Industry News

Decorative pattern

Spring Conference Season

“I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June,” Lucy Maud Montgomery once mused, via the voice of her much-loved creation, Anne Shirley. In a word? Busy. It would be very, very busy. June — and yes, the tail end of May — is conference season for […]

By Steven Lamb |June 11, 2009

1 min read

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Online bank insurance sales allowed: OSFI

A bank website is not a bank branch, according to the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI). Much to the chagrin of some insurance broker organizations, bank websites will continue to be allowed to sell insurance products. Although ruled on some time ago, it’s come to light that OSFI does not see any […]

By Mark Noble |June 10, 2009

3 min read

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Message to fundcos: Aim a little lower

The mutual fund industry needs to re-examine its role in the financial sector and champion stewardship over salesmanship if it is to regain the trust of the Main Street investors it is meant to serve, according to a prominent industry analyst. Speaking at the 2009 Morningstar Conference in Toronto on June 10, Don Philips, managing […]

By Steven Lamb |June 10, 2009

4 min read

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Briefly:

The combination of an aging population, falling pension fund values, drop in employer contributions and economic downturn can simultaneously create the perfect storm and derail poorly planned pensions. According to a global survey from HSBC Insurance, there is a significant preparation gap and education gap in pension planning The survey showed that people’s short-term survival […]

By Staff |June 10, 2009

4 min read

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Briefly:

In the last four years Canadians’ disposable income grew twice as fast as that of Americans, according to report from CIBC. Since 2005, per capita real disposable income has risen by $2,600 in Canada, compared to $1,300 U.S. for Americans — a reversal of the trend seen in the 1990s when Americans’ income grew at […]

By Staff |June 9, 2009

3 min read

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Errant ETFs

Over different market cycles, inverse ETFs have proven popular with some investors. But what they expected to get and what they got has become a source of consternation — and complaint. Exchange-traded funds — essentially index funds targeted at broad market benchmarks or narrower sectoral plays such as gold or oil — are by now […]

By Scot Blythe |June 9, 2009

5 min read

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Engaging disillusioned clients

Advisors have two daunting objectives in this economic downturn: to keep clients invested — and to stay invested with them. Unfortunately, even before September 2008, a shift in investor psyche had been taking place, according to industry consultant Dan Richards, president of Toronto-based Strategic Imperatives. “Twenty years ago, [the mood] was ‘I’ll stay unless you […]

By Deanne Gage |June 9, 2009

4 min read

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OSFI calls for closer risk scrutiny

Life insurance carriers face a daunting challenge in the wake of last year’s equity market collapse as they grapple with the unforeseen risks tied to guaranteed products that have swept the globe in recent years. “Unlike traditional insurance risk, segregated fund risk is non-diversifiable,” said Superintendent Julie Dickson with the Office of the Superintendent of […]

By Steven Lamb |June 9, 2009

3 min read

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Briefly:

Sun Life’s 2008 Volunteer of the Year award was given to Robert Tuer, advisor with the Sarnia Financial Centre. In recognition of Tuer’s volunteer work, Sun Life will donate $10,000 to his charity of choice: Scouts Canada’s St. Bartholomew’s Cub Pack. Last year, Robert spent over 600 hours volunteering at Scouts Canada, organizing and running […]

By Staff |June 8, 2009

4 min read

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MFDA challenge rests in the OSC hands

The Independent Financial Brokers (IFB) must now wait to see if its legal challenge to the hearing process of the Mutual Fund Dealers Association (MFDA) will be granted by the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC). At stake is the ability of third-party organizations to challenge the validity of SRO bylaws. For almost a year now the […]

By Mark Noble |June 8, 2009

3 min read

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