Home Newspaper January 2007

January 2007

Building Your Business

Mark Newsome says the common thread shared by the members of his team at CIBC Wood Gundy — besides an unbending adherence to the merits…

One of the most interesting developments to occur recently on the E&O scene is the evolution of policies for firms. Both the Independent Financial Brokers…

Searching for informa-tion on the Internet and then finding yourself heading down some useless path is probably the most frustrating part of the World Wide…

Everyone likes a deal. And your older clients, regardless of how well off they may be, are interested in getting value for their money —…

It is good news for financial services professionals that regulators and advisor organizations are raising practice standards. But higher standards can be a double-edged sword.…

When mark newsome decided to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in 2005, he approached it the same way he approaches every endeavour: methodically.He broke in his hiking…

In a world in which all communications is moving toward digital format, why are signatures still largely paper-based? There are software solutions that make electronic…

Facts, the customerrelationship management software developed by Toronto-based LynxDev Inc., is designed to be used by advisors and their firms to improve client service, increase…

Botox, famous for smoothing out those pesky forehead wrinkles, is being used in a new area of the body: the knee. Researchers in Minnesota have discovered that…

This case study is based on the situation of a client of the Covenant Group. Names and details have been changed to preserve privacy. What…

The death of a spouse brings with it much more than grief. It often means a significant drop in income, especially for women. Financial advisors…

Retirement isn’t what it used to be. Changes in society and the workplace — from the prevalence of contract work and the trend toward changing…

Walk into any bookstore and you’ll find shelves groaning under the weight of books written by high-profile people extolling the secrets of their success. But…

Don’t give team-building a bad namePut time and thoughtfulness into planning activities that suit the ages and interests of your staffYour financial advisory practice is…

January marks the one time each year that people make resolutions to change their daily routines for the better. New Year’s resolutions often relate to…

News

Canada will follow U.S. to slower growth

John Hanrahan craves a challenge. A driving force behind Acadian Securities Inc.’s growth into the largest independent investment dealer in Atlantic Canada, he is now…

When clarence bick goes to conferences these days, something interesting happens. “Suddenly, I’m like a pretty girl at a party,” he says. “Everyone is hitting…

Consolidation of self-regulation is taking place on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border. And, while the reasons may be similar, the execution provides a telling…

The global economy’s long-term prospects look rosy. But beneath the glow, there is plenty of turmoil. As growth trends shift, intensifying inequality and unrelenting environmental…

Regulation is a necessary evil. Without it, people would be reluctant to trade, markets would fail and economic efficiency would be severely crimped. But necessary…

If it seems as if high net-worth investors are tough to find, it’s not your imagination. It appears that the rich are getting richer and…

The Canada Revenue Agency promises to crack the compliance whip even harder in 2007, the agency’s deputy commissioner and chief operating officer, Bill Baker, told…

Many analysts have laid bets on the likelihood that TSX Group Inc. finally will succeed in its ambition to acquire the Montreal Exchange Inc., now…

Charlie spiring has turned to a former competitor to lead the growth of his company as it moves toward an initial public offering.The CEO of…

David Levi has given up his dream of buying Crocus Investment Fund. But he’s not going to abandon the Manitoba market.The CEO of Vancouver-based GrowthWorks…

Comment & Insight

Three years ago this past December, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police hosted the official opening of its Vancouver integrated market enforcement team, the stock market…

Nova Scotians celebrated Canada Day last year with fireworks over the issue of gasoline regulation. And even though the uproar has since quieted down, a…

Last January, the grits were starting to slip in the polls after slightly more than a month of election campaigning as Canadians began to adjust…

When Stephane Dion won the Liberal leadership in De-cember, sovereigntists did “high-cinqs.”Former Parti Quebecois premier Bernard Landry saw the choice of Dion bringing Quebec a…

An alien visitor, carrying only the Ontario Securities Act as a guide to humankind, would be hard pressed to know what kind of creatures we…

As I drove over the little rise into my local hamlet (pop. 74), I hit the brakes. Across the road was a line of orange…

A mid the day-to-day drudgery of life, most of us don’t feel like lottery winners. But the fact is that, just by living in a…

If I could wish you and your families one thing in 2007, it would be good health. May you have a year in which family…

Investment research

Consumers in the industrialized world are shifting their food and beverage preferences toward healthier choices, drinking more water and health drinks in the process. That…

Concern about a market downturn coupled with the slaughter of income trusts is turning investor attention more and more toward dividend-paying stocks.And this can only…

An expression you’ll hear repeatedly at Nortel Networks Corp. these days — and a vital clue about what is happening at what used to be…

Achieving synergies between assets in a portfolio is the only way to ensure solid returns

For the past year, can-ada’s two technology titans — Waterloo, Ont.-based Research in Motion Ltd. and Brampton, Ont.-based Nortel Networks Corp. — have been on…

Dealers in high-yield bonds would rather people not refer to their product as “junk.” But despite this mostly warranted name, bonds with credit ratings below…

Focus on Products

At the conclusion of a recent media interview, the interviewer asked me a “what if” question. I usually avoid answering such questions, but this one…

From manulife finan-cial Corp. targeting high net-worth investors to President’s Choice Financial wooing bargain-hunting clients, it seems that most financial services players are taking advantage…

In the next few weeks, the Canadian Securities Ad-ministrators are expected to release a draft rule intended to implement various aspects of the registration reform…

Canadian markets chalked up another good year in 2006, despite an interest rate scare and Ottawa’s decision to remove tax advantages on income trusts. Yet…

New manager for Emissary portfolioNBF Emissary Turnkey Solution LP, a subsidiary of National Bank Financial Ltd., has named Cleveland, Ohio-based Allegiant Asset Management Co. the…

For a while, the cana-dian equity funds that thrived were the ones that didn’t have much exposure to oil. When commodity prices slid last year,…