(May 2008) Government grant money is not the easiest thing to come by for your typical clients, unless they have children and an education savings plan. Encourage your clients to collect this “free” money wherever they can get it — send them this customizable template letter outlining the opportunities and advantages of saving for a […]
To no one’s surprise, equity financing took a huge hit in the first quarter of 2008. In the Investments Industry Association of Canada’s new equity issuance report, the organization revealed that Q1 issuance dropped to $10.8 billion — down 23% quarter over quarter and 53% from last year. “Despite measures taken by central banks to […]
Calling for a single regulator is old hat in the financial industry these days, but Ian Russell, president and CEO of the Investment Industry Association of Canada, is trying to take the discussion one step further. On Thursday he gave a speech to the Toronto Board of Trade, where he outlined what it would take […]
(May 2008) Filling out insurance applications is a regular part of an advisor’s job, but getting the documents completed is frequently a struggle. What most don’t realize, however, is that blank forms make the process much longer than it needs to be. Shelina Esmail, head of living benefits and chief underwriter at Canada Life, says […]
(May 2008) While the sub-prime meltdown has been a disaster for stock markets, it’s been a boon for snowbirds. The S&P/Case-Shiller home-price index, which tracks changes in real estate value changes in 20 metropolitan regions across the United States, dropped 12.7% in April, which means more affordable housing for sun-loving Canadians. But buying a home […]
For 10 years, critical illness (CI) insurance has promised Canadians money if they’re stricken with a life-threatening medical problem such as cancer. At first, sales were brisk, but in the last five years the CI space has basically come to a standstill. Starting in 2005, sales have continually dropped, with the industry seeing a -5% […]
It's no secret that leveraged investing is risky, but that doesn't mean advisors across the country have stopped employing the strategy.
There’s almost nothing more frustrating than waiting for an insurance application to be approved or denied, but don’t blame the underwriter for the sluggish progress. In fact, if anyone’s slowing down the process, it’s the advisor. Shelina Esmail, head of living benefits and chief underwriter with Canada Life, told a crowd of advisors at the […]
While January 1, 2011, might seem a long way off, for companies adopting the International Financial Reporting Standards, that date is approaching faster than most would like to admit. According to a Financial Executives International Canada survey, 78% of 512 financial executives surveyed haven’t looked at the differences between IFRS — the reporting standard that […]
If Canadian CFOs seem to be walking a little taller these days, it could be due to the weight of the pension plan crisis being lifted from their shoulders. In a new Watson Wyatt/Conference Board of Canada report, just 26% of 168 executives surveyed feel the problems with pension plans will be long-lasting. That’s down […]