Investments
Because there are many differences between bull and bear markets,
your investment decisions should not be left to chance. Get the right advice.
Why choose us?
With us, there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach. Nobody’s individual situations, risk tolerance, and life circumstances are all the same – so why should your investment portfolio be? Our customized portfolios can provide you access to stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, and other securities.
As investment advisors in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Ontario, we provide:
Unbiased Advice
As independent advisors, we are not restricted to any investment products or companies, thus, we work exclusively in your best interest.
Invest with Clarity
Investing should not be something that causes you stress. Having an advisor as part of your decision-making process is paramount to sustaining a strong portfolio that shouldn’t take you on an emotional rollercoaster ride. Your investments should reflect your financial goals and objectives, that is why we consistently monitor its progress to help ensure it stays on track. Our open and transparent communications keep you updated and informed.
Personalized Strategies
When you think of richness, perhaps you immediately think of monetary wealth. While this area of life is incredibly important, having strength, stability, and safety is more significant. Before we invest your first dollar, it is crucial to understand what you want to achieve. We do this by creating a personalized, adaptable, and clear plan first then the investment portfolio is aligned with this strategy.
Active Management
The investment market goes up and it goes down; the question is, how does your advisor respond to it? We believe in being active in managing portfolios and taking advantage of opportunities that the market creates. Active management creates flexibility to adapt not only to the market but also to the changes in your personal life, whether it’s unemployment, a new home, an expanded family, or retirement.
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Schedule a confidential conversation at your preferred date and time.
Products we offer
The investment market naturally fluctuates. The question is, how does your advisor respond to it? We believe it is a futile exercize to try to time the markets, so we try to prepare rather than react. Having actively managed and effective portfolio’s constructed with a guiding plan keeps everyone in sync and working together to weather the market storms. With our investment management services, you can worry less about your investments and focus more on your goals.
A great option that many owners of Canadian-controlled private corporations (CCPC) use to build up retirement savings is to invest within their corporation. Instead of withdrawing the profits of your business as personal income, you can invest the funds within your corporation and create significant tax savings. This often-used strategy utilizes a portfolio of corporate class funds which can provide tax-deferred growth, shelter your money from the passive income rules, and create tax-efficient cash flow when you need to withdraw. We can help you carefully place money into the right corporate investment depending on the level of returns you’re looking for, your risk tolerance, and the type of investment you’re interested in.
Stocks and bonds allow for a customized portfolio that can target a specific company to achieve the diversification or allocation you desire. For most investors, diversifying portfolios with a combination of stocks and bonds is the best path toward achieving risk-mitigated investment returns as well as creating a potentially valuable way to grow your wealth and take advantage of big price moves.
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are a collection of stocks in a single fund, which can help diversify your portfolio. Some of the advantages of owning a bundle of assets in an ETF are the lower cost of management expense ratios (MERs) compared to mutual funds, tax efficiency, and the combination of diversification and trading flexibility. ETFs are a great low-cost investment option.
Ask any investment professional and they will likely tell you that one of the most important ways to reduce your portfolio risk is through diversification. The benefits of diversification are mostly realized when a portfolio holds 20 – 30 stocks – which a typical mutual holds. In addition to providing diversification, they also may offer lower costs as frequent stock trades can add up quickly whereas with a mutual fund, the cost of trading is spread over all investors in the fund.
Registered investments such as RESP, RRSP, TFSA, and DPSPs can be an important part of your investment portfolio due to their preferable tax treatment. Interest-bearing investments have the least favourable tax treatment, since all (or almost all) of their returns are fully taxable and are taxed at the highest marginal rate. So, as much as possible, you want to keep them in tax-deferred or tax-free accounts.
Replace the word ‘spend’ with ‘invest’ in your vocabulary and notice how it impacts your everyday decisions.
Frequently asked questions
Who is PEAK Securities Inc.?
You will notice we utilize a company called Peak Securities Inc., they are our back office dealer that provides the infrastructure that facilitates our investment trading. They facilitate the buying and selling of your investments by interacting with the stock exchange on your behalf, provide the computer systems that enact the trade, and keep records of the trade.
PEAK Securities Inc., an Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) registered, Investment Dealer, limits its responsibility to investment products such as stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. PEAK Securities Inc. is a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund.
What are our fees?
Do you know what you are paying for you investment fees? Fees are charged when investing with any financial institution, including banks but some fees are more obvious than others. Most fees are embedded into your investments so you don’t know the actual amount you are paying in fees nor how they are calculated.
We keep it simple by providing transparency of our fees and flexibility of how they are charged, so you can decide which is best for you:
- Flat Fee
This is an annual flat percentage based on the assets we manage for you. This minimizes the overall fees paid and it is withdrawn directly from your investment account, so it doesn’t affect your monthly budget. Plus, in some cases the fees paid may be tax deductible, if investments are held in non-registered accounts. - Commission
This is a commission, or a trading fee, based on the purchase/sale of securities like stocks, bonds and ETFs and varies on the transaction and type of account. These fees are not eligible for tax deductions.
My investments are down, should I sell?
Market crashes and economic downturns are normal – they can help remove the over valuations in the market, creating a ‘reset’ as well a an opportunity to buy when prices are low. So, should you sell when the market takes a downturn? It is good to note that a decrease in the value of your holdings is fictional and only on paper but if you sell, this is when you will realize an actual loss. Most of the time, it is best to just hold strong to your investment plan and ride the wave as it will eventually go back up. With that said if there is a material change in one of your holdings, if the investment hits the price target, you want to take advantage of an opportunity, or if you are adjusting the portfolio to meet your changing goals – this may warrant selling.
Overall, it is generally better to have patience and discipline to stick with your investment strategy and remind yourself that bear markets always come to an end.
How does investment trading work?
Stock trading involves buying and selling shares in companies in an effort to make money on the changes in price. Traders watch the short-term price fluctuations of these stocks closely and then try to buy low and sell high. You can do this on your own through a brokerage account or though an IIROC licensed agent. IIROC (Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada) has a great video explaining how a trade works – Click here to watch the video.
The vast majority of stock trades take place between investors. For example, if you want to buy shares of Microsoft and hit the “buy” button through your broker’s website or through your advisor, you are buying shares that another investor has decided to sell — not from Microsoft itself. By purchasing shares of a stock, you become an investor in the company. Stock prices on exchanges are governed by supply and demand, plain and simple. At any given time, there’s a maximum price someone is willing to pay for a certain stock – the bid price – and a minimum price someone else is willing to set for the shares of stock – the ask price.
When you buy a stock (ETF, mutual fund, and bonds work in a similar manner) the simplified process is as follows:
- You tell your broker what investment you want to buy and how many units/shares you want.
- Your broker relays your order to the exchange where someone else is looking to sell them from you at the current market price.
- The shares are then delivered to your account.
The bottom line is to understand that the market works like an auction system, and prices are governed by supply and demand – not just the underlying fundamentals of the company you are buying.
Are the investments protected?
Your bank accounts are protected by the CDIC (Canada Deposit Insurance Corp) in the event that your financial institution fails. It in general provides coverage up to $100,000 for the following:
- Savings and chequing accounts
- Guaranteed Investment Certificates (GICs) and other term deposits
- Money orders and bank drafts
- Certified cheques
- Foreign currency (eg. $U.S.)
Your investments, however, are protected by CFIP (Canadian Investor Protection Fund) in general up to $1,000,000 per account, which include:
- Mutual funds
- Stocks and bonds
- Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)
- Cryptocurrencies
The Canadian Investor Protection Fund only protects investors for losses that result from the insolvency of an investment firm. It does not protect investors from losses that occur because an investor put money in a fund that was not appropriate for their risk profile, or if the investor was defrauded or manipulated, or because poor information was given to a client, or because a client was misled.
These products offer various additional guarantees above what the CIDC and CIPF offer:
- GICs, Term Deposits, and Treasury Bills
- Bonds
- Segregated Funds
- Fixed Annuities
- Money Market Accounts
- Whole Life Insurance
If you’re looking for a safe and secure investment with a guaranteed return or low risk, then one of the above may be the right choice. However, it’s essential to do your research before investing in one of these products and discuss it with your advisor before proceeding to ensure it fits into your overall investment plan.
What is the difference between an MFDA and IIROC licensed advisor?
First off, we are IIROC (aka securities) licensed and are attached to PEAK Securities Inc. Secondly, what does that mean?
If an advisor is MFDA-licensed they can offer advice and execute trades related to mutual funds. If they meet enhanced proficiency requirements, they can also provide access to exchange-traded funds. The Mutual Fund Dealer’s Association of Canada (MFDA) oversees regulation of mutual fund dealers and sales representatives.
If an advisor is IIROC-licensed they can provide access to securities such as individual stocks, bonds, derivatives and commodities in addition to the products and services offered by MFDA-licensed advisors. The Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) oversees regulation of “full-service” investment dealers and their advisors.
How do you know if your advisor is IIROC licensed?
All Canadian investment firms and individual Investment Advisors dealing in Canada’s stock and bond markets must be registered with IIROC. IIROC’s AdvisorReport lists all the advisors registered and provides a way to check their qualifications – including any history of discipline.
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