Investors Group rebrands as IG Wealth Management and launches IG Living Plan™, a holistic approach to financial planning Français
WINNIPEG, Oct. 2, 2018 /CNW/ - Investors Group, the iconic 92-year-old Canadian financial services company, today announced it has rebranded as IG Wealth Management, reflecting its central focus on helping clients grow their wealth. The firm also announced the launch of the IG Living Plan™ a holistic, client-centric approach to financial planning that reflects the evolving needs, goals and aspirations of Canadian families and individuals.
"IG has nearly a century of financial planning excellence, but our name needed to evolve to better communicate our core purpose: building and managing wealth. The new IG Wealth Management brand highlights what our Consultants do on behalf of all our clients," said Jeff Carney, President and Chief Executive Officer, IG Wealth Management. "Our new name better reflects our synchronized approach to wealth management which considers the entire financial picture and is designed to improve every aspect of our clients' financial life."
The IG Living Plan™ provides a single, integrated view of all aspects of a client's finances including retirement and estate planning, investments and tax strategies, creating a truly synchronized and comprehensive plan. The IG Living Plan™ will leverage the experience and expertise of IG Wealth Management's 2,100 Consultant practices, including the largest number Certified Financial Planners in Canada, who serve over 1 million clients in 10 provinces and 3 territories.
The IG Wealth Management approach will give Canadians confidence to achieve the goals they have in life. With the IG Living Plan™, all three variables that determine wealth outcomes in a financial plan are included:
- selection of individual funds;
- overall exposure to the market;
- factors outside of an average investment portfolio such as savings rate, tax strategies, retirement and estate planning.
"IG Wealth Management has a huge opportunity as Canadians have $4.1 trillion in financial wealth, with growing segments in mass market, mass affluent and high net worth," said Carney. "The IG Living Plan™ will enable the company to better address the needs of Canadians, including those with more than $1 million in assets, who hold 70 per cent of household wealth and account for 21 per cent of IG assets under management."
Overall, IG Wealth Management had record-high gross sales during 2017, up 25 per cent, and a record high level of assets under management, up 8 per cent. The firm saw an 83 per cent increase in gross sales of high net worth solutions in 2017 compared to 2016. Assets under management have continued to grow, and are at an all-time high, with investment fund assets under management at $89.8 billion as of August 31, 2018, an increase of 5.3 per cent compared to $84.3 billion at June 30, 2017.
"All of our research and dialogue with clients reinforce that Canadians' definition of retirement continues to evolve, they are enthusiastic about all of life's possibilities, leading to more choice and increased financial complexity," added Doug Milne, Chief Marketing Officer, IG Wealth Management. "Retirement is no longer a static or straight line. Clients need a proactive advisor and a plan that's flexible, like the IG Living Plan™, to properly explore the choices now available to them. As a firm, we've embraced this as part of our new media campaign launching this fall titled Welcome Change."
Branding of IG Wealth Management and the launch of the IG Living Plan™ are only the latest steps in the evolution of a company that has been a Canadian icon for 92 years. Some of the most recent steps we have executed include:
- Ensuring that IG Wealth Management Consultants have a level of training beyond industry standards, including either a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) certification or in Quebec the planification financière (F.PI.) certification. Substantially all of IG Wealth Management Consultant practices have a team member with either a CFP or F.PI. or are currently enrolled in a program to earn one.
- Introducing National Client Advisory Councils to give clients a forum to share their insights and ideas with senior leadership. The Client Advisory Councils complement the firm's extensive and ongoing "voice of the client" research efforts.
- Changing Consultant compensation so it more closely aligns with the client's best interest, including outcomes and client satisfaction, based in part on the results of independent, third-party surveys.
- Eliminating deferred sales charge commissions, and introducing additional pricing options to ensure our offering is competitive with our client segments.
- Making fee transparency a high priority, with the decision to offer unbundled fee-based products for all clients over the next 24 months, so that clients know exactly what they are paying for, including the real cost of the advice they receive, a step that will deepen clients' trust in the firm.
About IG Wealth Management
Founded in 1926, IG Wealth Management is a national leader in delivering personalized financial solutions to Canadians through a network of Consultants located across Canada. In addition to an exclusive family of mutual funds and other investment vehicles, IG offers a wide range of other financial services. IG Wealth Management has $89.8 billion in assets under management as of August 31, 2018 and is a member of the IGM Financial Inc. (TSX: IGM) group of companies. IGM Financial is one of Canada's premier financial services companies with over $161.1 billion in total assets under management as of August 31, 2018.
SOURCE IG Wealth Management
Media Contacts: Trish Tervit, IGM Financial, Tel: 416-967-2166, [email protected]
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