The CFA charter has become the global professional investment credential.

Brian Boyle says that in many cases the blue-chip, high-quality companies are trading well below the market and their own historical levels. He looks for businesses with high returns on capital, stable and predictable returns on capital, low debt levels and great franchises.

Brian Boyle manages a focused value portfolio as well as a dividend portfolio with about 20 dividend paying companies. Great investment ideas are very rare, he says, and so when he finds something that meets his strict criteria, he wants it to have a meaningful impact on the portfolio results.

When Sears Holdings Corp. stock took its investors on a roller-coaster ride earlier this year, Brian Boyle cinched up his seat belt and doubled his stake in the company after the share price plunged. His confidence in the company's future was rewarded by a rebound...