Spencer is a Portfolio Manager at Odlum Brown Limited. He provides discretionary portfolio management services to affluent individuals, small business owners and professionals. Spencer has over a decade of experience in the financial services industry, and is a strong proponent of Odlum Brown’s value-based and contrarian investment style. He works with clients to build and manage portfolios, taking into account client-specific investment objectives and risk tolerance.
Spencer believes wealth is created by buying and holding securities of high-quality companies for the long term, and by protecting capital in volatile or falling markets. As buying a stock represents an ownership position in a business, he focuses on owning shares of high-quality companies with an emphasis towards strong management and balance sheets. Spencer pays particular attention to valuation, as stocks purchased at attractive prices provide a margin of safety and superior long-term return potential. He would rather own attractively valued businesses that might temporarily become less expensive, than risk overpaying for popular businesses that could permanently destroy capital in the long term.
Spencer is also a proponent of owning individual investment grade bonds and GICs to protect capital in client portfolios. He buys individual securities, laddering maturity dates rather than investing in bond mutual funds to ensure investor principal is returned at maturity.
He graduated from the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business at the University of Victoria where he studied corporate finance and personal taxation. He obtained the Registered Retirement Consultant designation from the Canadian Institute of Financial Planning in 2012, the Chartered Investment Manager designation from the Canadian Securities Institute in 2013 and the Portfolio Manager designation in 2016. In 2018, he obtained the Responsible Investment Advisor Certification designation, which is focused on the integration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in the selection and management of investments.
Spencer believes in giving back to the community and supports local charitable causes including BC Children’s Hospital, Victoria Women’s Transition House and CFAX Santas Anonymous Society. Spencer grew up in Victoria and continues to live there with his wife and their daughter.