CIRO cybersecurity incident. On August 11, 2025, the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) , Canada’s self-regulatory body overseeing investment and mutual fund dealers, identified a cybersecurity incident and proactively shut down its systems as a precaution. CIRO has since determined that investor information associated with member firms may have been impacted. TriCert is not a CIRO member firm and does not provide client information to CIRO directly; however, client information may have been provided to CIRO through our custodian, a CIRO member firm, as part of CIRO’s role in carrying out its regulatory mandate. CIRO is contacting impacted individuals directly by email or regular mail and is offering two years of free credit monitoring and identify theft protection services through TransUnion and Equifax. For more information, please visit CIRO’s cybersecurity incident page.

We're investors, not traders.

Quality investments, diversified by sectors.
 

 

We invest in holdings you WANT to own

Our methodology resonates with owner-operators, entrepreneurs and all types of professionals because our definition of quality investing aligns with the attributes they strive to achieve in their business.  We call this approach QSect – short for Quality Sector, looking for high-quality holdings on a sector-by-sector basis independent of geography.

TriCert Investment Counsel is registered as a Portfolio Manager with the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) in Ontario, its principal regulator, and with each relevant securities administrator in all other jurisdictions across Canada. TriCert Investment Counsel Inc. is registered as an Investment Fund Manager in Ontario.

 

 

Investment Principles

 

Our QSect approach is based upon a series of investment principles that guide our portfolio management team.

 

Navigate through our seven guiding principles. →

Read more about our Investment Approach
QSect Principle 1: Household–Based Asset Allocation

1. Household–Based Asset Allocation

Where appropriate, we allocate your investments across the various individual and entity accounts in your household to optimize tax efficiency.

QSect Principle 2: Sector-Based Equity Asset Allocation

2. Sector-Based Equity Asset Allocation

Our comparison of companies is not constrained by the geography of their headquarters. We diversify our holdings from across the major industry sectors of the broad economy. Geographic approaches may lead to sector overexposure.

QSect Principle 3: Timing Market Transactions

3. Valuation-Based Active Investment

Our investment strategy focuses on identifying undervalued securities with strong fundamentals. We conduct our own in-house research and valuation work to identify these opportunities, utilizing a long term investment philosophy. This involves performing thorough internal valuations to identify undervalued or overvalued securities. We actively manage the portfolio by making buy, hold, or sell decisions based on these valuations, aiming to align investments with client goals and market opportunities.

QSect Principle 4: Valuation-Based Active Investment

4. Timing Market Transactions

We perform our own internal valuation and carefully monitor the fundamentals using this process as a tool to help inform the timing of our buys and sells.

QSect Principle 5: Quality Investing

5. Quality Investing

We seek to invest in companies that we characterize as ‘value creators’. These are typically leaders in their industries, have solid, defendable business models, are financially healthy, can pay and grow their dividends, and have share prices that reflect their fundamentals, making them ideal candidates for long term investment.

QSect Principle 6: Sector-Based Tactical Asset Allocation

6. Sector-Based Asset Allocation Adjustments

We seek to capitalize on macroeconomic trends by adjusting our weightings in the various asset and industry classes. Instead of moving assets between different geographies, we move them between various industries based on what’s happening in the global economy.

QSect Principle 7: Exceeding Household's Financial Plan Metrics

7. Exceeding Household’s Financial Plan Metrics

Our benchmark for success is meeting or exceeding the appropriate metrics in each household’s financial plan.

In this episode of InFocus, Mike Gassewitz, CEO of TriCert Financial Group, is joined by Brian Durno, CFP®, CFA®, Lead of the Investment Management and Strategy Group at TriCert Investment Counsel.

Listen as they delve into the concept of quality within the QSect approach. The conversation navigates the complex terrain of defining quality in investment management, emphasizing factors such as revenue stability, competitive threats, market share, and the distinction between growth and value creation. Brian sheds light on the team’s methodology in evaluating companies, stressing the importance of qualitative and quantitative analysis and the significance of paying the right price for quality investments. The episode underscores the resilience of quality businesses, exemplified by their consistent dividend growth even in volatile market conditions.

Investment Solutions

We apply our QSect approach to our client’s portfolios based on their unique goals, circumstances and, most importantly, their risk profile. For clients who are early in their journey, we utilize a series of portfolios and our QSect private pools. For clients well along their way, we create portfolios with individual equities and income producing holdings that enable an even higher level of customization as well as streamlined tax loss/gain harvesting.

Let us guide you on a journey to financial growth and peace of mind.

Get a deeper dive into our investment approach.

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