Few industry participants would argue that the growing popularity of private market investments doesn’t require more careful due diligence on the part of financial advisors. But the sophisticated nature of the asset class — once the domain of institutional and other sophisticated investors — is such that it is unreasonable for advisors to carry that added responsibility on their own. Advisory firms have a role to play here that deserves more discussion than it’s getting.

“The dealer has a responsibility to make sure advisors have the right knowledge, education and training,” said Theresa Shutt, chief investment officer at Harbourfront Wealth Management, in an interview on Friday. “Dealers should build that expertise in-house, so that investment advisors can focus on what they do really well, which is serve their clients.”

Read the full story here.

Our own Kevin Press was in Miami this week for the Future Proof Citywide conference, and as he reports (from the beach, literally), even the pros are having a tough time getting a read on the current investing climate. Read about his conversation with Invesco’s Rene Reyna.

Using an artificial intelligence (AI) note taker can save advisors some serious time transcribing, drafting emails, and searching for information. But before welcoming AI into your client meetings, there are a few things you should know. Read the story by Jonathan Got.

Two reports released this week argue for tax cuts to unleash business investment and personal spending at a time when Canada’s facing a trade war. Michelle Schriver reports.

The U.S. is unlikely to escape the pain of the trade war it’s started. As James Langton writes, Desjardins now expects both the U.S. and Canada to enter a recession this year.