About Us
Why Harvest Investment Advisors?
In spring 2004, David Roberts left his position as a mutual fund manager at Northern Trust to found Harvest Investment Advisors, a registered investment advisor (RIA) based in Tallahassee, Florida. The goal was simple: to utilize David's experience as a fund manager and manager of large institutional accounts for the exclusive benefit of his private clients.
In addition to access to his institutional management experience, the firm’s clients also benefit from a high degree of personal attention. Accounts are separately managed based upon the development of a unique investment strategy that considers the needs of each individual.
Investment Philosophy
Harvest Investment Advisors offers clients the ability to invest in a wide array of asset classes and investment styles. These exposures include both active and passive investment approaches. For actively managed equity portfolios, individual stocks are selected across various sectors that are financially strong, priced below their intrinsic value, and offer above-average dividend yields. Currently, only stocks yielding 2.2% or above are considered. Selecting only stocks with above-average dividends is the foundation of the firm's equity investment philosophy.
The firm puts a strong emphasis on managing the risks inherent in investments. This is achieved by addressing risks both at the individual security level and the overall portfolio level. Harvest only considers buying stocks in companies that are fundamentally sound, offer strong and stable cash flows, possess solid balance sheets, and have relatively high dividend yields. Purchases of bonds are restricted to the highest end of investment grade, and maturities are kept relatively short.
Fees and Reporting
Management fees are based solely on a percentage of assets under management. Transparency when reporting performance and fees is a hallmark of Harvest Investment Advisors.
Management Profile
M. David Roberts, CFA
Since the firm's founding in 2004, David Roberts has brought his institutional expertise to individual clients at Harvest Investment Advisors, a private wealth management firm in Tallahassee, Florida.
Prior to founding Harvest Investment Advisors, David was a partner and principal at Carl Domino Associates in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he managed institutional accounts using a large-cap value strategy. Northern Trust acquired CDA in 2000, and David was tapped to launch a new mutual fund, the Northern Large Cap Value Fund (ticker symbol NOLVX), which he co-managed from its inception until he left Northern Trust in early 2004.
David earned an MBA with a specialization in finance at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management, where he finished in the top 10% of his class. As a student, he earned an Owen Merit Scholarship and was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma business honorary society.
In 1998, David was awarded the designation of Chartered Financial Analyst, or CFA, which is earned by investment professionals through three years of rigorous exams covering a wide range of investment-related areas. Subsequent to his earning the designation, he has been selected to grade the exams of CFA candidates on multiple occasions.
David serves as a founding board member of Pura Vida Missions of Costa Rica and is a lifetime member of the Advisory Board of the Tallahassee Corps of the Salvation Army. He also served two consecutive terms on the five-person Investment Committee of the Florida Department of Treasury. David regularly participates in triathlons and has coached over 20 different youth soccer, baseball, and flag football teams. A native of Tallahassee, he has five children with his wife, Kristin.