Horizons ETFs has become the first ETF provider in the world to offer clients an interactive BlackBerry application. The Horizons ETF BlackBerry will allow users to track their investments, including daily updated quotes, without being in front of their computer. The development of a BlackBerry app adds a new tool to the marketing of ETFs, […]
Boomers are the most affluent generation in history, making them an important group of clients. But advisors are not the only ones who’ve noticed; boomers are being bled dry by family members in other generations, a new study finds. An Investors Group survey of 500 Canadian boomers — aged 43 to 63 — finds a […]
Michael Lee-Chin has worn a lot of titles, and is best known to Canadians as a high profile philanthropist and key mutual fund industry pioneer who amassed a net worth in the billions. But, through it all he insists, he’s always remained a financial advisor. Indeed, Lee-Chin is back to his advisor roots. He recently […]
Recruiters always paint a rosy picture about being an advisor: One firm was famous for telling people they could make $600,000 a year by working a four-day week. Let’s get realistic. The money and career satisfaction that comes from being an advisor can be great, but roughly two of three rookies won’t survive in this […]
Endowments aren’t usually the first thing that come to advisors’ minds when they think about strategies for their clients. But the fact of matter is, the clients you want – the affluent most likely have some philanthropic goals, and helping achieve them will only enhance your practice. Structuring and managing an endowment was the central […]
Canada’s advisor dealer branch networks need to do a better job on the compliance front, an Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) audit finds. IIROC has released the findings of a the audit of 10 dealer member branch networks conducted in early 2009, showing that while strong compliance standards are in place at the […]
Being proactive in client communication was a winning strategy during the recent financial crisis, a U.S. study finds — not just for the advisors but also for the asset managers that serve them. Boston-based Financial Research Corporation recently completed a survey of approximately 1300 U.S. financial advisors and 130 U.S. branch managers as part of […]
While the majority of retail asset backed commercial paper investors got 100% of their principal investment back, many believe the firms that sold ABCP have received little more than a slap on the wrist in their settlement with securities regulators. Members of the ABCP Retail Owners Committee argue the $138.8 million in penalties were far […]
A pair of new studies suggest Canadians will be tight-fisted with their money in 2010, choosing to pay down debt rather than investing. However, Canadians are still finding a way to keep up with their charitable donations. A new Harris/Decima survey conducted for Edward Jones asked more than 1,000 Canadians what their top financial priority […]
While Canadians are in better financial shape than majority of the developed world, we are using low rates to quickly ratchet up debt. And economists say it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Overextended household balance sheets – especially in the U.S. and U.K. – were ultimately the root cause of the global financial meltdown. Canadians […]