Client Journey: A Boarding School

Moment in the Journey

In 2006, we were hired to work with a female college preparatory boarding school. Enrollment had been stagnant, and the Board was worried that they were not operating under a strong fiduciary model. Funds were being managed in a single strategy, and performance was not being monitored. They had postponed making much needed investments in the school.

Their mission became ours: to prepare girls for college and productive lives.

Highlights of the Journey

We partnered closely with the recently appointed Investment Committee Chairman who understood what needed to change. We helped the Board write their first Investment Policy Statement and performed their first asset allocation study, leading to a portfolio of globally diversified funds and managers.

The school was fortunate to receive a large unexpected gift in 2009, allowing us to implement a more institutional portfolio, adding alternative investments. The school was able to fund previously stalled capital improvements. In order to assist the school in making wise spending decisions that would not hinder their financial security, we guided them through a spending study, using methods such as a Monte Carlo simulation. The analysis helped them understand how they could ramp up spending for a defined period of time and then return to a sustainable spending amount.

The Journey Goes On

The school has been able to greatly improve its facilities, adding a state of the art performing arts building, technology center, library, and kitchen supporting the cafeteria. Enrollment has been increasing with more girls attending from overseas, and the school is now able to provide more financial assistance to families in need. The school is now also able to provide each new student with an iPad to contribute to their learning experience. It has been incredibly fulfilling for our team to partner with this school.

These case studies are based on actual events in which certain of The Colony Group’s counselors were involved and were selected to represent a cross section of client situations that The Colony Group has encountered. All clients have different and unique circumstances and needs, and what may have been the appropriate solution for one particular client may not be the appropriate solution for your particular set of circumstances. There can be no assurance that The Colony Group will be able to achieve the same or similar results in comparable situations.

Please note that these case studies were prepared without client input and should not be construed as an endorsement or statement of the client’s experience with The Colony Group.