Harper Fraze

Industry

Opinion: How to reform a rotting banking advice system

It's time for change, advisor suggests

By Harper Fraze |May 30, 2017

5 min read

Industry

One advisor’s open letter to Justin Trudeau

Harper -- not that Harper -- thinks Justin Trudeau's heading the wrong way on a couple of issues.

By Harper Fraze |November 2, 2015

4 min read

Industry

Are you at risk?

Advisors now face the challenge of reassessing not only their clients’ risk tolerance levels, but also the nature of risk itself, thanks to the downgrade of U.S. debt to below AAA.

By Harper Fraze |September 13, 2011

6 min read

Industry

Risk is back

Advisors now face the challenge of reassessing not only their clients’ risk tolerance levels, but also the nature of risk itself, thanks to the downgrade of U.S. debt to below AAA.

By Harper Fraze |September 1, 2011

6 min read

Planning and Advice

What’s a regulator good for? In Canada, not much

In my last column, I assailed the bad behaviour I see — and tragically, continue to see — from financial advisors. As seen in several news articles in the past few months, poor conduct is not limited to advisors: regulators are guilty, too.

By Harper Fraze |March 1, 2011

5 min read

Planning and Advice

Compensation debate rages on

There are two opposing camps with respect to the compensation debate: Those who believe a fully transparent, fee-only model is the only path to professional respectability; and Those who see the current variety of compensation models as sufficient for the Canadian marketplace.

By Harper Fraze |November 1, 2010

6 min read

Industry

The paradox of transparency

A friend of mine has been busy for the past few years, converting his practice to a fee-based model. He charges his clients an annual fee, billed monthly and based on a percentage of the assets he manages for them. He receives no compensation from any products he uses in his model portfolios. ETFs, F-Class […]

By Harper Fraze |August 17, 2010

6 min read

Industry

Bull markets ruin good planning

A client of mine sells security systems. Whenever he has potential customers call him about buying a home alarm, he asks them when they were robbed. He knows most people take home security seriously after they’ve had a break-in. Human nature is like that. We only prepare for risks after they’ve hit close to home. […]

By Harper Fraze |June 11, 2010

4 min read