Practice

Surround yourself with talented team members

Regardless of their length of time spent in business, their method of revenue generation or the type of services they offer, advisors generally have too much work to do and too little time. As we discussed in earlier columns, unusually successful advisors typically put two activities — business development and client relationship management — above […]

By Cindy Jenner Cowan |August 15, 2008

5 min read

Planning and Advice

Do-not-call: Links and resources

(August 2008) Do-not-call legislation was passed by the federal Liberal government in 2005, allowing the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to establish telemarketing rules and a national do-not-call registry. Throughout the process, industry groups Advocis, the Independent Financial Brokers of Canada, Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association and the Canadian Bankers Association participated in […]

By Deanne Gage |August 13, 2008

3 min read

Planning and Advice

The CRTC, your new regulator

(August 2008) If you think the CRTC’s do-not-call legislation won’t affect advisors, you could be in for a surprise when September 30 arrives. Calls to existing clients are exempt from the legislation if you’ve been in contact with these clients within 18 months, but calls to prospects and referrals are no longer fair game for […]

By Deanne Gage |August 13, 2008

7 min read

Planning and Advice

New rules! To call or not to call, that is the question

(August 2008) Cold-calling can be a very effective tool to find new clients and sell new products or services to current clients. Smaller financial institutions, dealers, agencies and their registered or licensed individuals, including those who act independently, often rely on telemarketing organizations. These companies or individuals provide technical resources and personnel to qualify leads […]

By Richard Austin |August 11, 2008

4 min read

Full service for the affluent (Your basics won’t cut it)

(August 2008) New evidence is being put forth, this time by education provider Canadian Securities Institute (CSI), in support of using the quarterback business model to attract and retain wealthy clients. This is not a stunning revelation, particularly for those already serving higher-net-worth investors, but the study, entitled What Affluent Clients Want, released in support […]

4 min read

Adversity options

Real estate and foreign equities did a little worse, but not much. The appreciation in residential real estate and vacation properties, while not at these levels, was still impressive. For savers and homeowners these have been the best of times. But those with longer memories know that the times are not always good. While Canadian […]

3 min read

Advising Expats

The bow wave of the baby boomer generation reaches 62 this year. As they hit retirement, many will follow the sun and relocate to the southern U.S., either on a part- or full-time basis. The question for Canadian advisors is how to ensure they’re able to continue working with these important clients, for whom they’ve […]

5 min read

The shoe fits

A small Toronto brokerage firm hired a CEO with eons of industry experience, tons of technology skills, and ample expertise with managing people–a sureshot lottery pick. With a business model based on growth by acquisitions, the company needed to make an average six to eight buyouts per year. But, 365 days later, their star CEO […]

10 min read

Fee query protocol

Stephen Covey, the author of Seven Habits of Highly Successful People, has made a good part of his reputation by getting people to focus on things that are genuinely important rather than those that are merely urgent. As advisors, we play a similar role in helping our clients make sense of competing products and strategies. […]

By John De Goey |August 1, 2008

3 min read

Do not call

Consumers have long complained about telemarketing calls; solicitations at dinner time, long computerized voice messages, and telemarketing calls and faxes. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) attempted to put the brakes on telemarketing in 1994 by enacting rules to govern practices, but it’s fair to say that, for whatever reason, the rules did not […]

5 min read