Meet Our Investment Committee

At Caissa Wealth Strategies, we take pride in being a boutique wealth management firm with the deep resources of a larger institution. Our goal is simple: to thoughtfully construct and manage individualized investment portfolios supported by a robust foundation of research, experience, and specialized expertise.

Many clients have met one or more of our in-house investment advisors — TJ Sigstad, Brad Heideman, and Kelly Pedersen. While they play a meaningful role in communicating decisions and stewarding your wealth plan, the work behind your portfolio extends far beyond any one individual.
In fact, behind every portfolio stands a team of more than 80 dedicated investment analysts who support Caissa’s due diligence and research process.

The following Q&A is designed to give you a clearer view of how our Investment Committee operates and how this deep bench works on your behalf.

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What are the benefits of having this strategic analyst partner as part of Caissa’s Investment Committee?

Partnering with a team of 80 analysts — including 37 CFAs — enables us to access world-class research and specialized expertise while remaining a boutique firm focused on personalized service.

This structure:

• Frees Caissa’s internal advisors to spend more time with clients and on portfolio construction
• Ensures every strategy is monitored with exceptional depth and consistency
• Provides multiple layers of oversight and insight
• Offers continuity and resilience — your portfolio is supported by an entire team, not just a single individual

Most importantly, it allows Caissa to deliver the confidence and clarity our clients expect, backed by the diligence and expertise of a deep, highly skilled bench.

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What does Caissa mean when we refer to the “Investment Committee”?

Our Investment Committee consists of Caissa’s internal leadership — our Director of Investments, Senior Investment Advisor, and CEO — who serve as the ultimate decision-makers for every portfolio.

Supporting them is our strategic analyst partner firm, which provides specialized due diligence across the full investment universe. This includes access to 80+ analysts, each focused on a specific niche of the market. They gather data, conduct research calls, provide updates, and engage in ongoing dialogue with us so we always have a real-time pulse on opportunities and risks.

This structure allows Caissa’s internal advisors to stay fully focused on what matters most: designing and managing your portfolio to support your long-term wealth strategy.

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Who ultimately decides what investments go into client portfolios?

Caissa does.

While our analyst partners perform extensive research and provide deep technical insight, the final decision is always made by Caissa’s Investment Committee.

Before any investment manager or strategy is added, it must first pass a thorough due diligence process. Only after rigorous analysis — both by our analyst team and by Caissa — does a strategy earn a place in our lineup.

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What is the process for determining whether an investment strategy is “premier”?

Every strategy undergoes multiple levels of quantitative screening followed by an in-depth qualitative review.

For the qualitative stage, we engage directly with our impartial analysts, who spend months speaking with portfolio managers, evaluating decisions, and assessing firm-level discipline. Caissa then reviews all findings through our own lens to determine whether the strategy is appropriate for our clients.

Our analyst partners provides valuable coverage and expertise, ensuring we always have a subject-matter specialist guiding the assessment.

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How often is due diligence performed on existing strategies?

Initial due diligence is extensive and may take several months of meetings and analysis to complete.

Once approved, each strategy is formally reviewed on a consistent schedule, though our analysts often speak with managers more frequently based on market conditions, changes in leadership, or emerging risks.

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What is the process of ongoing due diligence reviews?

Each month, Caissa hosts an asset-class review meeting with our analyst partners. Together, we examine:

• Current market and economic environment
• Recent manager calls and observations
• Any notable risks, opportunities, or performance drivers

Based on this analysis, Caissa makes a decision to hold, add to, trim, or remove a position.

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How is the weighting of each strategy or asset class determined?

We hold quarterly Economic Investment Committee meetings — half-day or full-day sessions — with our analyst partners.

Together, we evaluate economic data, market tailwinds and headwinds, and asset-class-specific dynamics. From these meetings, Caissa sets allocation targets and determines whether adjustments are needed across portfolios.

If a position is assigned an action, trades are typically executed shortly thereafter.

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How often are macro leans reviewed, and who drives those decisions?

Macro considerations are reviewed at multiple levels:

• Monthly asset-class reviews
• Quarterly economic deep-dives
• Annual portfolio-level reviews

Caissa retains full authority over the direction and implementation of these decisions, using the analyst team’s research as a powerful input in the process.

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