As I scanned MarketWatch recently, I was struck by what “Scared to be penniless” had written to The Moneyist, the site’s personal finance editor: “Here I am at 65 and ready to finally retire and I’m scared that I will become penniless.” As I read on to find a paid-off mortgage, a military pension, health…

In wealth management, we focus heavily on client milestones—the just-married couple, the single female buying her first home, clients ready to retire, etc. But there’s a demographic I’m seeing that’s often overlooked in the current models: Fifty-somethings. Far from “just starting out” yet not “ready to retire,” this group is looking out for a more…

Workplace financial wellness is a multi-billion dollar market. And while corporate programs are not new, they’ve not yet taken hold as most companies hoped they would. With mostly limited uptake and low sustained usage, workplace financial wellness could use a shot in the arm to better deliver the outcomes employers want. That means the timing…

The outlook for wealth managers should feel rosy, in theory. After all, the demographics of wealth are promising. Consider: In 2018, the global ultra-wealthy population with net worth of >$30M rose to 22.4 million people [i] Global wealth management assets under management (AUM) is set to double by 2020 to $145T [ii] By 2020, women…

A modern back-office could save wealth management firms millions of dollars. But, in the rush to equip advisors with the best digital technologies, the back-office is sometimes neglected. I advise my clients to focus on both. The savings generated by modernizing back-office operations could help fuel customer-facing transformation. Accenture research tells us that by 2020,…

Canada’s wealth management landscape continues to transform. I see increased eagerness from clients to discuss the ‘New’, with them initiating conversations that used to require my coaxing. This results from the usual suspects: market and consumer forces, as well as digital technology disruption. From changing investor demographics and preferences, to the rise of digitally native…