With access to a broad range of investment solutions, we will recommend specific solutions tailored to your needs while complementing your overall wealth management strategy.
The vast majority of our clients work with us through the firm-managed discretionary account known as the BMO Private Wealth Architect Program. You can also opt to work with us through the BMO Private Wealth Meridian Program.
Together with you, we will select the ideal portfolio for your needs.
This is a customized document we create that sets down your goals, risk tolerance, time horizon, and other personalized parameters such as your preferences and interests. Using this unique profile as a roadmap that guides our decisions, we will do all the day-to-day buying, selling, research and wealth planning for you. This frees you from having to make investment decisions and free us to act quickly when opportunities or risks arise without having to obtain your permission for every trade. You pay one single, asset-based fee and our interests are aligned because you and our team both benefit when your asset base grows.
The Architect platform gives us the ability to combine professionally managed investment solutions with the option to include client-directed investments – all within a single portfolio solution, and for a predictable, transparent fee. Architect enables us to build an investment portfolio that is tailor-made to your investor profile, preferences and risk tolerance, giving you the latitude you need to achieve your long-term objectives.
Architect provides flexibility in building a dual currency portfolio – Canadian and U.S. dollar investments – that aligns to your personal goals while considering what’s important to you as an investor, including the sustainability and ethical impact of your investments. You’ll have the ability to construct a portfolio that recognizes these priorities, and the opportunity to go beyond “off-the-shelf” investment solutions.
Architect includes both a managed sleeve and a client-directed sleeve through one investment account. Within the managed sleeve, you can combine one of more professionally managed investment solutions. The client-directed sleeve further enhances your flexibility by allowing us to add complementary individual investments, including equities, fixed income instruments, mutual funds, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), either when you open your Architect portfolio or as we continue to build your investment portfolio over time.
We offer you access to institutional-calibre investment managers, enhanced diversification and active portfolio oversight. Your portfolio is rebalanced quarterly to maintain your objectives and year-end tax loss harvesting minimizes tax reporting. This account allows us to combine various managers with different specializations and to use mutual funds for some categories that are not large enough in the portfolio to warrant using individual stocks or bonds. Mutual funds are held in the same account as your managed stocks or bonds, according to your unique parameters. Finally, this account even allows us to use low-cost exchange traded funds (ETFs) to build broad diversification at a very low cost.
Meridian is best suited for investors who prefer to have involvement in their investment decisions. Because Meridian is a client-directed, non-discretionary account, you have the final say in all investment decisions made for your account.
There is no minimum investment amount required to open a Meridian account, making the program ideal for your family’s smaller accounts. You also have the option to consolidate your registered and non-registered accounts with other qualifying accounts, such as individual, joint, and corporate or holding company accounts, within one household.
Our team provides you with advice and guidance to help you make informed choices for your portfolio. With no commission charges to execute transactions, you can take advantage of trading strategies appropriate for your investor profile without worrying about the cost of transaction fees.
Meridian provides all the benefits of full-service investing for one annual fee. Instead of paying commissions on each trade, you pay one single annual fee calculated as a percentage of your assets under management, which covers all associated program costs and provides exceptional value.