Houstoun Capital Management, Inc.

Building sustainable portfolios.

Philosophy

Sustainable returns depend on sustainable investments.  Our portfolios seek to provide growth and preservation of capital by combining industry best practices with environmental, social, and governance considerations.

Services

Achieve Financial Goals

  • Build custom portfolios to meet the financial needs of every client.
  • Apply our innovative approach to produce superior results.
  • Manage portfolios to achieve expected returns and mitigate risk.

Protect Capital

  • Invest prudently in high quality securities that meet rigourous quantitative and qualitative standards.
  • Diversify broadly by asset class, market sector, and security type to maximize portfolio efficiency.
  • Maintain ample liquidity to minimize risk of capital loss.

Provide Trusted Advice

  • Act as a fiduciary for the sole benefit of clients.
  • Offer exceptional, personalized service.
  • Maintain the highest ethical standards.

Advantage

We are employee-owned and utilize an open architecture on a fee-only basis.  Our staff has 50+ years of combined investment experience from pension plans and hedge funds to private wealth management.

Approach

Define Objectives

  • Identify the full extent of a client’s assets and liabilities in a holistic manner.
  • Help determine the appropriate level of investment risk.
  • Establish absolute and relative investment return targets.

Design Program

  • Determine best asset allocation to achieve goals with minimal risk.
  • Construct tax-efficient portfolio with high quality securities and best-in-class mutual funds and ETFs.
  • Combine asset allocation and security selection to build a top-tier investment program.

Manage Portfolio

  • Monitor and evaluate investment performance.
  • Adjust investment portfolios as market conditions and client needs change.
  • Report portfolio performance and advise clients on all investment-related matters.

Owner

Richard A. Houstoun, Founder & President

Mr. Houstoun founded Houstoun Capital Management in 1997 and serves as its President. Previously, he provided consulting services to start-up companies and private equity investors, and served as General Manager of Scala, Inc, a multimedia computer software company in Northern Virginia. Mr. Houstoun has served on the board of serveral start-up companies. He is a former trustee of the St. Patrick's Episcopal Day School in Washington, D.C. and serves on the board of the Emerging Scholars Program, a Virginia-based nonprofit. Mr. Houstoun holds a BA in Economics and an MA in History from the University of Texas at Austin.

Richard A. Houstoun, Founder & President

Mr. Houstoun founded Houstoun Capital Management in 1997 and serves as its President. Previously, he provided consulting services to start-up companies and private equity investors, and served as General Manager of Scala, Inc, a multimedia computer software company in Northern Virginia. Mr. Houstoun has served on the board of serveral start-up companies. He is a former trustee of the St. Patrick's Episcopal Day School in Washington, D.C. and serves on the board of the Emerging Scholars Program, a Virginia-based nonprofit. Mr. Houstoun holds a BA in Economics and an MA in History from the University of Texas at Austin.

Michael B. Shaffer, CFA, Director of Portfolio Management

Mr. Shaffer provides portfolio analysis and management services and acts as Chief Operating Officer of Houstoun Capital Management. He has over 20 years of professional experience as a portfolio manager, trader, and analyst. Mr. Shaffer previously worked in the Investment department of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and has also worked for hedge funds and broker/dealers. He is an expert in inflation-linked securities and has presented and moderated at numerous industry conferences. Mr. Shaffer holds an MBA and two undergraduate degrees from the University of Maryland. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charterholder.

Contact Us

240-235-0993

4800 Hampden Lane, #200 Bethesda, MD 20814