James Langton reported last week that provincial securities regulators in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec have teamed up with a group of international regulators to crack down on so-called finfluencers. All in, the coordinated effort covers Canada, the U.K., Australia, Hong Kong, Italy and the United Arab Emirates.

“Our message to finfluencers is loud and clear,” said Steve Smart, joint executive director of enforcement and market oversight at the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority, in a release. “They must act responsibly and only promote financial products where they are authorized to do so — or face the consequences.”

Jonathan Got dug into this for us in the February print edition of Investment Executive. In a chart listing 10 of Canada’s most popular finfluencers, Got reported that just two had a certified financial planner designation. Both of those — Richard Coffin and Ben Felix — also hold the chartered financial analyst title. Seven of the 10 hold no current professional financial services designation.

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Manulife Wealth advisors say recent fee changes mean they have to turn smaller accounts away, and have even prompted some to leave for a competitor. Jonathan Got spoke to two advisors as well as Manulife Wealth’s president and CEO, Richard McIntyre, for the lowdown.

Wealthsimple’s not a bank, but it is moving further into the banking arena with improvements to existing chequing accounts as well as the launch of its first credit card. Jonathan Got has the story.

Updated TFSA information wasn’t available in the Canada Revenue Agency’s My Account portal until this week, thanks to changes in the tax agency’s data validation processes. The delay meant taxpayers couldn’t check their contribution room for 2025 before filing their tax returns, raising the risk of overcontributing. Michelle Schriver reported on why that wasn’t an issue for most financial advisors and their clients.

The Ontario Securities Commission will be watching bank mutual fund and investment reps more closely this year as it steps up compliance reviews of their sales practices. James Langton reports that the increased scrutiny comes amid concerns about “potential investor harm due to alleged high-pressure sales practices for mutual funds” at some banks.