At Hershey Trust Company, our objective is to build and maintain an investment portfolio for a client that gives our client the best opportunity to achieve his/her financial goals over time.

We believe that objective will be achieved by consistent adherence to the following principles:

• listening to our client’s expectations for what he/she wants to accomplish financially and when;
• understanding the nature and value of the client’s available resources to accomplish his/her goals;
• employing a disciplined financial planning and investment planning process;
• helping our client determine the appropriate balance of investment risk and reward;
• avoiding "guesswork" about the direction and timing of the financial markets, interest rates, investment fads, etc.;
• investing to optimize after-tax results (e.g. tax exempt vs. taxable bonds; low turnover of securities holdings);
• prudent investing ... first for quality ... then for return;
• selecting equity investments through fundamental analysis, which emphasizes individual stock selection over economic and industry trends;
• diversifying investments among financial asset classes, issuers, sectors, industries, companies, styles of equity investment, etc.;
• communicating continually with our client to make sure adjustments are made to respond to changes in the client’s (or his/her family’s) financial needs, physical condition, tax laws, etc.

Cash Philosophy

Goal: Maximize return on the short-term investment of cash through the use of top-rated securities

Strategy: Cash invested daily in one of four funds:

Temp Fund

• Eligible securities include domestic commercial paper, U.S. government securities, U.S. agency securities, repurchase agreements fully collateralized by U.S. government obligations, domestic bank obligations, and variable and floating rate demand notes.
• Maturities of less than 12 months.

Treasury Trust Fund

• Eligible securities include only U.S. Treasury bills, notes and bonds guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.

Muni Fund

• Eligible securities include any state and sub-divisions, federally tax-exempt obligations maturing in less than 13 months.

Pennsylvania Muni Money Market Portfolio

• Eligible securities include high quality (investment grade) municipal obligations, generally Pennsylvania issuers.
• May include private activity bonds, causing a portion of the income to be subject to the alternative minimum tax.

Fixed Income Philosophy

Goals: Produce steady income and provide an anchor in turbulent markets

Strategy:

• Focus on quality
  • High quality - Rated A or better
  • Focus on U.S. government, agencies, and highly rated corporate bonds
• Buy Value
  • Bonds overlooked due to demand/supply imbalances
  • Bonds with unpopular call or maturity features
• Maturities under 10 years - Intermediate Range
  • Offers best risk/reward in fixed income area
  • Offers 96% of the return of long bonds with 44% of the price
• Average maturity: 3- to 5-years
• Stratified index sampling approach
  • Intermediate bond indexing
  • Help keep overall interest rates competitive with new offerings
  • Reduce reinvestment risk
• Non-anticipatory rate management

Equity Philosophy

Goal: Appreciation of assets

Approach: Multi-Manager/Multi-Style

Advantages:

• Enhances stock diversification
• Reduces impact of stock market volatility
• Controls specific risks:
  • Investment style risk
  • Manager risk

Value Approach:
Managed by Hershey Trust Company
Goal: Purchase stocks for less than their value or worth

• Focus on companies selling at reasonable prices based on:
  • Price-to-Earnings
  • Price-to-Book Value
  • Price-to-Cash Flow
• Identify companies with strategic advantage
  • Unique product or service
  • Niche business
  • Smaller, overlooked company

Large Cap Growth Approach:
Managed by Chase Investment Counsel Corp.
Goal: To buy companies that produce consistent growth and to do so at a
prudent price

• Focus is on larger capitalization growth stocks with
  characteristics that generally include:
  • a successful business model that is likely to continue to
    be successful into the future
  • strong annual earnings growth
  • strong balance sheet
  • reasonable valuation relative to growth history, current
    factors and prospects for the future
  • technical indicators such as:
    • insider buying
    • relative strength
• The sell discipline is the buy strategy in reverse. Deterioration in the above factors results in the reduction or elimination of a stock. Stocks are also eliminated when more attractive candidates become available.

International Growth Approach:
Managed by Capital Guardian Trust Company and Capital Research and Management, part of the Capital Group Companies, Inc.

• Using their global proprietary research network, Capital builds equity portfolios from the bottom up by searching for fundamental value in companies.
• Capital, using a disciplined, yet flexible process that has tempered volatility and continuity in portfolio management, and has achieved superior long-term results.

International Value Approach:
Managed by Grantham, Mayo Van Otterloo & Co.
Goal: Invest in undervalued non-U.S. companies in order to maximize risk-adjusted return

• Screen more than 4,000 companies for the 30% in each country that represent the best potential value
• Focus on companies
  • With financial strength
  • With operational strength
  • With managerial strength
  • Trading at an exceptional value
• Industry analysis compares companies both within and across borders
• Diversify among countries, currencies and industries
• Rigorous company analysis emphasizes management and facilities visits

Real Estate Investment Approach:
Managed by Hershey Trust Company
Goal: Invest in real estate securities to capture price and income gains in rental properties

• Invest in publicly traded Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
• Emphasize apartment and office REITs with strong cash flows
• Look for opportunities in REITs
  • With growing cash flows
  • Trading at a discount to net asset value (NAV)