L. B. Eddy

L.B. Eddy builds portfolios using individual stocks and bonds rather than mutual funds or ETFs. The equity approach is value-oriented, favoring dividend-paying companies, while fixed-income portfolios typically use bond ladders built from municipal and corporate bonds. This direct-securities model gives clients full ownership and visibility into underlying holdings, and allows for tax-loss harvesting and other customizations that pooled vehicles do not offer.

The firm's Form ADV would list named investment committee members or key decision-makers, but L.B. Eddy does not publicly surface individual portfolio manager profiles or publish an investment team roster. Based on its size as a boutique RIA, investment decisions likely rest with one or two senior principals who set the firm's equity selection and fixed-income duration targets, with all client accounts managed to a house model portfolio rather than individually customized strategies.

L.B. Eddy is a registered investment advisor with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which requires it to file Form ADV annually detailing its AUM, fee schedule, disciplinary disclosures, and ownership structure. As an SEC-registered RIA, the firm has a fiduciary duty to act in its clients' best interests — a legal standard higher than the suitability standard that governed brokers before Regulation Best Interest took effect.

The firm's public records indicate it serves both individual and institutional clients. While its core business appears to be high-net-worth families in Western Michigan, the institutional segment likely includes small endowments, foundations, or pension plans that align with the firm's conservative equity-income and bond-ladder strategies. The firm does not publicly break out its client mix between retail and institutional mandates.

As a fee-only RIA, L.B. Eddy is compensated through asset-based fees calculated as a percentage of assets under management, rather than commissions on product sales. Its Form ADV would disclose the specific fee schedule, but a typical boutique RIA of this profile charges an annual fee ranging from roughly 0.50% to 1.00% of assets, with breakpoints for larger accounts. The fee-only structure eliminates the conflict of interest inherent in commission-based brokerage models.