High Rock Private Client Turns 3!

We started this journey because Paul could not get reasonable prices on bonds that he wanted in his personal portfolio from his investment advisor. They were the same bonds that he owned in the fund that he (High Rock) managed  for Scotiabank, so he knew their value. But as is the case with banks and investment dealers, everyone who touches securities on their way to your personal portfolio takes their commission and the price keeps going up. That is just the way it is in the retail investment industry. As I have suggested in the past, through my own experience, at the banks, the client takes a backseat to the shareholder.

At the same time, I found myself in a position where I was in disagreement with the direction we were heading with the client service factor at my then wealth management practice. There was a strong influence from the world of Robo-advice: focus on building assets under management and minimizing attention to client service. 

So Paul and I put our heads together and came up with a solution for creating a platform for clients that was different and better.

So few investors have a really good understanding of what goes on behind the scenes at the financial institutions that they have come to trust, but if they did take a closer look, they might think again. The Small Investor Protection Association has done their research and what they have found is disturbing.

Read more: An open letter to Canada’s leaders

Nonetheless, we have created a wealth and portfolio management solution that is like no other:

üFiduciary Duty above and beyond      

üInterests truly aligned – we manage our own money exactly the same as client money

üGroundbreaking formation of Independent Review Committee (IRC)

üManage fund for Scotiabank

üCore competency in the complex, opaque bond market

üComplete Fee Transparency

üTruly Independent – 100% employee-owned

üExperienced Large-scale Risk Managers - $13 billion

üHighest Education in the business – CFA, CIM, and CFP

üCommunication – Blogs, Weekly Webinar, Quarterly reports and Semi-Annual reviews

üRegistered with the Ontario Securities Commission, not IIROC which is a self-regulatory body owned by the Banks

We must be doing something right because we have been able to more than triple the size of our business over the course of the last three years. Many clients have followed me from my previous practice and many have joined from referral's from existing clients.

We write blogs, we have weekly videos, we send out detailed quarterly reports and portfolio summaries, we try to have at least semi-annual meetings with our clients, so our communication level remains high.

Most importantly, we actually care about each and every one of our clients, individually. You don't get that with big bank or big advisory practices. At the same time, you have all the protection that you would have with a big bank.

So thank you to our clients for putting your trust in us, we do not take it lightly.