Our Philosophy

We believe in the power of downside risk management as the cornerstone of successful long-term investing. In our view, wealth is built not by chasing every upside opportunity, but by consistently participating in market growth while avoiding the devastating losses that reset the compounding clock. Time is our greatest asset and protecting capital preserves time’s ability to work in our favor.

Our Core Tenants

Low Valuation – We invest in companies trading at attractive valuation ratios—price-to-earnings, price-to-cash flow, and price-to-book—that we believe are positioned to outperform higher-valuation peers over time.

Earnings Stability – We favor companies with stable and resilient earnings that provide a durable foundation for compounding and help manage downside risk while still capturing market growth.

Benchmark Agnostic – Opportunities are not confined within style boxes. We search for compelling investments in companies large and small, foreign and domestic. Our proprietary screen applies across the investment spectrum.

Focus – We maintain concentrated portfolios, believing that too many holdings dilute conviction and weaken the risk/reward profile.

Long–Term Perspective – We evaluate success over full market cycles—peak to peak or trough to trough, enabling us to capture opportunities often overlooked by short-term investors.

By the Numbers

1983

Inception of Scharf Investments

$4.2

Billion in assets under management

27

Average years of investment experience among portfolio managers

26

Years of an audited GIPS track record

55

Percent of firm personnel with advanced degrees or designations

2019

Year when iM Global Partners became a minority stakeholder in the firm

As of 12/31/2024