Meridian Investment Counsel

Yes. Meridian Investment Counsel is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as a registered investment adviser (RIA). Under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, all RIAs owe a fiduciary duty to their clients, meaning they must put client interests ahead of their own, disclose conflicts of interest, and seek best execution on trades. This distinguishes the firm's posture from broker-dealers operating under the lower suitability standard.

No. Meridian Investment Counsel constructs portfolios by purchasing individual stocks and bonds directly for each client's separately managed account. The firm does not manufacture proprietary mutual funds, nor does it primarily allocate client capital to external fund managers. This approach gives the firm direct control over tax-loss harvesting, cost basis, and sector exposures at the account level.

The firm invests in companies it identifies as high-quality businesses with durable competitive advantages and the ability to generate predictable free cash flow over a full market cycle. Turnover in client portfolios tends to be low. The objective is long-term capital appreciation funded by earnings growth and dividend income, rather than tactical trading around market events.

Meridian works with individuals, multi-generational families, and family trusts. Client portfolios often reflect an accumulated liquidity event, a retirement rollover, or intergenerational transfer of wealth. Because the firm maintains a limited client count by design, it tends to serve households whose asset base warrants the cost of full customization rather than a standardized model portfolio.

Meridian Investment Counsel charges an asset-based fee calculated as a percentage of the market value of each client's managed portfolio. This fee is disclosed in the firm's Form ADV Part 2A brochure and in each client's investment advisory agreement. The firm earns no commissions or transaction-based compensation, removing the incentive to generate trading activity for its own benefit.