of our education, experience, personalities and convictions.  We don't want that to be changing often or subject to trends, volatility or scattered emotions.  Our goal is that all interactions with the team we have assembled are consistent with the goals of our Founder and the input of respected mentors.

3.  Available and Responsive

    Very simply, M2 is a service organization.  We don't "sell" products.  As a fee-based registered investment advisor company we function to serve client's goals and needs for their financial well-being and those of their heirs or desired recipients.  It is our desire, while profit and growth are necessities, that the excellence and effectiveness of our work for the proper stewardship of resources is our driving motive.  The financial services industry is often essentially large sales organizations with fancy terminology and expensive products purposely aimed at either fear or greed, the primary motivators for bad investment decisions.  Working with a stewardship mindset, along with a Fiduciary commitment, undergirds this fundamental aspect of M2.  Whether planning for retirement, offering a valuable benefit to your employees or seeking wise counsel for investing excess resources, M2 will serve to steward your resources with excellence. 

This article is the first in a series meant to outline and describes the "pillars" of M2 Stewardship Group and share the story of our "WHY".