World-class investing with small-town personal service at James Investment

When you’re looking for a firm to help manage your money, plan your retirement or offer comprehensive wealth management solutions, it always pays to have a local firm that can not only offer a tailored approach to your needs, but where you can also talk to the people who are directly in charge of your money. That’s the whole concept behind James Investment, a company that has been serving the needs of the Dayton area investment community since its founding in 1972.

Located on 35 acres outside of Dayton in Beavercreek, the firm takes a holistic approach to wealth management, addressing investments, retirements, taxes and estate planning to develop a comprehensive financial strategy that meets your long-term goals.

Building a strong relationship with its clients is key to that strategy, says R. Brian Culpepper, president and CEO and portfolio manager for James.

“I want to feel comfortable talking to a client if I see them out on the town,” says Culpepper, who joined the firm in 1995. “You can only do that if you are working ethically on behalf of your client, and you are treating them the way you would want to be treated.

“Our firm picks its own stocks and we have our own line of mutual funds,” Culpepper adds. “On top of that we know that our clients want a more hands-on approach. They want enhanced services.

“We also offer estate and retirement planning,” says Culpepper. “Many people don’t have their estate in order. They don’t have a trust or a will or any other kind of estate documents needed for generational planning. Many times, they don’t fully understand how taxes are going to impact their retirement or when they should do a Roth conversion.”

James Investment’s approach centers on one overarching objective: to grow its clients’ assets while prioritizing risk management along with preservation of their capital.

Through its independent research and personalized approach, the firm refrains from conventional practices of market timing or allocating portfolios based on generic risk or age categories. Instead, it prioritizes strategically aligning your portfolio with your unique goals, increasing the likelihood of achieving them.

While James Investment has a strong foothold in the Dayton/Xenia community, it represents institutional, nonprofits and individual private investment clients across the country. Its own family of funds, called the James Advantage Funds, includes the James Balanced: Golden Rainbow Fund, the James Small Cap Fund, the James Microcap Fund and the James Aggressive Allocation Fund. Each has its own, unique investment objective and strategy.

“So our expertise is every bit as powerful as a larger firm, but at a smaller scale with more personal service,” adds Culpepper. “When you invest with a larger company, you might not be able to speak to the people who are actually managing your money. When you call us, you often talk directly with me, or one of our other portfolio managers.”