Lessons in Long-Term Investing from Dodge & Cox

On Thursday, February 12th, Partners Bryan Kelly, CFP® and Tom Cusick, CFP® along with Associate Advisor Zach Smith, CFP® attended the Dodge & Cox “Behind the Strategies” conference in San Francisco. Bryan noted that spending a day inside a firm founded in 1930 and now approaching its 100-year milestone made it clear that such longevity is no accident.

Dodge & Cox stands out with seven strategies, no marketing department, no sales staff, and a partnership structure rooted in stewardship. Their unwavering focus over nearly a century: growing client capital responsibly over decades, not just quarters.

At The Kelly Group, we often talk about building a 100-year firm ourselves — serving as the “Town Doctor” of financial planning in our community and caring differently. Governance, succession, and protecting our core philosophy across generations aren’t just concepts; they are central to how we operate.

Bryan also shared that it was meaningful to have Tom and Zach alongside him, witnessing firsthand the discipline and people behind one of the largest allocations in our client portfolios. When values align, partnerships thrive. The Kelly Group values Dodge & Cox’s transparency and the reminder that true investment stewardship is a long game.