Planning and Advice

Decorative pattern

Planning and Advice

Tying the Knot: Growth by merger

Meet for coffee, date, get hitched. The milestones of a successful personal relationship can also be applied to the merger of a business. As a lucky participant in a so-far successful merger of two financial planning practices, here’s what else I’ve learned: Know these things before you sit down to negotiate your partnership, otherwise you […]

By Kathleen Peace |March 11, 2010

2 min read

Decorative pattern

Planning and Advice

Probability, disclosure and client choice

Many advisors I know recommend picking stocks or picking actively-managed mutual funds as their specialty and their exclusive way of building a responsible portfolio. While I respect their decision and acknowledge advisors should be able to recommend whatever products or strategies they think are best for their clients, I also believe a substantial element of […]

By John J. De Goey |March 9, 2010

6 min read

Decorative pattern

Planning and Advice

Valenti: Protecting your client book

It happens all too often. A financial advisor becomes seriously ill, disabled or even passes away unexpectedly. When this happens, one of the most valuable assets that an advisor owns – his or her client book – is left unattended. The beneficiaries and/or executors are left scrambling to sell the book with little or no […]

By Vince Valenti |March 5, 2010

4 min read

Decorative pattern

Planning and Advice

‘The Happy Valley’ case study

When members of the Institute of Advanced Financial Planners (IAFP) met in late 2009 in London, Ont., they were presented with a case study entitled “How do you Solve a Problem Like Happy Valley?” and asked to explore the relationship between financial planning and sustainability. In simplest terms, sustainability means resources must be used at […]

By John Hope |March 1, 2010

6 min read

Decorative pattern

Planning and Advice

Conquering the CFP

Most financial planners revere the Certified Financial Planning (CFP) exam like Dorothy and her friends revered the Wizard of Oz. But be warned, many embark on the road to the Emerald City, but not all make it. With Toto, my financial calculator, by my side, I embarked on my CFP journey some three years ago. […]

By Jeff Pocock |March 1, 2010

2 min read

Decorative pattern

Planning and Advice

Education builds trust with clients

You’d think a million dollars would ensure you a spot in the business books of most financial planners. Well, not if you’re dealing with Josée Dumas, investment counsellor at RBC Phillips, Hager & North Investment Counsel in Quebec City. Prospects must pass the education round before she will accept them as new clients. Don’t panic! […]

By Steven Lamb |March 1, 2010

5 min read

Decorative pattern

Planning and Advice

Handling high-net-worth clients

High-net-worth clients are different. Their expectations are high. They’re not easily impressed. And they don’t go for canned solutions. So, what’s an advisor to do? Start by understanding the segment. Who are the wealthy? Definitions of high net worth vary widely. One client, who springs from humbler beginnings, may feel quite wealthy with $300,000 in […]

By Staff |March 1, 2010

11 min read

Decorative pattern

Planning and Advice

Dressing for success

Take a walk along the underground passageways that connect the office towers in downtown Toronto’s financial district; you can pick them out. Advisors who work with high-net-worth clients stand out—although in many respects they do it by not standing out. The secret is revealed by the way they knot their ties, the well-burnished but not […]

By Philip Porado |March 1, 2010

2 min read

Decorative pattern

Planning and Advice

Faceoff: Asset allocation

Participants: Andrew Beer, manager of strategic investment planning, Investors Group, Dave Velanoff, CEO, MGI Financial. Your philosophy? Dave Velanoff: We don’t really have a philosophy. We broach asset allocation much further down the financial planning chain. Every client is different. We start off by meeting with the client and conduct a comprehensive needs analysis and […]

By Kanupriya Vashisht |March 1, 2010

8 min read

Decorative pattern

Planning and Advice

Is diversification dead?

It is certainly well understood that 2008 was one of the worst years for global stock markets. To call the last 18 months “historic” would be an understatement. But after witnessing one of the greatest stock-market downturns on record, we then saw one of the greatest stock-market rallies in history, all within a year and […]

By Scott Newman |March 1, 2010

4 min read

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