Alternative investments have traditionally been the domain of institutional and ultra-high-net-worth investors. Smaller players were shut out.  

That has all changed with the development of alternative funds.  This democratization of private-market exposures has Canadian firms creating new products, lowering minimum investment thresholds and developing fintech and other platforms to connect smaller investors to the alternatives space. And family offices are finding them helpful in portfolio design. 

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As many of you know, there is a dearth of research into the Canadian family office landscape. If you run a multi-family office, we'd like your help in our continuing effort to remedy that: the second annual Canadian Family Offices Multi-Family Office Survey. 

If you are a representative of a multi-family office and want to help develop a deeper understanding of the industry in Canada, we hope you will take a moment to complete the survey. Click here.

More than 1,000 of Canada’s leading investing and finance professionals will attend the industry’s largest event of the year—and gain personal insights from The Right Honourable Stephen J. Harper, 22nd Prime Minister of Canada.

One of the biggest trends shaping the family office space in Canada is the move towards professionalization. The timing could not be better. As President Donald Trump’s global trade war continues to bring chaos, Chartered Financial Analysts® (CFAs®) are bringing a pension fund mindset and new alternative investment opportunities to Canada’s high-net-worth families—opportunities designed to protect and grow wealth regardless of what the markets are doing.

Heather Cooke, Vice Chair, Board of Directors, CFA Society Toronto—the largest CFA Society chapter in the world—and Chief Investment Officer of The Audra Group Family Office, recently sat down with Canadian Family Offices to talk about CFA Society Toronto, how it prepared her for the world of family offices, and what’s in store at this year’s Annual Investment Dinner, the Society’s flagship event, which she calls the Toronto finance industry’s annual homecoming.

This story is brought to you by CFA Society Toronto.

Building a fortune is hard, but keeping it across generations requires an entirely different skillset, writes Elke Rubach