Predicting what 2009 might bring, after last year’s stock-market snafu, would be akin to committing hara kiri. But, as they say, history repeats. And advisors can survive this year by taking cues about investment and insurance cycles from precedents set in the dotcom downturn that ended in October 2002. When the IT bubble burst, the […]
A forgotten cabinet minister, the attractiveness of a tax deduction and the prospect of feel-good treatment have combined to boost the Advocis Century Initiative to nearly $3 million in pledges in its quest to raise $5 million in voluntary contributions from members. The Century Initiative (CI) begins 2009 with over $2,919,679.05 in pledges, and $1,640,130.48 […]
For most clients and advisors the ongoing financial crisis has been measured by its impact on investment portfolios. But it has also generated questions about insurers and insurance products, among them universal life (UL) insurance and whether that product is about to drop a bomb, as the expression goes. UL has three main components funded […]
Canada’s national preoccupation with regional differences has several implications for advisor–client relationships, practice management and the art and science of client profiling — but do perceived regional biases really exist? According to a recent TD Waterhouse investor poll, regional differences include variations in investment expectations, intended RSP contributions and choice of investment product. The title […]
(February 2007) If 2006 was the year of the CEO with their fat compensation packages — and let’s face it, what year isn’t — 2007 might be the year of insurance top-ups. Insurers see disability insurance and specialty products like income replacement as offering best opportunities for growth this year. The demand for specialized products […]
(December 29, 2006) The Canadian dollar could remain volatile in 2007, a virtual currency-rate roller-coaster, according to experts, or it could show a surprising amount of stability with several forces boosting the Canadian dollar and dragging down the American dollar. On the roller-coaster side of forecasts, Toronto-based Guardian Group of Funds predicts that the U.S. […]
As every advisor knows, retirement planning is highly dependent on the client — some dream of shaking off the shackles of work as early as possible, while others enjoy the sense of purpose their job gives them and plan to stay on as long as they are competent. There is one common thread, however: nobody […]
Investment advisors who attended this morning’s breakfast meeting with Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty might conclude that their clients will soon have more investment dollars available and increased flexibility in their retirement planning. However, the same advisors might feel reticent about long-term tax-planning strategies, thanks to uncertain timelines in the Conservative government’s plans regarding capital […]
A financial services clearance sale may be underway, possibly culminating in a radically-altered landscape for the American operations of Toronto-based Sun Life of Canada. Massachusetts Financial Services Company, generally known as MFS Investment Management, is rumoured to be for sale. Sun Life will only say that it has hired investment bankers to “advise on strategic […]
Holding a roast for forecasters did not formally appear as an item in the program for this week’s meeting of the Toronto CFA Society, but members got precisely that from Charles Brandes, president of San Diego, Calif.-based Brandes Investment Partners. Speaking at the CFA Society’s annual forecast dinner, Brandes set the tone — or perhaps […]