Alison MacAlpine

Blowing the whistle

Let’s set the scene: You’re at an industry gathering, the wine flowing freely, when another advisor boasts about getting his most conservative clients into a portfolio of emerging market equities. Or maybe you’re walking past your colleague’s open office door, on your way to a client meeting, when you overhear her placing an order you’re […]

By Alison MacAlpine |December 24, 2010

8 min read

Planning and Advice

Blowing the whistle

By Alison MacAlpine |November 1, 2010

8 min read

Industry

What’s in your inbox?

About 247 billion e-mails crackle across global Internet networks every day, according to The Radicati Group, Inc. That works out to more than 2.8 million e-mails sent every second from 2.9 billion accounts. About one in four of those accounts is a corporate account, and corporate users receive an average of 74 e-mails and send […]

By Alison MacAlpine |October 1, 2010

12 min read

Industry

Charting a course to IIROC

Reams of paper. Thousands of “sign here” stickies. A fully stocked drawer of pens. A generous supply of office supplies isn’t all you’ll need to make the switch from the Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada (MFDA) platform to the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) platform. But it is absolutely essential. Advisors who’ve […]

By Alison MacAlpine |June 2, 2010

10 min read

Planning and Advice

Charting a course to IIROC

By Alison MacAlpine |April 1, 2010

10 min read

Planning and Advice

Getting established is hard work

A financial advisor’s first 10 years in business can be precarious.

By Alison MacAlpine |January 1, 2010

11 min read

Planning and Advice

Knowing what your clients want

Knowing what clients want is the key to unlocking more successful relationships and building a stronger financial planning practice. The trouble is, chasing client desires through different market environments can make the most seasoned advisor’s head spin. After all, in the middle of a bull market, how many of your clients are looking for security? […]

By Alison MacAlpine |December 21, 2009

12 min read

Planning and Advice

Attract the best to build your team

Chances are, the next time you’re looking for a talented team member for your practice, you won’t rent out an auditorium, take your seat in the judge’s chair and wince your way through dozens of bad acts in the hope of finding one exceptional star. But even if your interview process doesn’t make for ratings-grabbing […]

By Alison MacAlpine |October 1, 2009

9 min read

Planning and Advice

Responding to HNW fears of scandals

Earl Jones and Bernie Madoff defrauded investors of millions and billions of dollars, respectively. They both ran schemes that went undetected for decades. Then they ended up in the media spotlight alongside reports of unprecedented market turbulence and a global recession. Accordingly, high-net-worth (HNW) investors are feeling anxious. The question is, what are you doing […]

By Alison MacAlpine |September 15, 2009

5 min read