Many money management firms purchase their research when choosing companies in which to invest. This research has been done by other analyst firms. The money management firms then rely solely on this purchased research and the conclusions of others. If this research is good, the money manager may make some good decisions. If it is not—if it is not thorough or creative—the money manager will probably make bad ones.

We do our own research by digging deep and using our own quantitative and qualitative analysis processes.

When we find a company of interest, we read the company's Securities and Exchange Commission 10-K filings and press releases and study the company's balance sheets and financial ratios. (click here for an example of our quantitative analysis of Mettler-Toledo International Inc. (NYSE:MTD) )

If the company passes this first inspection, the firm discusses the company in depth and prepares tough questions for a call to the company's top executives.

Our phone calls with top management usually last about an hour as one probing question prompts another.

Fredric E. Russell will occasionally visit the company's headquarters and meet with company executives in person to view the company in action.

The questions below are a sample of questions we may ask during a call with top management.

We used the below questions during our August 16, 2010 call with Mary Finnegan, Treasurer and Director of Investor Relations for Mettler-Toledo International Inc. (NYSE: MTD) . These questions demonstrate how our firm digs deep and does its best to make sure we only invest in quality companies that will give you, our client, a good return.

Fredric E. Russell Investment Management Co.
Questions Regarding Mettler-Toledo International Inc.

•  What are the main product categories for the company? Laboratory, industry, food retailing. What are some examples of products for these categories?
•  What percentage of the market does the company have for these products?
•  What are the special advantages in each market?
•  What are the company's noteworthy products?
•  What is the company's geographical presence, i.e. how far is its reach?
•  Who are the company's typical customers?
•  What are the projected global growth rates for the company's products? Does Mettler-Toledo expect more global growth?
•  What kind of companies would Mettler-Toledo be interested in acquiring? In what fields is it looking for acquisition candidates? How are they complementary to its present businesses?
•  Could Mettler-Toledo be an acquisition candidate for another company?
•  How does Mettler-Toledo's strategies for emerging markets differ for those for developed markets?
•  Who are the company's direct competitors (from page five of the investor presentation)?
•  Mettler-Toledo has had fantastic performance over the last ten years. Based on your view of Mettler-Toledo's competitive position, is its business likely to be stable, improve, or worsen over the next five to ten years?
•  What is the company doing to improve?
•  What is the macroeconomic landscape (government regulation, etc.) that will affect growth?
•  What new areas could Mettler-Toledo expand into, and are these more dynamic?
•  Mettler-Toledo is number one in its various divisions. By how much? How close is number two? Are they gaining or losing?
•  Does the company need to spend more on R&D to fend off its competition or is it pretty well entrenched?
•  Is Mettler-Toledo's product reputation as good today as it was five/ten/twenty/thirty years ago? What is the company doing to protect its reputation?
•  What is the average price of Mettler-Toledo's products? What percentage of the company's revenue is comprised of high-ticket items? Is its thirty-two per cent increase in earnings per share in the second quarter of 2010 the result of non-recurring, high-value transactions?
•  The company brags about margin expansion, but can these numbers be sustained? Where is Mettler-Toledo focusing its energies?
•  Into what areas could the company expand?