As a warm up to the federal 2010 budget, we asked advisors what their dream budget would look like. And they sure spoke up. Here’s a wish list of things they think would make their jobs easier and their clients happier. James Hymas, president, Hymas Investment Management Inc. • A clear-cut plan for a balanced […]
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 […]
Is your prospective client a gruff millionaire who makes stiff demands and is given to secretly scribbling copious notes? Watch out, he or she could be a mystery shopper trained to test your mettle—and merit—as an advisor. But wait, there’s no way you can call the bluff. UBS, the global financial services firm, has perfected […]
Building a business is a bit like working a jigsaw puzzle. Before you spread out all the pieces, you need to look at the big picture on the box. Then you separate the edge pieces – build the structure first – and categorize all the other pieces by shape, size and colour. After considerable trial […]
While most advisors quickly realized they needed to change lanes on risk-allocation, and pull the brakes on emotionally charged, recession-ravaged clients, Jeff Swanson, owner of Vancouver-based Swanson Financial Footprint, says he avoids speed bumps by keeping greed firmly in check during bull runs. “The good times are the most dangerous times and I know how […]
For this month’s ‘Faceoff’, TD Waterhouse’s Kathryn Del Greco and Wellington West’s David Christianson square off over consolidated reporting. Moderated by: Kanupriya Vashisht Participants: Kathryn Del Greco, vice-president, Private Investment Advice, TD Waterhouse David Christianson, fee-only financial planner and investment counsel, Wellington West Total Wealth Management Inc. Is it possible? Kathryn Del Greco: Yes, it’s […]
When most other industries have moved aggressively towards technological solutions to save time and money, the insurance sector is still beset with a 20-plus-page application process, and a cumbersome procedure that takes approximately 36 days from start to finish. That’s if all goes well. An unchecked box or a botched page could mean the application […]
Moderated by: Kanupriya Vashisht Participants Jim Morrison, VP and Regional Director, RBC Dominion Securities Tina Tehranchian, , MA, CFP, CLU, CHFC, Branch Manager, Financial Advisor, Assante Capital Management Ltd. Tina Tehranchian: A lot of it depends on the position you’re hiring for. Generally, if there’s a way to train an existing employee, it acts as […]
Advisors must do a better job of making clients aware of ancillary services they can provide – especially tax planning and preparation – either within their own offices or through affiliates, say participants at our 2009 Dollars & Sense roundtable discussion. James R. Taylor, CLU, Financial Health Management, Toronto, noted 47% of advisors responding they […]
It’s different for every client. Respondents at our 2009 Dollars & Sense roundtable discussion say client response to investment products is all over the map, although there’s still some favour shown to capital preservation – at least for now. “Some of the senior clients are looking for security and capital preservation,” says Eva Froese, PFP, […]