Brompton Funds
Investment Manager: Bloom Investment Counsel Inc.
Bloom Investment Counsel, Inc. has considerable experience and a strong track record of managing portfolios of high-yielding income trusts and dividend-paying equities. Paul Bloom has previously been recognized as on of the 50 TopGun Canadian Equity Portfolio Managers by Brendan Wood International. Bloom was established in 1985 and specializes in the management of segregated investment portfolios for wealthy individuals, corporations, institutions and trusts. In addition to its conventional investment management business, Bloom currently manages specialty high yield equity portfolios comprised of common equities, income trusts, real estate investment trusts and limited partnerships. Within the last five years Bloom has managed portfolios in this specialty area with a market value of over $1.5 billion.
Bloom Investment Counsel, Inc. has considerable experience and a strong track record of managing portfolios of high-yielding income trusts and dividend-paying equities. Paul Bloom has previously been recognized as on of the 50 TopGun Canadian Equity Portfolio Managers by Brendan Wood International. Bloom was established in 1985 and specializes in the management of segregated investment portfolios for wealthy individuals, corporations, institutions and trusts. In addition to its conventional investment management business, Bloom currently manages specialty high yield equity portfolios comprised of common equities, income trusts, real estate investment trusts and limited partnerships. Within the last five years Bloom has managed portfolios in this specialty area with a market value of over $1.5 billion.
Portfolio Management Team
M. Paul Bloom (President and Portfolio Manager)
Adina Bloom Somer (Vice-President and Portfolio Manager)
Niall C.T. Brown (Vice-President and Portfolio Manager)
Sara N. Gottlieb (Vice-President and Portfolio Manager)
M. Paul Bloom (President and Portfolio Manager)
M. Paul Bloom is the President of Bloom and has overall responsibility for overseeing the investment management activities of Bloom Investment Counsel, Inc. Mr. Bloom has over 36 years experience in the Canadian investment industry, the last 24 of which as principal of Bloom Investment Counsel, Inc. which he founded in 1985. Mr. Bloom has provided investment advice on the management, of over $2.5 billion of investment assets. Prior to immigrating to Canada from England in 1971, Mr. Bloom attended the Manchester Polytechnic and graduated with a BA (Hons.) degree in law. From 1971 to 1972 Mr. Bloom was employed in the mergers and acquisitions department of Canada Permanent Trust. From 1972 until starting Bloom in 1985, Mr. Bloom was an investment analyst and later the investment manager at Slater, Walker of Canada Limited (later renamed Talcorp Limited). From 1993 to 2002 Mr. Bloom served as an independent director of Canadian General Investments Limited, one of the oldest closed end funds in North America. Mr. Bloom has been a member of the Investment Committee of a leading Toronto charitable Foundation since 2006.
Adina Bloom Somer (Vice-President and Portfolio Manager)
Adina Bloom Somer joined Bloom Investment Counsel, Inc. as a Vice President, Portfolio Manager in 2010 and has over 10 years of capital markets experience. Prior to joining Bloom Investment Counsel, Inc., Ms. Bloom Somer was employed at TD Newcrest, a division of TD Securities, Inc. for 9 years. She commenced her employment with TD Newcrest as a Research Associate and was in 2005 promoted to the position of Vice President, Equity Research Analyst, covering equities in both the Media and Special Situations universes. Prior to joining TD, Ms. Bloom Somer was a Sales and Marketing Coordinator in the Private Client Marketing department at CIBC Wood Gundy. Ms. Bloom Somer graduated from the University of Toronto in 1997 with an Honours BA in Political Science and graduated in 2000 from the Schulich School of Business with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) specializing in Finance and Marketing. She has completed Level 1 of the CFA designation and holds the Canadian Investment Manager (CIM) designation.
Niall C.T. Brown (Vice-President and Portfolio Manager)
Niall Brown has extensive day to day responsibility for the management of the portfolios. Mr. Brown joined Bloom Investment Counsel, Inc. in 2007 as Vice President and Portfolio Manager. Mr. Brown has over 15 years experience in the North American equity markets as a portfolio manager, analyst and equity trader. Immediately prior to joining Bloom, Mr. Brown was employed by Manulife Global Investment Management, Inc. as a Senior Global Portfolio analyst. In this role, Mr. Brown managed a U.S. portfolio of small cap companies using quantitative methodologies. Mr. Brown started his investment career with the Canada Trust Investment Management Group. While at Canada Trust, Mr. Brown developed his equity trading skills along with establishing the foundations of fundamental equity analysis. Mr. Brown was engaged in managing a number of portfolios whose assets were primarily composed of U.S. large cap names typically found in the S&P 500 Index. Mr. Brown then joined Toronto Dominion Bank Asset management Group as Vice President and Portfolio Manager, expanding his focus to include Canadian equities, managing both North American and U.S. portfolios.
Sara N. Gottlieb (Vice-President and Portfolio Manager)
Sara N. Gottlieb is employed at Bloom Investment Counsel, Inc. as a portfolio manager and has been with the firm for twelve years as a Vice President. Prior to joining Bloom Investment Counsel, Inc., Ms. Gottlieb was employed as a research associate at First Marathon Securities Limited. Ms. Gottlieb graduated from the University of Toronto in 1995 with an honours BA in Economics and Political Science. She earned her CFA designation in September 1999. Ms. Gottlieb is actively involved in charitable endeavours both domestically and internationally.
Investment Approach
Bloom first uses a conservative, fundamental, “top down” investment approach that assesses macro factors, such as economic conditions, business factors, commodity prices, interest rates and credit ratings. Bloom then reviews the relative valuation and volatility of each asset class, as well as the historical and anticipated correlation and co-variance relationship between such asset classes, to determine an optimal asset allocation mix. As a result, Bloom takes a lower risk approach to investment, de-levering and carrying cash balances if he believes that equity markets are overvalued and generally having a lower allocation to the volatile oil and gas trust sector.
Bloom then uses a “bottom up”, fundamental investment approach to select individual security holdings, analyzing each company’s business, prospects and management to determine whether it is undervalued or has growth potential. Bloom capitalizes on this selective acquisition strategy through a “buy and hold” philosophy.
Replay of Paul Bloom Conference Call - Jan. 25, 2011 - click here
Replay of Paul Bloom Conference Call - July 21, 2011 - click here
Portfolio Manager's Report - Year-end 2010
Replay of Blue Ribbon Conference Call - Nov. 5, 2010 - click here
Portfolio Manager's Report - June 2010
Portfolio Manager's Report Year-end 2009