Products & Services

Individuals have access to a variety of investment vehicles that can be used to help them meet their short and long-term goals.  The suitability of one investment over another depends largely on the individual’s financial situation and his or her own preferences, priorities and tolerance for risk.  For those individuals, with excess funds, who have built a solid foundation of savings, protection and diversification of their investments, individual securities such as stocks and bonds, may present a suitable opportunity to achieve additional growth and income.   As these investments entail substantial risk, investors need to develop a sound knowledge of their use as well as a clear understanding of their potential risks.

Common Stocks

Publicly owned companies, as the name implies, are owned by the public, consisting of individuals and institutions that purchase a fractional interest or share of the company.  Their interest is represented by the shares of stock that are issued by the company.  This is a way for companies to raise capital that can be used to fund its growth. 

If the company is successful and grows, the stockholders share of the company can increase in value.  If the company is not successful, the shareholder could lose value in his shares.   There is also the possibility that shareholders can participate in the profits if the company’s Board of Directors declares a “dividend”. 

Risk:

Stock values reflect the current valuation of a company as well as its near-term prospects for achieving earnings growth. While some companies may have good long term growth prospects, there are many factors that can cause the stock’s price to fluctuate in the short term.  Investors who buy a stock when the market is moving up, may find themselves in a position to have to sell the stock when the market is moving down, which could result in a capital loss.  Losses or gains are not realized until the stock is actually sold.

Reward:

Over time, stocks have the potential to generate returns that can outperform other investments. They are typically bought by investors who seek long term growth.  Stocks that pay dividends can also be a source of current income for investors.

Corporate Bonds

In addition to raising capital by selling ownership shares, companies can also borrow money from the public by issuing debt securities.  When an individual or institution buys a bond from a company, they become a bondholder and they receive interest from the company.  At the time the bond matures, or comes due, the bondholder receives the principal back. 

Bonds are issued at full face value with a specific interest rate affixed to it.  A $1000 bond with a 5% yield will generate $50 of interest payments each year.  Because bonds are sensitive to the movement of interest rates, their values will increase or decrease as rates move down or up. If an investor sells a bond on the open market, he could receive an amount that is greater or less than the original face value.

Potential Risks:

Like stocks, bonds  can be traded on the open market.  If a bond is sold before its maturity it market value may be less than its original face value.  Bonds held to maturity will be redeemed for their principal amount , but there is a risk that the issuing company could encounter financial difficulties and default on the bond

Potential Rewards:

Bonds are typically purchased by investors who are seeking current income.  Because bonds have the potential to increase in value, there is also the potential to achieve long term growth.

Learn more about investing in stocks and bonds by contacting us today.

While many of us don’t realize it, we are constantly engaged in subconscious acts of investment planning. We plan how we can best invest the limited time we have at our disposal. Would the 2-hours we have best be spent visiting a friend at the hospital, or would it be better invested, say, by taking in that ball game? We do some longer-term planning too: Does it pay to invest the effort studying for a degree in Arts, or would we get a better return studying to pass the Bar exam?

So, why don’t we invest the time planning our investments?

Why Investment Planning is Important

It’s been said: What you sow, so shall you reap! When it comes to enjoying the fruits of your investment, truer words were never spoken. Even if you don’t have thousands of dollars to invest, simply taking the time deciding where to “park” the money until you need it can be a rewarding investment planning exercise.

How your money grows, what you pay for that growth, and the ease and comfort with which you “journey” towards reaping the rewards of your investments, are all important aspects of a good investment plan. In the absence of such a plan, your financial future could be in jeopardy!

What We Can Do For You

Our Investment Planning service is based on these simple facts: Market timing doesn’t work! Creating and preserving wealth needs diversification! Focus on the long-term, and don’t let short-term diversions distract you! Investing is about more than just making money – it’s also about helping you achieve your financial goals!

Here’s a preview of what our Investment Planning service cover:

• Understanding your financial goals: Through an intense yet structured “Getting to Know You” process, we’ll understand what your financial goals are, and we’ll help you prioritize some of the most pressing short, medium and long-term financial objectives you’d like to accomplish.
• Analyze a point-in-time snapshot: The next step is to analyze where you are today, in terms of your savings and current investment portfolio. Sometimes, this phase of our review results in actionable steps that can immediately benefit you – like cutting your losses in a sinking investment, or leveraging some profit-harvesting and tax-selling opportunities in highly successful ones.
• Proposing an investment strategy: With that information in hand, we can draw-up comprehensive personalized investment strategies that will help you reach your financial objectives. This may be accomplished by building upon your existing portfolio, or proposing a set of cost-effective, tax-efficient, age-appropriate, risk-averse investments that are aligned with your personal financial goals.
• Implementing the plan: Our Investment Planning approach is dynamic, and constantly evolves with your changing circumstances. We’ll guide and advise you on investment plan transitions as you go through life and life-style changes.
• Watching over your investments: We’ll monitor and review your investments, plans and strategies in light of changing investment climates.
• Consult, advise and counsel: Ours is an ongoing partnership. Throughout our relationship with you, we’ll keep you informed, and communicate constantly with you about proposed changes and potential risks or opportunities for your investments.

When you are full of ideas for starting a new business, all you can see is what’s going to happen tomorrow. The thought of having their vision turned to reality often blinds new entrepreneurs to that all-important question: Does it all makes sense financially? While passion is key to turning vision into a functional business, prudent financial planning is critical to ensure that reality comes to fruition, and continues to survive and thrive!

Why Financial Planning is Important for Business Owners

Just as even the savviest of pilots can’t always fly blind all the time, so too is the case with business owners. Meticulous financial planning, for the short-term, in the intermediate period, and for the long-term horizon, is vital if a business is to succeed.

Without sound financial planning, even the best of business ideas will soon falter and perish. Business financial planning is the lifeblood for any venture to succeed, expand and flourish in the long run.

What We Can Do For You

Here’s how our Business Financial Planning solutions can help you:

• Start-up financial planning: As you start up your new venture, you’ll need to finance its ongoing operations. Our experts can help uncover creative capital financing opportunities for you.
• Business plans: To ensure the ongoing viability of your business, you’ll need help putting together a sound business plan – for the short, intermediate and long-term. We can help create that pan for you.
• Contingency planning: Emergencies and unforeseen situations can arise anytime during the life of the business. It takes savvy financial advice to ensure you have the financial safety net to successfully weather the business through such events.
• Taxation: Most jurisdictions offer a number of tax incentives to business owners, so that they might create, expand and continue operating in those jurisdictions. Unfortunately, many business owners are either unfamiliar of the tax-friendly nature of such incentives; or they underutilize them to the detriment of their business. Leave it to our experts to help you understand such incentives so you can apply them to minimize your business taxes.
• Asset acquisition: Whether you choose to own an asset outright for your business, or ensure its use through other means, will depend on the financing options available to you. We can help you make buy versus rent, versus lease decisions that are right for you.
• Debt management: Is it best to borrow against business assets? Or should consider refinancing? Or would it make sense to dispose-off some assets to finance debt? These are every-day decisions that we help business owners make.
• Business expansion and diversification: When it comes to expanding and diversifying your business, you’ll find us right beside you when evaluating financial proposals and financing options to fund those initiatives.
• Employee retention: No business is ever successful without satisfied employees. We’ll work with you to help offer attractive remuneration, compensation and benefits packages to your employees, that will motivate them to consider making a long-term career with you and your company.
• Succession planning: What happens if something untoward happens to you? What if you wanted to step down, or take a less active role in the business? Is there someone groomed and primed to assume the mantle of leadership and succession?
• Retirement, Estate and Legacy planning: And when it’s time for you to call it quits, we’ll be right there to ensure you are able to enjoy the fruits of your hard work. Through careful planning, we’ll not only make sure you enjoy a comfortable retirement, but that your legacy passes seamlessly to your next generation of successors.

Long before retirement even hits our radars, we’re planning what type of education, skills training and professional designations we’ll acquire. We also spend a lot of time planning which industries are the best place to work in, and which employers to work for. Once employed, we carefully strategize our every career move, so that we progress to the top of the ladder in our respective fields.

Sadly though, while we focus most of our efforts on all these plans, we often forget to plan for “life after work”!

Why Retirement Planning is Important

Everything we do – from choosing a career to managing career progressions at our employers – is presumably so we and our families and dependents can have a better life. But if we fail to plan for “Life after work”, all of the plans and effort we put into our working lives, could be jeopardized.

What will retirement look like? Are we spending too much? What if we’re not saving enough? How frequently should we be saving? Could we run out of money in retirement? Are we investing in the right places? How much will we need in retirement? Will Government and Employer pension plans cover us through retirement?

If we don’t plan for retirement, we’ll never be able to prepare for it. And an ill-prepared retirement is bound to be one filled with financial stress and chaos!

What We Can Do For You

For our clients, retirement planning doesn’t start at retirement. It starts much before! Our Retirement Planning service takes a long-term view of your financial wellbeing. We use a life-cycle approach to ensure your “Life after work” is as well-planned as your life prior to retirement.

Here’s what we do for you as part of our Retirement Planning service:

• Your personalized retirement planning strategy: Everything we do for you centers around four pillars - Helping you plan to achieve your financial goals prior to retirement; Planning to ensure you have sufficient income during retirement; Putting plans in place to safeguard your Nest Egg and yourself against potential catastrophes; Planning for your legacy.
• Understanding your goals: Through an intensely personalized approach, we understand what your retirement goals are.
• Analyzing where you are at: To plan a meaningful retirement, you need to know where you currently stand. We’ll help you build an in-depth financial inventory to use as part of our retirement planning process.
• Developing the plan: Remember all those questions you had on your mind – largely unanswered? Well, we’ll work with you to create a retirement plan that addresses every one of them. When we’re done, you’ll not only know what you need (income) to fund your retirement lifestyle, and what your investments will generate; but you’ll also know how to bridge the shortfall – if any.
• Implementing the plan: As you move closer to retirement, we’ll work closely with you to ensure the plans are implemented in a phased and orderly manner. The goal of our Retirement Planning approach is to make transitioning into retirement as seamless and stress-free as possible.
• Supporting you make decisions on pensions and benefits: Our retirement planning professionals will be right there when you need them, with help and advice on pensions and benefits (Government or Employer): Whether to apply or not? When to apply? What to do with those funds…and much more.
• Looking out for you in retirement and beyond: Our Retirement Planning service isn’t done yet – not by a long shot! To live a long and fulfilling retirement, you’ll need help with many other facets of your life – Health Care, Insurance, Charitable Giving and Legacy Planning. When you need our advice, our specialists will know exactly how to respond!
• Ongoing reviews: Our Retirement Planning service ensures that we maintain a long and enduring relationship with you. We’ll continue to monitor and review your retirement plans, and consult with you frequently about any changes or updates needed to address your evolving retirement lifestyle needs.