Jenny Harrington is a veteran investment professional with more than twenty-five years of experience. She highlights the pressing need for income to invest in today’s challenging financial landscape. Serving as the Portfolio Manager for Gilman Hill Asset Management’s flagship Equity Income strategy, she has played a pivotal role in transforming the way investors approach dividend income. Harrington not only conceived of the Equity Income strategy but has personally managed it since its 2004 inception.
Prior to Gilman Hill, Harrington had a long and prosperous career as a Vice President at Neuberger Berman, before joining Gilman Hill in 2006. She started her career working on the trading floors at Goldman Sachs. There, she blossomed as an Associate and Analyst in the Equities and Investment Management divisions. This deep background gives her a powerful perspective on what’s possible and what’s missing in the current market.
Under Harrington’s leadership, the Equity Income strategy strives to maintain a concentrated portfolio of 30-40 stocks. Its mission is to provide an annual dividend yield of at least 5%. This bottom-up approach prioritizes minimizing downside risk relative to the broader equity market. This makes it especially attractive in periods of economic uncertainty.
Harrington understands that consistency is key when it comes to dividend income and encouraging smart investment behavior. She notes that, “Dividends are like plants: Both grow. Dividends can grow forever, while the size of plants is limited,” a sentiment that underscores the long-term benefits of dividend investing.
Harrington looks back on a deep well of experience. Now, she could certainly tell you about the S&P 500 during that mark for killing it by sounding great. This time she was nine months pregnant, and she took the lead to start calling her affected clients. During all that market mayhem, she felt an urge to reach out and see how they were doing.
It was on March 5 th , 2009 that Harrington fully understood the specialness of her Equity Income strategy. In challenging times, you take it to your clients directly,” she states unapologetically. This embodies her commitment to transparency and more importantly, to prudent support during difficult market conditions.
Harrington’s approach to income investing is especially timely now, with countless investors looking for new ways to generate stability and predictability in their portfolios. She has successfully implemented a dividend income strategy for more than 25 years. During all that time, she has constantly evolved her practices to serve the changing needs of her clients in various market conditions.
Today’s economic climate has caused even the biggest investors to take a step back and reassess their game plan. Harrington is convinced that investments specifically in income are necessary to help people on their way to financial security. Why else would anybody save their whole life? It’s so you can have a nice retirement—so you can spend it and make life better for your children, she argues, succinctly highlighting the fundamental purposes of investing.
As a result of her experience, she has come to the conclusion that dividend income provides an essential buffer against the severity of market crashes. Especially in worst-case scenarios, the reliability of dividends gives investors the assurance and financial peace of mind so often needed.
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