Top California Investment Management Firm To Be Featured In Forbes Magazine May 24th

Online, March 23, 2010 (Newswire.com) - If it's not good enough for Joseph Bronson and his investment management team at Strong Investment Management, it's not good enough for their clients. "We wouldn't invest our clients' money in anything we wouldn't invest in ourselves," says Bronson, President and Chief Investment Officer of the Newport Beach firm. Whether investing for their clients, themselves, or both, Strong's investment management team believes it is possible
to earn above-average returns without taking unnecessary risk. While the firm focuses primarily on large-cap investments - individual equities and fixed-income securities - it believes success is "not just a matter of being in the right investment, but of being in the right investment at the right time," Bronson says.

It's an investment philosophy that has been passed down from one generation of investment managers to the next - and one that works in both bull and bear markets. The firm's recent verified results, for example, show its Focus Growth portfolios clearly outperformed their peers, posting a five-year net total return through 2009 that is almost four times that of the Dow Jones Averages.

"We look to invest in companies that have sound fundamentals and tremendous growth opportunity," Bronson says. "At the same time, we believe there are definitely times to be mostly out of the market." A case in point is the recent recession. In 2007 and
2008, as a defensive measure, Strong's managers sought to conserve gains by largely moving away from stocks into short-term bond funds and cash. They started shifting back into equities in early 2009, when they determined the market was oversold.

"As an employee-owned firm," Bronson says, "we don't have to hold formal committee meetings to make decisions that may be time-sensitive. That allows us to act quickly and decisively." Strong Investment Management is a multigenerational organization, utilizing the same investment policies founded by Bronson's mentor, L.W. Engebretson, who successfully managed client portfolios for over 40 years. In fact, many clients have worked with the current portfolio management team for decades. Bronson discovered while still a young boy that he had a knack for the markets. He began his career as an assistant to Engebretson in 1991, honing his skills at making the right investment decisions and gradually working his way up to where he is today. He believes successful investment management is "a perfect balance of both art and science." Bronson says Strong's investment management team has the judgment and experience to achieve that balance.
Engebretson is still a portfolio manager, having dedicated his career to building clients' net worth. His son, John Engebretson, is vice-president and chief compliance officer, responsible for in-house portfolio engineering, trading, operations and technological
resources.

While most of Strong's clients are affluent families, foundations, trusts and employee benefit plans, the firm welcomes investors from all walks of life. "Whatever the size of their portfolio," Bronson says, "Our clients can count on a high level of consistent, personal service. They can feel confident we'll be here for them and their families for years to come. We want our clients to live well and prosper, and we feel it's our duty to oversee their assets today, enhance value tomorrow, and ensure a smooth transition to the next generation. Our clients' interests always come first at Strong Investment Management."