Frequently Asked Questions
What are your qualifications?
We are uniquely qualified through both Professional Designations and Unparalleled Experience. Years of experience as Investment Advisors, fully qualified Portfolio Managers, Chartered Professional Accountants, Chartered Accountants, Chartered Financial Analysts, Multi-Generational/Succession Planning Experts, are but a few of our qualifications. Most importantly, we are a team of individuals qualified by a strong work ethic and a genuine passion for our business, not unlike the passion and work ethic we see our clients have for their own businesses.
What makes you unique from other Investment Advisors?
Our clients unique situations demand tailored solutions, and we provide these in a clear and concise way. We believe it is imperative for clients to truly understand what it is they own, and we tailor portfolios with this in mind, avoiding needless complexity and the lack of transparency that comes with it.
We also encourage client input, and because we are focused on providing customized solutions, we can incorporate individual equities or funds that the client wishes to hold. This input is core to our tailored solution approach.
We also design your portfolios considering all of your assets, which includes your personal residence(s), and may include a family business or investment portfolio held elsewhere. We recognize that often your portfolio is only a part of your assets, and should be built to ensure your entire asset base is diversified.
Finally, we offer a wide range of services which include advice and facilitation leading to the creation of successful succession and wealth transition plans. We design portfolios with this in mind, looking for investments that will perform over decades, not just months.
Are you Independent?
We are fully independent in our investment choices and decisions. We are not limited to BMO specific investments. We carefully review and evaluate all investment choices and decisions.
What is the typical profile of the clients you work with?
Typically our clients are successful Entrepreneurs and Business Builders. Our clients are people very much like ourselves, individuals and families who have enjoyed extraordinary success as business people and have sold, or are in the process of selling their businesses, and are now managing the wealth that resulted from their success.
Where does your research come from for the investments you recommend?
The research behind many of our investment decisions comes from the BMO Nesbitt Burns Research Team of 70 analysts covering over 900 companies around the world. BMO Capital Markets was named the Best Overall Institutional Equity Research, sales and trading team in Canada according to the 2010 Brendan Wood International survey*, and has won numerous awards for research in Fixed Income and Currencies.
We augment our top-rated BMO research with research from a wide range of global financial institutions and boutiques. This ensures we have as much knowledge from as many sources as possible backing the decisions of Hamilton & Associates.
*Brendan Wood International Survey. Institutional Equity Research, Sales and Trading Performance in Canada 1981-2010. Results apply to BMO Nesbitt Burns and its predecessor firms.
If the researchers are members of BMO team, are they biased towards BMO products?
No, our research team at BMO looks at opportunities from all around the world. More than 95% of BMO Capital Market’s coverage universe of stocks, fixed income, currencies, mutual funds, hedge funds, and other investments are not BMO products.
What about the investment products I already have?
We will review each specific investment you currently hold and determine which, if any, should be held, and which should be sold according to your investment strategy and Investment Policy Statement. We base our decisions on not only our years of experience, but also our extensive research capabilities.
How easy is it for me to switch from my current advisor over to yourselves?
The administration of moving your investments from whom you currently deal with over to Hamilton & Associates is carried out with very little administrative inconvenience to you the client. A simple set of forms signed by you enables us to move the custody of all the funds over to our team within BMO Nesbitt Burns. We take care of all the admin for you.