Financial advisors can learn more about exchange traded funds (ETF) and kick-start conversations with their clients about the investment products through a new online toolkit launched by Toronto-based iShares Canada on Monday.
Visitors to the website can find out more about ETFs and how they fit into different investment strategies through various tools, such as videos, PDFs and tutorials. As well, visitors can view customized information by selecting whether they are an individual investor or investment advisor under the “Change Investor Type” tab.
The advisor-side of the website provides professionals with more in depth information on products, says Keith VanOrden, head of iShares retail business development, BlackRock Canada, in Toronto. However, advisors can also take advantage of the investor portion of the website to educate their clients.
“Having the piece that’s for direct investors allows our advisor partners to turn to that page,” he says, “and to use it as a discussion tool as a way to help them educate their end clients as to why they are choosing to use ETFs in their portfolio.”
This new toolkit is by no means a final product, according to Van Orden, instead the website will be updated regularly to make sure it remains relevant to advisors and investors alike. Says VanOrden: “This is kind of version 1.0.”
The website is part of iShares’ ongoing commitment to education both for individual investors and financial services professionals. “We feel it’s very important that the end investor is as well educated as possible in making their investment decisions,” says VanOrden. “And the more educated the financial advisor the more sound the investment decision and then a better result for the end investor.”
iShares Canada is a division of BlackRock Asset Management Canada Ltd., an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of BlackRock Inc. in New York.