Insights Into Wealth

Today, Randy Gunn, BULLWEALTH's VP & Portfolio Manager, sits down with Corina Weigl, Partner and Co-Lead of Fasken's Private Client Service Group, to delve into the evolving world of trusts and the critical responsibilities trustees hold. With the fiduciary environment becoming more complex, the role of a trustee has never been more important—or more demanding. While our last podcast explored the various types of trusts and the opportunities they present for families, today's discussion focuses to what it truly means to be a trustee. Corina outlines the key duties trustees are expected to fulfill, the qualities that define an effective trustee, and the best practices that can help trustees meet their legal and ethical obligations to beneficiaries. As trusts become a more common planning tool among Canadian families—and with many of our clients having a trust—this episode is especially relevant. Randy and Corina's conversation is both thoughtful and insightful, offering practical guidance for those navigating the responsibilities and challenges of trust and estate planning.

Today, Randy Gunn, BULLWEALTH's VP & Portfolio Manager, speaks with Nathan Wright, Managing Partner at Spectrum Tax & Estate Planning. Their discussion begins with an overview of what a trust is and the various types of trusts available. Then they explore the tax savings and tax deferral opportunities, which depend on when the trust is established and the individual's proximity to the assets. Finally, Nathan dives into the tax implications of transferring assets into or out of a trust. As you can imagine, Randy and Nathan's conversation is both thoughtful and insightful, offering valuable guidance for those navigating trust and estate planning decisions.

Today, we are excited to launch the second annual Lessons Learned – Insights into Wealth podcast, featuring BULLWEALTH Portfolio Managers Kevin Van Dyk, Randy Gunn, Denisa Farrow, and myself. Hosted by Savva Cherdantsev, BULLWEALTH's Managing Director, Research & Investments, our discussion will explore key observations from 2024. Topics include assessing whether a client's portfolio is too risky for their comfort level, the risks of maintaining an overly conservative investment approach, monitoring portfolios during periods of company and market concentration risks, lessons learned from 25 years ago, and identifying key indicators for reviewing or replacing an underperforming investment manager. Each of us will share insights on why these considerations were critical to decision-making throughout the year.

In today's podcast, Randy Gunn, BULLWEALTH's VP & Portfolio Manager, speaks with Nicole D'Aoust, a Partner at Miller Thomson specializing in charity and not-for-profit law, focusing on governance, compliance and mission-related investments for these organizations. Randy and Nicole begin by exploring the role of a not-for-profit director and the importance of a strong governance framework, followed by a discussion on the onboarding process and ways to better prepare before joining such boards. Nicole also highlights understanding potential liabilities and how to protect oneself from these risks, finishing with tips on becoming an effective director, including practical examples. Randy and Nicole's thoughtful and insightful conversation is designed to aid listeners in preparing to join not-for-profit organizations.

Kevin Van Dyk, Managing Director at BULLWEALTH, engages Dr. Ian Mortimer, co-Portfolio Manager of the Guinness Global Equity Income Portfolio to discussed Guinness' investment philosophy, process, and strategy, highlighting the team's focus on identifying companies that have consistently grown dividends over the past 10 years. Ian explains that not all dividend-growing businesses are alike, sharing the specific criteria his team uses to select high-quality companies. Ian also describes their bottom-up analytical approach, balanced by macroeconomic awareness, within a focused portfolio of 35 companies. In addition, Ian reveals why 35 equally weighted holdings is a distinctive feature of the portfolio's design.

Randy Gunn, BULLWEALTH's Vice President & Portfolio Manager, speaks with Jordan Matters, a Partner at Leyland & Matters Private Client Insurance Advisors. Jordan and his team advise successful business owners and entrepreneurs and high net worth families in helping them to protect and transition their wealth to the next generation, while also enhancing their legacies. During Randy and Jordan's discussion, they explore how Canadians are using life insurance to retain more wealth within their family and reduce the taxes owing on their estates. Plus, they review some strategies that you may want to consider and best practices when speaking with your life insurance advisor.

Today, Kevin Van Dyk, BULLWEALTH's Managing Director, introduces you to BULLWEALTH's newest partner, Denisa Farrow. Denisa joined BULLWEALTH after many years in the investment advisory and consulting, and investment management arenas where she has worked with and advised many families and not-for-profit organizations and pension plans on their investment portfolios and overall wealth decisions. Kevin's conversation with Denisa is wide-ranging and covers many topics from who Denisa is and how she found her way into investment consulting to some of her career decisions to why she loves the contact she has with her clients.

Today, Randy Gunn, BULLWEALTH's VP & Portfolio Manager, speaks with Walid Hejazi, a Professor of International Business, and Economic Analysis at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. Walid has been published in the Globe & Mail, the Financial Post and the Toronto Star, along with other globally recognizable publications. And, most recently, Walid and his co-author published a book called Everybody's Business: How to Ensure Canadian Prosperity Through the Twenty-First Century. Over the years, Walid's research has focused on the development of strategies that enhance the ability of companies to compete domestically and internationally, and his book focuses on Canada's lost productivity. Walid and Randy discuss some of the reasons for Canada's decline in productivity and some strategies to help us return to the upper levels of the world's richest countries.

Kevin Van Dyk, one of BULLWEALTH's Managing Director's, and Sean Yuile from Manitou's Canadian Equity investment team discuss how Manitou's Canadian equity team implements a high-quality investment philosophy that has resulted in long-term outperformance and excellent downside protection by investing in growing companies that have a discounted value. Sean describes Manitou's investment philosophy and process around searching for and investing in Grade A companies and how the portfolio's cash weighting can rise and fall depending upon underlying company valuations.

Today, Randy Gunn, BULLWEALTH's Vice President & Portfolio Manager, speaks with Scott Armstrong, an author, speaker and coach to business professionals and athletes who are in the process of transitioning to retirement. Scott has a passion to redefine the word retirement by helping people recognize that the next stage of our lives is an unparalleled opportunity. He believes that once we retire, we can then aspire to uncover hidden adventures and social connections that leave us all wondering why we did not do this sooner. Randy and Scott discuss Work Optional Life, another word for Retirement, and how our transition can be a microstep to what is next. Scott also gives Randy some ideas of how to enact these microsteps. As you can imagine, Randy and Scott's conversation is both thoughtful and insightful.

Randy Gunn, BULLWEALTH's VP & Portfolio Manager, speaks with Jeanette Bock, Founder and Senior Transition Specialist at Fluid Senior Transitions. Jeanette has over 30 years of listening, planning and solving the challenges of transitioning to our later stages of life. Randy and Jeanette begin their conversation by discussing the difference between long-term care and retirement living, then discuss where some of us may make mistakes as we age and forget to plan, or plan too late, for this next chapter of our lives. Finally, Jeanette gives examples of how to transition to retirement living or staying in your home as we age. Randy and Jeanette's conversation is both thoughtful and insightful, and we hope it helps with your planning decisions.

Kevin Van Dyk and Randy Gunn, two of BULLWEALTH's Portfolio Managers, and Julian Smith, BULLWEALTH's CEO, share some of our observations from 2023. Our discussion will be joined by Savva Cherdantsev, BULLWEALTH's Director of Research & Investments. Our discussion will focus on how shifting interest rates have impacted the fixed income markets, why education is a key focus of BULLWEALTH's interactions with our clients, why select global equities outperformed others, how to reallocate to equities if you are underweight, and why due diligence is critical to understanding an investment manager's performance. Each of us will discuss our thoughts and insights into why these observations were key to some of our decision making throughout 2023.

Today, we welcome back Sharon Avery, CEO of Toronto  Foundation, to share her thoughts as to where community foundations are assisting Canadians by giving through multiple vehicles, ideas of where to donate – Both big and grassroots organizations, and trends within the philanthropic sector such as giving circles or group giving to help solve some of our communities' largest issues. Sharon speaks to Randy Gunn, one of BULLWEALTH's Portfolio Managers, in an insightful discussion that we hope will help broaden your philanthropic thinking and different ways to approach giving.

Kevin Van Dyk, one of BULLWEALTH's Managing Director's, and two members of Fiera's Canadian Equity investment team, Tony Rizzi and Nick Trottier discuss how the team implements a high quality, strong valuation philosophy that has resulted in long-term outperformance and excellent downside protection when volatility rises throughout the global capital markets. Tony and Nick describe why their team's extreme focus on companies with excellent management teams, low debt, strong earnings and continuous cash flows leads to long-term success.

Randy Gunn, BULLWEALTH's VP & Portfolio Manager, speaks with Anne Brayley, a Philanthropic Advisor to many families about Strategic Philanthropy. Randy and Anne begin their conversation by discussing the importance of philanthropy in Canada and to both those who give and those who receive. Then, Anne explores the idea that ‘Strategic is Intentional' when families decide to give and the different options available to Canadians in the charitable sector. One of these options is via donor-advised funds or specifically through the Canadian Community Foundation network, which Anne describes in depth.

Randy Gunn, BULLWEALTH's Client Strategist, speaks with Barbara Stewart, one of the leading researchers of women in finance and who is recognized worldwide for her work. Prior to Barbara's current focus, she was a foreign currency trader and a leading portfolio manager with more than 30 years of experience. In today's podcast, Randy and Barbara discuss how women think about investing and how they communicate about their overall investment goals and objectives. In addition, Barbara discusses the dynamics of women with their investment advisors and why it is important to make the financial industry more of a destination of choice for young women entering this sector.

Kevin Van Dyk, one of BULLWEALTH's Managing Partner's, and Jens Hensen, Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer at ValueInvest Asset Management, discuss the investment philosophy, process and strategy of ValueInvest's Global Equity Portfolio. We have known Jens, and ValueInvest, for many years, as their global equity investment strategy is the defensive ballast in most of our client portfolios. Throughout today's engaging discussion, Kevin and Jens explore how the ValueInvest team constructs investment portfolios and why their track record has been exemplary when global equity markets decline.

Randy Gunn, BULLWEALTH's Client Strategist, speaks with Adam Jagelewski, Managing Partner at TwinRiver, a global impact platform advising high-net worth families, foundations and institutional investors on how to implement a positive social and environmental impact on the world we live in. With over a decade of experience that spans from being the co-founder of the MaRS Center for Impact Investing to a management consultant with PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Adam has vast knowledge in how investors perceive and implement impact investment strategies. Randy and Adam will explore the meaning of Impact Investing and how it differs from its close cousin, ESG, which stands for Environmental, Social and Governance. Also, Randy and Adam will discuss how Impact Investing is gaining traction and the potential returns global investors can expect – Guess what, it is more than financial gains! 

Savva Cherdantsev, BULLWEALTH's Director of Research & Investments, interviews Peter Klein, BULLWEALTH's Chair of our Asset Allocation and Investment Committees, to discuss the importance of asset allocation within an investment portfolio. Savva and Peter explore the role of asset allocation, some of the steps in determining how an optimal asset allocation is developed, biases towards Canadian equities for Canadian investors and the effect of currency within an investment portfolio. Most importantly, Savva and Peter will discuss the factors determining your investment portfolio's asset allocation.

Kevin Van Dyk, BULLWEALTH's Managing Partner, and Michael O'Sullivan, VP & Portfolio Manager of Fiera's Industrial Real Estate, discuss the Canadian industrial real estate sector. Michael outlines Fiera's Industrial Real Estate investment strategy, the opportunities for investors within the Canadian industrial real estate sector, how the industrial real estate market is evolving in terms of tenants and rising rental rates, and why small and mid-bay industrial real estate have significant advantages over much larger industrial properties. Most importantly, there remains a supply and demand imbalance that is resulting in positive long-term underlying trends.

Darren has a particular interest in the intersection of estate planning and family law, specifically when it involves gifts to children when buying real estate and family business succession planning. As Darren discusses, many of these conversations can be challenging, but necessary, prior to you or your children entering long-term relationships. Most importantly, Darren explains his process to help ease these uncomfortable conversations.

Today, Randy Gunn, BULLWEALTH's Client Strategist, speaks with Amy Castoro, President and CEO of The Williams Group and author of Bridging Generations: Transitioning Family Wealth and Value for a Sustainable Legacy, to explore how different families prepare for the transfer of wealth from one generation to the next. As you can imagine, the transfer of wealth is a very personal and at times, challenging conversation between family members, where expectations and timing can range dramatically. Amy shares many relatable stories that are both thoughtful and insightful.

Kevin Van Dyk, BULLWEALTH's Managing Partners, and Shawn Bustin, President & Co-Founder of AgriRoots Capital Management, explore the opportunities presented in the agricultural space, specifically how lending to Canadian farmland organizations can deliver both yield to investors and positive benefits to many farmers who have struggled with factors that may be our of their control. Kevin and Shawn discuss various opportunities and challenges of lending to farmland organizations, along with its underlying trends.

Over the past few years, Not-for-Profit Organizations have faced increasing difficulties due to COVID-19 and today, rising inflationary pressures. Randy Gunn, BULLWEALTH's Client Strategist, and Bruce MacDonald, CEO of Imagine Canada, explore these challenges and some solutions for the future.

Randy Gunn, BULLWEALTH's Client Strategist, explores the importance of Property & Casualty insurance within a client's overall wealth plan. Most of us, when we think about Property & Casualty insurance, we think of the risk that results from the loss or damage to property like our homes or cars, however PNC insurance, when applied in today's context, can protect us against so many other liabilities. Randy speaks with Melanie Wilcox, Chubb's Head of Personal Risk Services, to discuss both traditional and other types of PNC insurance that may include personal cyber security coverage or umbrella insurance that covers claims in excess of single coverage policies.

Kevin Van Dyk, one of BULLWEALTH's Managing Partners, and Christian Deckart, lead Portfolio Manager and co-CIO of Mawer Investment Management, discuss the opportunities and challenges within global small caps, along with its underlying trends, as well as how Christian and his team have positioned their fund.

Kevin Van Dyk, one of BULLWEALTH's Managing Partner's, and Greg Romundt, President & CEO of Centurion Real Estate, discuss the multi-residential real estate market and its underlying trends, as well as how Centurion has built its business and manages their properties throughout Canada. With real estate valuations having risen dramatically over the past decade and expected to rise in the future, BULLWEALTH wanted to explore how Greg has positioned Centurion in a rising interest rate and elevated inflationary environment.

Randy is BULLWEALTH's newest partner and Client Strategist, and joins BULLWEALTH after many years in the investment advisory and consulting, and investment management arenas. Throughout Randy's career he has spent many years working with and advising wealthy families and not-for-profit organizations on the investment portfolios and wealth decisions. During our conversation, we explore who Randy is and why he joined BULLWEALTH to how Randy advises business owners and their families on their wealth decisions to changing trends within our industry. Please join me and Randy for an engaging and wide ranging conversation.

Today we are going to discuss wills and estates with our guest, Courtney Petch from Cummings Cooper Schusheim Berliner. Since the beginning of COVID-19, many clients and investors have asked us about updating their Wills and estate plans, so we thought it best to invite an expert who can give us some insights into what to ask when you meet your estate lawyer.

BULLWEALTH's Managing Partner, Kevin Van Dyk, engages Richard Usher Jones, Portfolio Manager of Canso Investment Counsel, in a conversation on Canso's investment process and philosophy. Both Kevin and Richard explore the world of fixed income and why Canso, over the past year, has achieved superior outperformance – Partly due to their conservative positioning prior to COVID-19 and then Canso's decision to increase their high yield bond exposure throughout 2020. Kevin and Richard also discuss how Canso finds and values the bonds of the underlying companies they invests in.

Over the past few years, an emerging framework has become a main stream investment theme. The theme is ESG and it stands for Environmental, Social and Governance. These non-financial factors are becoming a more significant part of every investors decision making process. In today’s ‘Insights into Wealth’ podcast, BULLWEALTH’s CIO, Peter Klein, dives into how ESG came to the forefront and what is next as investors consider the importance of this framework to investing around the globe. Joining Peter is Claude Robillard, Founder and Principal of 43 North Group, a consulting firm focused on alternative asset classes and ESG investing. Both Peter and Claude explore the fundamentals of ESG and its overall importance for global investors.

BULLWEALTH’s Managing Partner, Kevin Van Dyk, has an engaging conversation with Paul Black, Co-CEO of WCM Investment Management. We met Paul and WCM around 5 years ago when we undertook a search to find a new global growth equity manager. At the time, WCM was just launching its global equity strategy, and our due diligence team found their philosophy and process towards investing extremely unique. Kevin and Paul discuss WCM and why finding companies with a growing competitive advantage and a strong underlying culture have resulted in consistent outperformance of WCM’s investment portfolios.

Shifting our focus towards the charitable and not-for-profit sector, BULLWEALTH has invited Bruce MacDonald, CEO of Imagine Canada, and Sharon Avery, CEO of the Toronto Foundation, to share their insights into the many challenges Canadian and Toronto-based not-for-profit organizations are facing in this pandemic year. Also, Bruce and Sharon will explore where most of our giving goes, and how there are many communities and other charitable organizations in need of assistance during this giving season.

Julian Smith, BULLWEALTH’s CEO, interviews Peter Klein, BULLWEALTH’s CIO, on how he leads the BULLWEALTH investment committee through the decision making process of searching, hiring and/or removing investment managers for BULLWEALTH’s clients.

In conversation with Kevin Van Dyk, Managing Partner & Portfolio Manager at BULLWEALTH, to chat about what role does Manager Due Diligence & Research play in investing?

In conversation with Julian Smith, CEO, and Kevin Van Dyk, Managing Partner & Portfolio Manager at BULLWEALTH, to chat about Consolidated Reporting.

In conversation with Peter Klein, Chief Investment Officer at BULLWEALTH, to chat about Global Diversification and Non-correlation of assets.

In conversation with Julian Smith, Chief Executive Officer, at BULLWEALTH, to chat about Insight, Integrity and Independence, and what they mean in the Wealth Management Industry.

In conversation with Peter Klein, Chief Investment Officer at BULLWEALTH, to chat about Asset Allocation and why it is important.

In conversation with Julian Smith, Chief Executive Officer, at BULLWEALTH.

Short 10-15 minute conversations about wealth management with the BULLWEALTH team, from how they advise on investments, to what makes them tick, and the principles they live by.