The inspiration for our name was, of course, the American scientist and inventor Thomas Edison. He was famous for inventing, among the 1,093 patents he took out, the light bulb, the phonograph and, appropriately enough, the stock ticker.

But his most famous words remain: “Genius is one per cent inspiration and ninety-nine per cent perspiration.”

We agree. There may be a little bit of genius in investment, but it is overwhelmingly evidence-based science that delivers results.

Our science is not new; it is tried and tested.

We will first and foremost look at the different types of investments available to you – the asset classes. For each of those asset classes – be they government bonds or Japanese equities – we will have analysed the performance and given each a risk profile. Then it is a case of finding what we would call the “efficient frontier”, but what you’d probably call the best mix of assets to deliver what you want.

The other major factor in our investment decision-making is whether to use passive or active investment management: in other words, investment managers that either follow markets, or those that try to second-guess them. Again, in this decision we are not driven by fad or sentiment, but science and evidence. We will invest passively where that has proved consistently successful and actively where it hasn’t.

We will also pay particular attention to how much each investment manager charges. We don’t want potential upside to be eliminated by excessive fees.

Our final test: would we buy it ourselves?

Although we do believe in the sweat of science, our one per cent inspiration that can tip a decision is: would we invest in it ourselves? If we would not, then we should not recommend it to our clients. This has recently helped us stay clear of some fund of hedge funds which might otherwise have seemed attractive.

If you want to know more about the science behind our investment strategy, please call us.