Investment Management in Canada
Looking for a certified investment advisor? trust 25+ years of experience
With thousands of investment advisors in Canada, here is why we are the preferred choice year over year:
- A highly skilled team of nine professionals with over 100 year of experience and recognized credentials.
- An independent investment manager free from bias of having to sell one company’s products. Our holy ground is our independence, and this is rare in Canada today.
- A time-tested, proven six-step investment portfolio design process full of education, transparency, and common sense creating a meaningful discussion about your needs.
- Five different fee options to choose from. Full fee transparency every year and a commitment to value pricing.
- Tax-smart investing strategies based on Kurt’s best-selling books on how to invest to maximize after-tax returns.
- Multi-platform options to fit everyone's needs: discretionary or non-discretionary services, commission based and fee-based accounts, stocks and bonds, ETFs, GICs from sixteen institutions, specialty products and more.
- High-touch communication standards to keep you informed in meaningful ways all year long.
- An investment plan integrated with your broader financial plan to address your real life goals.
Fee-Only Investment Advisor
We will work with you to determine the best fee approach for your needs and evolve the solutions over the years to ensure they continue to match your evolving life.
Tax-Smart Investment Advisor
We lead the way in tax planning within client investment portfolios. Using “Tax Smart Investing” designed to construct portfolios to focus on after-tax investment returns.
Independent Investment Advisor
Work with an independent investment advisor, broad product choice, fee choices, transparency and dedicated advisory teams and relationships where we know your name.
Our Time-Tested, Six Step Professional Advisory Approach
for Portfolio Construction & Management
Step 1: Getting To Know You
Objectives
- Short term, medium term, and long term goal identification
- Goal focusing and prioritizing
Process
- Assess client financial & non-financial needs
- Clarify goals, constraints, and preferences
- Establish relationship parameters
- Collect detailed personal data
Results
- Develop a clear picture of what you are investing for (tie goals to investment strategy)
- Set expectations for specific goals and their costs that we can measure progress towards over time
- Lay out our planning and process including how many meetings we will have and who you will work with
- Finalize costs of services
Step 2: Evaluating Your Big Picture
Objectives
- Develop broader perspective on your career, taxes, estate, real estate, cost of living, retirement, family matters and more that will give us key information relevant to how you should invest to achieve your goals
- This "big picture" perspective of tying all your finances together and integrating the thinking is one of the great strengths of our approach
Process
- The work we do on your broader financial plan will vary by client and stage of life
- This "financial math" of how you spend your pay cheque will provide essential information on how to guide you on what to save for financial goals and how to design an investment portfolio that suits you
Results
- A cohesive, multi-layered financial plan where opportunities are maximized across your entire personal financial spectrum
Step 3: Building Your Financial Blue Print
Objectives
- Step three consists of assessing your profile for investment risk, understanding cash flow needs from the portfolio, understanding income tax levels you are at, reviewing regulatory constraints, understanding social conscious rules you wish to follow and more
Process
- Working with you over several meetings we will discuss past investment experiences, understand your investing sophistication, integrate other investments you hold elsewhere, listen to your goals, concerns and fears and summarize all of this information in a written Investment Policy Statement that we review with you
- An Investment Policy Statement or "IPS" is the gold standard worldwide for professional advisors who wish to document their portfolio design with clients. This document services as a roadmap and a rudder to then buying products suited to your plan. You sign the IPS and we sign it too
Results
- Using the IPS document we are now ready to purchase products based on the planning completed together in steps one to three
- The IPS will set out an asset allocation that outlines our recommendations between how to invest in cash, fixed income or the stock market to achieve your financial goals
- The IPS and the asset allocation provides an accountable framework for us to maintain and manage against over time. We have well thought out plans, procedures, documents and processes to keep you informed every step of the way
Step 4: Implementing Your Blueprint
Objectives
- Select investment products from a wide variety of sources that match the plan we have created together in steps one to three
Process
- Using up to ten qualitative and quantitative criteria that you also review, we filter products around the worldwide market place to make recommendations for suitable portfolio holdings by asset class: cash, fixed income, equity and more
- Generally we tend to prefer market traded securities (e.g. stocks, bonds, ETFs) and use very little in the form of mutual funds or pooled funds. We look at the best products worldwide and offer them to you
- We review your existing portfolio securities to determine what should be kept or replaced giving sensitivity to fees and taxes you may incur to transition
- We complete rebalancing trades to develop the new portfolio using either a transactional fee approach or an asset based fee approach. The fee approach is discussed at the start of the relationship and agreed to in writing
Results
- Once the portfolio is re-balanced combining the best of your old portfolio and our new recommendations we have a selection of products that match your goals, fit together in a cohesive plan, are value-priced, tax smart and offered in a transparent approach
- Questions are welcome every step of the way and we move through this process at your pace
Step 5: Keeping You Informed
Objectives
- Pro-active Annual Monitoring
- Analysis & Communication
Process
- Ongoing measuring and monitoring of financial solutions for continued effectiveness
- Constant behind the scenes money manager or product due-diligence on your behalf
- Regular investment statements mailed to you
- Internet access to view investment accounts online
- Regular personalized reporting of results
- Pro-active personal contact and communication on results, value, progress, and new opportunities. Our contact with you will be when and how you prefer
Results
- We offer a you-design communication approach where we work with you to communicate how and how often you want
- We strive to build a regular, meaningful and easy to understand communication plan with you that evolves as your needs change
- Historically we tend to stay in touch a lot - sometimes too much - we welcome your coaching on what suits your preferences
Step 6: Keeping You On Track
Objectives
- Pro-active annual review & update on progress towards goals
Process
- Complete annual review and analysis of all program aspects and personal finances in general for continued applicability and effectiveness of strategies and products
- Identify new opportunities and future threats
Results
- Manage strategies and products, revise as necessary to keep you on track towards your goals
Achieve Objectives: Financial Peace of Mind
Key Characteristics of the Service
- A comprehensive, organized, professional program for all of your investments
- Disciplined investment program that is simple to implement
- Tailor made for your changing needs
- Value priced
- Risk managed
- Tax effective
- Pro-active, ongoing, and regular
