our Investment approach

Investment services are offered through North Compass Investments of Aligned Capital Partners Inc. (ACPI).

Disciplined Portfolios Designed for Long-term Wealth

Investments are implemented using a disciplined, systematic global macro process that adapts across market regimes. The objective is to participate in long-term growth while actively managing downside risk when conditions deteriorate.

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Explore: The Problem | Philosophy | Risk Management | How It Works | Who It’s For | FAQ | Next Steps

The Problem We Solve

Most investors don’t fail because they “picked the wrong stock.” They fail because their portfolio is exposed to the wrong risk factors at the wrong time—often without being explicitly aware of those exposures.

In practice, traditional portfolios can become reliant on a narrow set of assumptions: equities will lead, bonds will diversify, and diversification will behave consistently across regimes. When those assumptions break—during inflationary shocks, tightening cycles, or periods of market stress—drawdowns can be larger and recoveries can take longer than expected. At that point, decisions tend to revert to forecasts, narratives, or reactive shifts driven by emotion.

We aim to solve this with a disciplined alternative: a systematic, repeatable process that allocates across a diversified opportunity set and adjusts exposure based on observable global macro market leadership and risk conditions—not prediction.

Most investors don’t need more information. They need a better process.

Systematic doesn’t mean “black box.” It means portfolio decisions are guided by pre-defined rules applied consistently over time, so the process is not driven by headlines, narratives, or emotion. The rules are evaluated across multiple historical market environments to understand how the approach may behave under different regimes and periods of stress.

That matters because when markets are under pressure, discretionary decision-making often deteriorates:

  • investors tend to buy late and sell late
  • fear and regret can lead to poor timing
  • “staying the course” can mean tolerating unnecessary drawdowns without a framework for adjustment

A rules-based process doesn’t eliminate uncertainty—it replaces improvisation with a repeatable framework.

Markets rotate. Leadership changes across regions and asset classes—sometimes U.S. equities lead, sometimes international, and at other times bonds, gold/commodities, or cash-like instruments play a larger role.


A global macro framework starts with a practical truth: different assets tend to perform differently across economic regimes—inflation vs. disinflation, expansion vs. slowdown, calm vs. stress. Rather than committing to a single static mix and hoping the environment cooperates, we maintain a diversified opportunity set and use a repeatable, rules-based process to allocate toward areas showing stronger leadership while managing risk.

In practice, the portfolio can shift meaningfully over time—leaning into growth-oriented assets when conditions are supportive and moving more defensively when risk conditions deteriorate.

Global Equities

Bonds / Treasuries

Gold / Commodities

Real Assets

Cash / Defensive

Our Investment Philosophy In One Sentence

Right assets at the right time, with risk managed by design—not hope.

Risk Management: The Feature That Actually Matters

Most investors focus on return. Professionals focus on drawdowns, because large losses don’t just feel bad—they mathematically impair compounding.

Drawdowns compound against you

A 15% loss requires ~18% to recover.
A 50% loss requires 100% to recover.

That’s why risk management isn’t an add-on in our approach—it’s built into the design. We seek to manage downside risk through:

  • Diversification across global asset classes
  • Rules-based exposure adjustments as leadership and risk conditions change
  • Defensive positioning when conditions deteriorate (including cash-like instruments where appropriate)
  • Portfolio construction discipline to help avoid over-concentration

This doesn’t mean we avoid every decline. It means we aim to reduce the likelihood of deep, extended drawdowns that can derail long-term plans and decision-making.

How The Process Works (high level)

We keep the approach understandable and auditable. Rules guide decisions; oversight ensures the rules are followed. At a high level:

  1. Assess market leadership
    We evaluate trends and relative strength across a diversified set of global asset classes using objective data.
  2. Allocate systematically
    We construct portfolios using pre-defined rules that emphasize persistent leadership and diversification, rather than forecasts or narratives.
  3. Manage risk by design
    We size exposures with diversification in mind and adjust positioning as leadership and risk conditions evolve.
  4. Rebalance with discipline
    We rebalance on a consistent schedule to keep the portfolio aligned with the process—not the news cycle.

What we do not do: chase narratives, make discretionary macro forecasts, or improvise based on headlines.

Why This Can Work Over Full Market Cycles

Some strategies look compelling—until the environment changes.

A systematic global macro approach is built for regime change because it:

  • draws from multiple global asset classes, rather than relying on a single market
  • adapts to relative leadership, instead of assuming yesterday’s winners will remain leaders
  • embeds risk awareness and portfolio discipline, which matters more than being “right” occasionally

The core idea is simple: we’re not trying to predict the next headline. We’re trying to follow a repeatable decision framework that can adapt across a wide range of market environments. Over full cycles, consistency of process often matters more than the precision of any single forecast.

Who This Is For

If you value discipline and adaptability—and you can stay committed through inevitable periods where the approach may lag more traditional portfolios—this is likely a fit.

This is typically a fit for individuals and families who:

Value process over prediction and discipline over speculation
Want an approach that can adapt across market regimes
Care about managing downside risk as much as participating in long-term growth
Prefer transparency and repeatability to “star manager” discretion

This is not a fit for investors who:

Want maximum equity exposure at all times
Prefer frequent tactical calls based on macro forecasts or headlines
Judge success primarily by short-term performance

The right fit is someone who values a repeatable framework more than a perfect forecast.

What To Expect As A Client

  • A portfolio managed with a consistent, documented process
  • Clear communication in plain language, with decisions tied back to the framework
  • A long-term relationship grounded in your goals, risk tolerance, and the discipline required to stay the course
  • No hype. No hero calls. Just repeatable execution and thoughtful oversight

Frequently Asked Questions

Not in the “predict the next move” sense. The goal isn’t to forecast. It’s to respond systematically to what markets are already doing—using rules and an actuarial process.

Traditional portfolios are typically static mixes (e.g., 60/40) that assume diversification will always work the same way. Our approach is dynamic: it can change exposures as leadership and risk conditions change.

Yes. We use the same core frameworks in our own portfolios. Implementation is tailored to each client’s goals and constraints.

We primarily use transparent, liquid, cost-efficient ETFs across a diversified set of global asset classes (e.g., equities, bonds, commodities/gold, and cash-like instruments). The goal is broad opportunity and risk control using simple, understandable vehicles.

We review and implement changes on a consistent schedule—not in response to headlines. Trades may be executed in tranches across the month rather than all at once. Changes are driven by pre-defined rules and observable data, and there are often periods with minimal or no adjustments.

The process can allocate defensively when risk conditions warrant, including to cash-like instruments where appropriate. The purpose is capital preservation during stress, not constant activity.

In stress environments the process is designed to reduce risk exposure and may shift toward more defensive positions, including cash-like instruments where appropriate. This doesn’t eliminate losses, but it aims to avoid the kind of deep, extended drawdowns that can permanently derail long-term plans.

No strategy works in every environment. Our edge is a repeatable process grounded in persistent market tendencies (leadership rotates, diversification works differently by regime, and risk matters), designed to adapt across changing conditions rather than rely on forecasts.

No strategy does. The objective is to deliver strong long-term outcomes with risk management through full cycles—not to win every quarter.

The math can be sophisticated; the logic is simple: diversify broadly, follow leadership systematically, and manage risk intentionally.

Next Steps

If you’re looking for a disciplined, systematic approach designed for real-world market cycles, we can start with a short conversation to confirm fit and outline next steps.

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Disclaimer

This material is provided for general information and should not be considered individual investment advice. The statements and opinions expressed are those of North Compass Investments and not necessarily those of ACPI. All opinions expressed and information provided herein are subject to change without notice. Every effort has been made to compile this material from reliable sources as at the date indicated however, no warranty can be made as to its accuracy or completeness. In considering any particular investment or investment strategy, please remember that past performance is no guarantee of future performance. The information contained herein may not apply to all types of investors. Before acting on the information presented, please seek professional financial advice based on your personal circumstances.