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Star manager start-ups – due diligence considerations
Some retail mutual fund companies are traditional money management firms that have a single guiding investment philosophy driving the management of all client portfolios – and the in-house firm is the only manager of the funds on offer. ...
One-Trick Product Ponies
THE EVOLUTION OF WEALTH MANAGEMENT CHOICE: Over the past twenty-five years, the proliferation of wealth management product has been unprecedented especially across both the investment management and life insurance segments. The benefit for the end...
What The Term ‘Pension De-Risking’ Really Means
KNOW YOUR CLIENT: One of the basic tenets of individuals & firms who are registered with Canadian securities firms, such as broker-dealers and portfolio managers, is what is referred to as “Know Your Client“. KYC, as...
Four things to keep in mind in this low-rate environment
For those seeking a safe and dependable income source, today’s painfully low interest rates pose a real challenge. Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney regularly reminds us that persistent low rates can be dangerous because they incent...
Active or passive? Process, not politics, should drive choice of strategy
The National Post’s Jonathan Chevreau recently asked me and a few other financial professionals how we plan to invest this year’s tax-free savings account contribution. The way my reply was framed may have given a somewhat different...
Does dollar cost averaging boost or hinder performance?
In response to many fee-bashing articles of late, I recently urged both the media and the investment industry to broaden the focus to not only fees but also other less obvious performance drags that are tougher to control. To explain one factor I...
What Entrepreneurs Can Teach The Wealth Management Industry: Cash Flow Is King
OVERVIEW: Every successful entrepreneur knows the business reality that Cash Flow Is King. In other words, the financial success of their company depends upon the people in their company effectively & efficiently harnessing the assets &...
Leveraging + High Payout Funds = Unhappy Ending
The final chapter to the series of articles I’ve written this year on high-payout investments funds features leveraging. Over the past few years, I have been contacted by several individual investors and financial advisors about strategies...
Distribution rate does not equal yield
It’s easy to be seduced by what appears to be a proverbial ‘free lunch’ in the investment world. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in the world of fixed income (i.e. bonds and bond-like investments). There are many potential...
Be careful when comparing real estate fund returns
Real estate has long formed the core of investors’ hard asset exposure. Individuals and institutions invest in real estate for many reasons – i.e. diversification, cash flow and/or inflation protection. As with asset classes beyond...
