Industry News

Morningstar to launch pooled funds database

(September 7, 2004) A database grouping Canada’s nearly 900 pooled mutual funds by industry-standard categories is set for launch later this month, Morningstar Canada announced today. There are 16 pooled fund categories approved by the Canadian Investment Funds Standards Committee (CIFSC), compared to 35 categories in the retail fund arena. “We can’t have all the […]

By Doug Watt |September 7, 2004

2 min read

Bond fund risks outweigh rewards, says analyst

Bond funds are generally poor investments, with fees that are far too high, wiping out much of their returns and making them not worth the risk for the average investor, according to one prominent mutual fund analyst. “With interest rates at multi-decade lows and the prospect of rate hikes ahead of us, many are leery […]

By Steven Lamb |September 7, 2004

2 min read

Conference season: An advisor’s guide to this fall’s major events

(September 3, 2004) With the summer months officially behind us, the financial services industry is gearing up for another busy conference season, with close to two dozen events on the fall agenda, including IFIC’s annual conference and the Advisor Forum series. It’s a relatively late start for autumn conferences in Canada this year, with IFIC […]

By Doug Watt |September 3, 2004

3 min read

Savings bonds here to stay, says finance minister

(September 3, 2004) The federal department of finance is looking into possible reforms to the Canada Savings Bond (CSB) program, officially called the Retail Debt Program, after a report commissioned by the government recommended scrapping the bond program altogether. “We are assessing the Retail Debt Program in the context of a much-improved fiscal situation and […]

By Steven Lamb |September 3, 2004

4 min read