Toronto Investment Professionals Place Highest Value on Good Client Relationship

Nearly two thirds of Toronto's investment professionals focus on a good relationship fit first and foremost when bringing on new prospects

TORONTO, May 22, 2014 /CNW/ - Sixty percent of Toronto's investment professionals focus on a good relationship fit first and foremost when bringing on new prospects, according to a poll conducted at CFA Society Toronto's Wealth Conference. Furthermore, 93 percent believe  relationship building is one of the core ways that financial professionals can work towards rebuilding the trust of the public, with respondents stating that private wealth managers should focus their efforts on investment counseling and planning for their clients rather than trying to "beat" the market.

"Putting investors first is one of the fundamental steps that investment professionals can make to help strengthen trust within the industry.  By creating an environment where service to the client comes first, there is value gained for everyone involved." said CFA Society Toronto CEO, Sue Lemon, CFA.

In addition, three quarters of those surveyed believe that the decline in trust in asset management firms has been a significant medium-term trend. When working with clients, 32 percent select an investment model based on their own specific risk tolerance and 29 percent base their work on a model based on a life balance sheet to meet their client's specific needs.

When asked to forecast REAL equity returns over the next several decades, investment professionals trended towards cautious with 56 percent surveyed predicting a 5-6 percent rate of return and 40 percent anticipating less than 5 percent in equity returns. For an extensive breakdown of survey results please email [email protected]

May commemorates CFA Institute's Putting Investors First Month, a global initiative which aims to encourage financial professionals to place the interests of investors above their own, and build awareness of the fiduciary duty to protect investor interests.  CFA Society Toronto celebrated this exciting initiative as a part of the Annual Wealth Conference, A Private Client Perspective.

The views expressed in the above-mentioned do not reflect the views of CFA Society Toronto.

About CFA Society Toronto
CFA Society Toronto supports the professional and business development of more than 8,000 CFA charterholders in Toronto, making it the second largest CFA Society in the world. It provides members with a local perspective on a global designation, including: educational programs, sponsored events, job postings, quarterly newsletters, a comprehensive affinity program and networking opportunities. A not-for-profit organization, CFA Society Toronto is affiliated with CFA Institute, the global body that administers the Chartered Financial Analyst curriculum and sets voluntary, ethics-based performance-reporting standards for the investment industry. CFA Society Toronto's members are leaders in ethics in the financial community. For more information, please refer to www.cfatoronto.ca.

SOURCE: CFA Society Toronto

Media contact: Sara Pacella, Manager, Marketing & Public Relations, CFA Society Toronto, Tel: [phone] X 235, [email protected]