As the weather turns warmer and lockdowns hopefully start to ease, I’m sure you’re looking forward to more outdoor leisure activities just as much as I am.  And over the next 12 months, I look forward to seeing more of you in person.

And by “in person,” I don’t mean “Zoom in person.”  I mean “in person in person”!

Over to the markets:  There are always many winners and many losers.  The big question is, who will be who?

I believe that the right strategy is to have a balanced approach, something our Founder and Mentor, John Ardill, touches upon in his contribution to this newsletter.

Perhaps you happen to have a crystal ball, so you know exactly what the market is going to do, and you can invest all of your money in just the right spots.  Lucky you.

For the rest of us, who cannot predict the future, it is a balanced approach that will carry the day.

WHERE SHOULD YOUR MONEY BE?

Bonds and GICs are very poor investments right now.  They are not where you want your money to be. Outside of the emergency funds you need to keep on hand, you want your money deployed into high quality asset mixes.  Into high quality, publicly traded baskets of securities that are not overpriced.  Into high quality private equity and other asset classes such as real estate and cash value life insurance.

As always, when you are considering what do to, we serve as your special counsel.  A client recently said to me: “Ian, I am calling in for my quarterly dose of therapy.” He was half-joking, but wanting to receive comfort with how his investments were positioned.

Our clients are very smart people.  But I think we all know that everyone can benefit from having a conversation with an objective third party.  It is easy for investors to get stuck in their own head, to an extent.  We can help you get out of it, to see more clearly, and to feel more confident and in control.

Now, before summer begins, is the perfect time for a call.  I look forward to hearing from you!

If I miss you during the summer months, I am looking forward to taking a few weeks off with my children while they are young.  Family, it’s a beautiful thing!

Happy summer,

Ian.

PS: MONEY MATCH!

This newsletter marks an exciting first, in that it includes the first of a new video series we call Money Match, inspired by our brand promise:  Just the right match for your money™.  We are proud to have invested in some professional camera gear and editing – we can’t wait to hear what you think of the product that has resulted.

In the inaugural video, I interview Danny Freedman, Owner of Make Space, a company that’s done an outstanding job of creating a very attractive business model – and a company we are proud to be invested in.  Check it out!

Ian Ardill, B.A., M.T.S.

Private Wealth Advisor
CEO, Ardill Group

Direct: 1 905 717 5698

Office: 1 905 907 7000

ian@ardillgroup.com

The post There Will Be Winners and Losers first appeared on Ardill Group.

Summer is almost here – and for many folks, that means indulging in some classic summertime treats (as if we didn’t do enough of that during lockdown).  So:  in the mood for some Baskin Robbins ice cream?

We can’t promise you anything, but we know someone who can get a great dessert deal at all Baskin Robbins locations across Canada – because his company provides them with commercial insurance.  His name is Mark Smith, of JD Smith Insurance, and we are proud to feature his brokerage as our property and casualty (P&C) insurance partner in this quarter’s Ecosystem Update.

Mark’s father, Dr. JD Smith, started the company – which now serves over 12,000 customers across Canada – with a single client in 1979.  Mark has been a broker for over 25 years and has grown the business to ice cream and beyond:  including dozens of franchises with a total of over 1,000 locations – and clients as diverse as manufacturers and distributors, importers/exporters, churches and charities, summer camps and day schools, universities and colleges, builders, condo towers, plaza owners, Rogers Centre events, and even Caribana.

Along the way, JD Smith Insurance has pioneered many innovative insurance programs and grown into one of Canada’s leading P&C insurance brokers.

We are happy with Mark and his team because they have really gone the extra mile for our clients!  They have strongly positioned themselves on the client’s side.  You need the right coverage at the best price, and JDS has been getting both for our clients.

As Mark puts it, “Our team of 24 brokers and assistants works with Canada’s top insurance carriers.  Because of the volume we do, we get special group pricing.  And just like Ian and John, we do a deep dive into the client’s business and make sure we have just the right solution – in this case, just the right coverage for the risk.  Our philosophy is that we are working for the customer, not the insurance company.  We want to run our business in a God-honouring and ethical way.”

Further to the summer theme, here’s a tip from Mark:  as you may have heard, lumber prices are two to three times what they were pre-Covid.  If you have a cottage, make sure it is insured to its current replacement value, which could very well be higher than when you last insured it.

No matter your commercial or personal insurance needs, feel free to set up a consultation through Ian.  Says Mark: “We try really hard to never say ‘no’.”

Want to learn more about JDS Financial?  Check out their website at www.jdsmithinsurance.com or give us a call.  And have a look at our full ecosystem here: https://www.ardillgroup.com/our-ecosystem/

The post Ecosystem update: JDS Financial first appeared on Ardill Group.

Check out the inaugural video, my interview with Danny Freedman, owner of Make Space!  They have done an outstanding job building an attractive business model and we are proud to be invested in them.

The post NEW: MONEY MATCH! first appeared on Ardill Group.

“Investing should be like a garden. Each year, you plant a few things, you harvest a few things. But you should never uproot the whole garden at once. Something should always be in bloom.”
— Shelby Davis

Some investors hunt for the latest trend that has the potential to score big.

You hear about the winners, but not the losers.

Bitcoin, for example, has made some investors wealthy and others poor. And now we have Dogecoin’s 12,000% rally driving the hunt for the next crypto winner. These investors are betting that cheaper alternatives to Bitcoin and Dogecoin will skyrocket in price and make them money. Is this gambling or is this prudent investing? We all know the answer, so if you want to gamble with some of your money – emphasis on some, as in 5% or less of your net investable assets – go ahead.

Personally, I want my portfolio to work in all economic circumstances. I want it to have lower risk, especially with these nagging questions that have no easy answers:

Will there be:
1. Out-of-control inflation?
2. Increasing interest rates?
3. A bubble that will burst in different sectors?

I know your concerns are real, and that consuming the news can really spook us. I don’t think it’s controversial to say that watching too much news can be negative for your mental health. Personally I have really cut down on my consumption.

Be careful when you’re in a negative state of mind: your decisions can become irrational. A good advisor helps manage your portfolio – but, above all, helps manage your emotions. Nothing and no one can be more effective at keeping you from getting carried away and taking risks you’ll regret later.

That said, even advisors can get carried away, especially at times like these, when markets are awash in liquidity and speculation seems unstoppable. Now is an ideal time to check in with – and check up on – your advisors. Before it’s too late, make sure they can manage not just your emotions, but their own. I have no doubt that the best advisors are good at keeping their clients from bailing miserably at market bottoms and buying euphorically at the tops. But we have to remember that advisors are human too.

HANDCUFFS
Most advisors are handcuffed and have limited options. What do I mean by this? There are over 40 sectors to invest in and most advisors can only direct you to invest in some of them. Therefore they can deliver less diversification, especially into investments that are non-correlated with the stock market.

The advantage we have at Ardill Group is our ecosystem: we have an almost infinite range of investment solutions. This allows us to assist in structuring your portfolio for future economic circumstances. As you may know, we love private capital investments, that add diversification, to be blended into your overall portfolio. In the 2008-2009 crash, I was better off than most because I was diversified into the private capital market (PCM). Downturns are inevitable, so get your seat belt on and let us review your plan.

As summer approaches, I wish you a great one. I am looking forward to getting in some physical activity, doing some gardening and watching things grow.

John Ardill
Founder and Mentor
Ardill Group
Direct: 1 416 400 5882
Office: 1 905 907 7000
john@ardillgroup.com

The post How do I get rich quick? first appeared on Ardill Group.