As we approach the end of the year, it’s a great time to take a look back. Which articles did you, the readers of Canadian Family Offices, enjoy most on our site?
The family office ecosystem in Canada is evolving rapidly, and we have been evolving along with it, honing our editorial offerings and expanding our coverage and analysis.
Here are the most-read articles for the second half of 2024, July through December. (To see the most popular articles for January through June, click here.)
Thank you for reading.
July: Co-founder of Wellington-Altus on building $30 billion firm
Shaun Hauser on ‘secret sauce’ to success, which wealth advisories will thrive in Canada and what wealthy clients are looking for
Shaun Hauser, who is today the co-founder and CEO of Wellington-Altus Financial in Winnipeg, felt boredom as an analyst sitting behind a desk years ago, so he pivoted to an entrepreneurial approach in the wealth management field.
He ended up launching Wellington West Asset Management, which later sold for $333 million. Then he joined the senior leadership team at National Bank Financial.
In 2017, Hauser got the entrepreneurial itch again and co-founded Wellington-Altus, which is now past $30 billion in assets under administration.
In this interview, he talks about his career path, Wellington-Altus’s secret sauce and what he sees ahead for his firm and the wealth management industry in Canada.
Click here to read the article.
August: John Carswell has some concerns—again—and investors might want to pay attention
The Canso founder was right about the sub-prime crisis. Today, he is questioning the consensus on private credit and inflation
Back in the mid-2000s, John Carswell, the founder, CEO and CIO of Canso Investment Counsel Ltd., ruffled a few feathers when he began warning about the risks building up in financial markets.
He said in an interview at the time: “We’ve believed for a couple of years that there has been a securitization mania going on, and that the separation of credit analysis from credit origination was a very dangerous thing.” Just months later, Lehman Bros. declared bankruptcy.
Carswell’s 2008 analysis is still cogent today. One of his current points of departure from industry consensus concerns private debt.
The asset class has boomed, and private credit funds have rapidly gained popularity even among retail investors. But Carswell questions whether either the firms peddling private debt funds or their investors truly understand the risks—or are being adequately compensated for those risks—in this article, which is part of the Member content on Canadian Family Offices.
Click here to read the article.
September: So you just won the lottery: Advice from a family office
After helping multiple winners navigate, Andrew Jeffery offers a comprehensive plan, and a few words of advice
We’ve all dreamt about winning the lottery and then quitting our jobs, travelling the world and never worrying about money again.
But after helping multiple lottery winners navigate their new reality, Andrew Jeffery of Northwood Family Office needs to pop that bubble. Sudden wealth often looks quite different than what we expect. This can apply whether you’ve inherited a tidy sum from a long-lost relative or signed a contract to play for the NBA.
Here are challenges that the team at Northwood has handled. Drawing on their experience, Jeffery outlines a comprehensive plan to consider should you or a friend or family member hit it big.
Click here to read the article.
October: ‘You should give them half your money’: For William and Suzanne Holland, giving begins with kids
The Holland family is passionate about helping children with special needs and addressing homelessness
As the executive chairman of CI Financial Corp., William Holland is at the helm of one of Canada’s largest wealth management companies. He was appointed CEO in 1999, and then chairman in September 2010.
Aside from being a major shareholder and director of CI, Holland is on the board of directors of Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation. Formerly MacMillan’s Children’s Centre, the hospital was renamed in 2006 in recognition of a substantial donation from the Holland family.
In this Q&A with Canadian Family Offices, Holland shares how he and his wife, Suzanne, became passionate about helping children with special needs, their belief that homelessness should be a priority for philanthropic families, and how their daughter, Kate, has given them their best financial advice.
Click here to read the article.
November: The List: Third-party pros who serve Canada’s enterprising families
These allies to family offices provide family coaching, cross-border help, business advice, philanthropic knowhow and recruiting services
Third-party businesses have become necessary allies to family offices and other wealth-management firms in meeting the complex needs of wealthy families. So we at Canadian Family Offices decided to compile a database of firms that offer this kind of support and expertise in Canada. Our intention is to improve knowledge and awareness of the Canadian family office sphere.
Our list includes businesses that provide family coaching and mediation, cross-border expertise, philanthropic knowhow, business management and recruiting help, among other services.
Click here to read the article.
(This list follows last year’s effort, a list of multi-family offices in Canada.)
December: Outlook 2025: Execs are ‘rosy on the world of alts’ despite a mixed year
Real estate, private equity and private debt are expected to outperform public markets in 2025
Alternative investments were in demand among family offices in 2024, with many making allocations to hedge funds, private credit, private debt and private equity.
Some family offices, in fact, are allocating 30 to 50 per cent to alternatives, says Claire Van Wyk-Allan of the Alternative Investment Management Association.
Alts such as real estate, private equity, infrastructure and private debt are projected to outperform public markets in 2025, says Robert Janson of Westcourt Capital in Toronto. “It was a robust year for alternatives,” he says. “For 2025, I am rosy on the world of alts.”
Janson and three other experts offer insights and predictions in this Canadian Family Offices article.
Click here to read the article.
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