Home Newspaper September 2012

September 2012

Advisors’ Report Card

The increasing demand for wealth-management support services is being driven by baby-boomer clients who may have a significant amount of assets and greater need for…

Advisors surveyed for this year's Report Card series say advertising and marketing support are important, but the strategies they would like to see their firms…

Obtaining professional designations will help advisors offer greater value-added services in the years ahead

Advisors are seeing their pay nudge higher than in past years, but there remains an overall sense of displeasure when it comes to their firms'…

The financial services industry continues to be slow on the uptake

The firms that were rated highest by their advisors are each quite different in their business models and desired clientele

Financial advisors across all channels of the financial services industry are aging

The ongoing market turmoil has kept advisors running in place, as the headline industry metrics have largely held up. However, there are signs that plenty…

Financial services firms and their reps are seeing a greater need for doing business on mobile devices as well as more demand for wealth-management support…

Comment & Insight

Like golfers stuck in a bad lie, Ontario politicians are using whatever it takes to get back on the fairway

In the late 1970s to mid-1980s, finding oil off Canada’s east coast had seemed easy. The discovery of the huge Hibernia field spurred a rush…

First there was the return of the Jets, now there's Ikea. Winnipeg is having a golden moment

The prime minister seems to be softening his style in an effort to win back some of the public support he has lost

News

Moving to a new country is stressful. Financial advisors can help smooth the transition

Dan Gosselin has been named CEO of BNY Trust Co. of Canada and head of the corporate trust business in Canada for BNY Trust’s parent…

Watt Carmichael Inc., a Toronto-based private-client wealth-management firm, has named Martin Sims its president and CEO. Sims, a 20-year financial services industry veteran, formerly was…

Envision Financial, a division of Langley, B.C.-based First West Credit Union, has named David Lanphear its vice president, commercial banking and insurance. Lanphear, a 15-year…

Les Herr has been appointed to a one-year term as chairman of the board of the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association Inc., a Toronto-based…

Standard Life Assurance Co. of Canada has announced two additions to its senior management team. Michel Fortin, a 25-year veteran with the Montreal-based insurer, has…

ScotiaMcLeod's first CIO, Shane Jones, says his early life as a soccer professional helps him stay on top of the play when it comes to…

Compliance issues at the heart of the review

A massive claim against a former top AGF fund manager, some of her team and new employer alleges a conspiracy to poach

Purchase of Union Securities by PI Financial is just the latest in a series of deals in the firm's growth strategy

The TMX/Maple deal may have closed, but major challenges remain for it, its customers and the regulators

Most economists think growth will pick up, but many risks remain

Sun Life's sale of its global wealth-management arm means more growth in this profitable sector for CIBC

Investment research

The optimal equities/straddle strategy arises when the return assumption approximates the frequency of the potential for profit

Real-return bonds have had a good run over the past five years. But they have become expensive

The most stable stocks have provided an average total return of 37% in the past five years. The list is laden with utilities, banks and…

Long-term investment performance track records and a history of increasing dividends make these firms well worth considering

Building Your Business

The recently elected president of the Institute of Advanced Financial Planners is committed to promoting the RFP designation and a strong believer in value investing

Husband-and-wife co-authors outline a process for making your business attractive to potential buyers. You should consistently work on preparing your practice for sale

If you use multiple accounts on various social networks, social media management tools are a must-have

Can the 50-year-old office manager and animal lover afford to take a position at a veterinary clinic for less money and fewer benefits, yet still…

To make a smooth transition, you need to do a little planning

Daryl Diamond specializes in creating tax-efficient strategies for clients in the disbursement phase of their lives

Rookie advisors often sabotage their careers by making simple, common mistakes. Here are some of the missteps newcomers frequently make, and ways to avoid them

As shocking and sudden as the departure may seem, chances are you missed some of the signs that you were no longer the centre of…

Research shows that many affluent clients are pessimistic about their retirement. Involving clients in the planning process can help to give them a more positive…

Focus on Products

Toronto-based Manulife Mutual Funds is broadening its lineup to allow investors access to tax-efficient income. Series T and Series IT funds (designed for investors seeking…

Toronto-based BlackRock Asset Management Canada Ltd. has expanded its iShares business with the launch of a new suite of minimum-volatility exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in Canada…

Toronto-based Invesco Canada Ltd. has merged Invesco Global Equity Class Fund into Trimark Global Dividend Class Fund, and Invesco Global Balanced Fund into Trimark Global…

Toronto-based JovFinancial Solutions Inc., portfolio manager of Horizons Advantaged Equity Fund Inc. and Jov Canadian Equity Class Fund, both sponsored by Jov Corporate Funds Ltd.,…

AlphaPro Management Inc. and Horizons Exchange-Traded Funds Inc. have appointed Guardian Capital LP (all firms are based in Toronto) to assume the subadvisory role for…

Best method: Adjustable withdrawal plans

Supply of and demand for property is back in equilibrium, says a fund portfolio manager

Front Page

Clients could hurt retirement income by exiting the market

"They can take the company for a spin and see how we are"

Advisors play a supporting role in new automated advice service

The former B2B Trust is capping a year of major acquisitions by using its new banking powers to expand its product line