Cybersecurity - How High Net Worth Households Can Protect Themselves

https://www.rbcwealthmanagement.com/ca/en/research-insights/cybersecurity-how-high-net-worth-households-can-protect-themselves/detail/

Federal Budget 2019

RBC Wealth Management Services was granted access to the Federal Budget lock-up in Ottawa on March 19, 2019. As a result, we are happy to provide you with the highlights of the key tax measures that are of most interest to Canadian investors.

For more details, please refer to the 2019 Federal Budget article.

https://www.rbcwealthmanagement.com/ca/en/research-insights/federal-budget-2019-key-tax-measures-that-have-a-direct-impact-on-you/

If you have any questions about the Budget, how it impacts you, or any other wealth management issues, please feel free to contact us at any time.

Davos 2019 - Globalization of the Digital Age

Dave MacKay, President and CEO of RBC attended the World Economic Forum in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland at the end of January.  Please read his commentary on this important international organization that is committed to improving the state of the world.  

 https://discover.rbcroyalbank.com/davos-2019-globalization-in-a-digital-age/

Behavioral Finance Conference for Advisors

 

On Sept 28^th Bill & Rob attended a Behavioral Finance conference for Advisors put on by The Investments & Wealth Institute in Toronto. IWI is a North American wide professional association, advanced education provider, and standards body for financial advisors, investment consultants, and wealth managers who embrace excellence and ethics. Through this event we were introduced to such concepts as Applied Behavioral Finance which affects both investors and advisors alike. It is important for recognizing both our own biases and those of our clients in order to achieve better outcomes, maintain a disciplined investment policy and manage risk levels.

 

Volatility is back: What the selloff means

While the market’s swoon was jarring, we believe investors should maintain equity positions, as healthy economic and earnings growth prospects provide solid underpinnings for equities.

Volatility has come back with a vengeance with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 each falling more than 4% on Monday after struggling in previous sessions. At its worst level, the Dow briefly dropped 1,597 points late in the session before recovering some of that lost ground to close down “only” 1,175 points. The Dow and S&P 500 are off 8.5% and 7.8% from their highs, respectively.

Click here for further reading

Cobequid Community Centre Walk/Run - October 15th, 2017

On a beautiful fall day, Donna McKenna of the Merchant Moffatt Wealth Management Team, participated in the 10km Run for the Cobequid Community Health Centre.  Together, with 24 fellow RBC employees, the RBC team raised over $7000 with the help of the RBC Foundation.

Over the past 24 years Walk Run has raised over $1 million while bringing the community together and encouraging healthy and active lifestyles.  The funds from the 2017 event will go directly to the Emergency Department to enhance services.  Annually the Cobequid's Emergency Department services over 41,000 and is the third busiest in the province.

 

 

Ottawa Team Trip

 

  

 

Bill, Rob and Robert, the partners of the Merchant Moffatt Wealth Management took their associates and spouses to an all-expenses paid trip to Ottawa for 4 days in mid June.  It was a jam packed weekend and not a moment was wasted. 

We called the Fairmont Chateau Laurier home for the weekend and it did not disappoint  Once settled in, people enjoyed a variety of activities and the best that Ottawa had to offer them throughout the weekend.

Baseball games
Ribfest
Ottawa Craft Beerfest and Run
Rock Climbing
The National War Museum
Tour of Parliament
Biking
The National Gallery
Brewery Tours
Shopping and more shopping
Walking along the Rideau Canal
Spa
Swimming

We arrived on Thursday and soon began the weekend routine – during the day, everyone scattering to scout out favourite local sights and activities, mega shopping and meeting up with Ottawa friends and/or family.  In the evenings, many of us gathered together again for a meal or a few drinks or a night on the town.

Saturday evening was our big celebratory dinner in the private dining room of Tosca Restaurant.  We ate more good food, raised a few glasses of grapes, roasted each other and told stories of our individual Ottawa adventures and recalled other good times we’ve had before this. 

We all expressed our gratitude for our good fortune to be able to attend such a wonderful weekend with our colleagues.

 

  

Joy Pratt attends Power of the Purse

 

On Tuesday, June 20^th, Joy Pratt had the opportunity to join two of our clients at the first “Power of the Purse” conference to be held in Halifax. We were not sure what exactly it entailed but the day far exceeded any expectations, according to Joy. A one-day women’s conference sponsored by RBC, its founder, Cynthia O’Neill, provided a lineup of inspiring guest speakers:

• Line Pelletier, Finalist on Masterchef Canada (2015) overcame many challenges in her life to achieve such things as becoming the first female sharpshooter in the Air Force (1987,) awarded a full scholarship to Le Cordon Bleu (2016) and just recently asked by the Le Cordon Bleu President and CEO to represent them internationally.
• Linda Marshall, President, Marshall Connects Author of Giving Back, How to Find Your Personal Joy and Make a Difference to Others. She reminded us to choose to be joyful and grateful and view every day as an opportunity to make a difference.
• Joanna Killen, Founder of Momentum Canada shared with us her journey to find her passion and purpose while struggling with depression. She is now working with her co-founders to provide sales skills to small business entrepreneurs.
• Jen Grant, Stand up Comic, CBC debater, entertained us while sharing her struggles to break into the stand-up comedy world where failure is frequent. After bombing on stage, she was able to pick herself up by recognizing that this was not her defining moment. What she learned – “Don’t avoid the bomb. Embrace it.” She has gone on to become successful and confident on stage as demonstrated by the way she kept us laughing!
• Hannah Vaughn, RBC Olympian, Canadian Kayaker, told us about the life of an Olympic athlete – sleep, practice, eat, practice, eat, practice, eat, sleep, repeat daily for several months! She drove home the point that the realization of your goal often lasts for no more than minutes while the process that allows you to attain your goal is much longer. If you don’t enjoy the process involved to reach your goal, then a large part of your life is not enjoyable.
• Alison Smith, Recovering Perfectionist, Mother and Parenting Coach, asked us to consider…”Are you wishing or planning your goals?” She emphasized what she has learned as a “recovering perfectionist” which is that “imperfect action is better than no action at all.”
• Denise Pelley, Recording Artist, Actor, Human Welfare Advocate shared some experiences that had particularly touched her on her annual travels to South Sudan where she brings the joy of music to children which was interjected with songs that she performed with us.

Brenda Saunders-Todd, the executive director of Dress for Success shared the purpose of Dress for Success and some testimonies of ladies who had experienced life-changing success as a result of the assistance that they received from the organization. Through raffle tickets, clothing sales and donations – including $5 per book by Linda Marshall for every book sold at the conference – Dress for Success raised just over $1,000. Then, Cecilia Moore, VP Commercial Financial Services, RBC Royal Bank announced that RBC was also donating $1,000! Dress for Success primary source of donations is clothing. This is a great help in providing their clients the professional clothing that they need to work, however monetary donations “keep the lights on!”

Overall, it was an inspiring day with food for thought for everyone. We were thankful and happy that Joy was able to take the opportunity to attend and host our clients.

 

Rob Merchant visits BlueBay Asset Management

In November, 2016 I visited with BlueBay Asset Management in London, England to learn more about their methodology for investing in European debt markets and in particular how they manage the RBC BlueBay Global Convertible Bond Fund. 

BlueBay was founded in 2001 in response to new opportunities in the European corporate debt market, and in anticipation of the expansion of emerging market fixed income as an institutional asset class.