Christian Farstad - Vancouver ScotiaMcleod

Getting to Know Our Client

A true client-advisor relationship is built on trust – trust which builds over time.  It is therefore important for both of us to be completely comfortable during the entire process of helping you achieve your goals. I believe in complete openness and transparency, making sure that everything we do is right out on the table.

Hopefully, we will have had answered many of your questions through this website, but a preliminary meeting will give us both the opportunity to determine if there is a true fit.

Presenting The Solution

Once the game plan is set, the next step is finding the right investment strategy.  This includes an assessment of your current investable assets and portfolio setup, followed by a proposal for how best to manage those investments so that they are in line with your risk tolerance and objectives.  Every step of this process will be fully explained and an Investment Proposal will be presented to you, along with an Investment Policy Statement.  Both of these are integral components to our Client Commitment process and not only put us on the same side of the table as you, but serve to set our objectives and strategy on paper.

Implementing A Disciplined Strategy

Depending on the make-up of the assets you currently have, establishing the new investment strategy will be done in such a manner as to minimizing the costs to you, including taxes.  The strategy will then be implemented according to the Investment Policy Statement and I will confirm this with you.

Constant Monitoring and Review

I cannot stress enough that an investment strategy must be disciplined, which means making sure that your portfolio is constantly monitored.  Performance is just one element in this monitoring process.  Strict attention to asset-class weighting  and regular rebalancing is the best way to ensure that the portfolio is diversified and structured to be consistent with your objectives and changing circumstances.

Staying In Contact

All clients are different in terms of the degree of contact they want with their advisor during a given year and I tailor the advisory service to the client’s requirements.  At a minimum, I provide an annual review of all investments, but I recommend a semi-annual review process so that issues of rebalancing can be better addressed and explained.  If there are ever major developments in the market that affect your investments, we will contact you by phone or email.  This will again be handled according to client preference. Of course, I encourage clients to meet with us and any member of our team of experts whenever there are major questions or issues regarding either the investment accounts or any other financial matters.