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.