People save money for many reasons, to buy a house, to pay for education, to support loved ones, to travel, to leave money to their estate, but mostly to retire with a comfortable level of income. The traditional methods of saving include bank accounts, guaranteed certificates and Canada savings bonds.
The past 20 years has seen the meteoric increase in the number and value of investment accounts that include stocks and ever-increasingly complex accounts such as mutual funds and segregated funds. Even the experts cannot identify and define all of the different things that make up modern investments.
There has been an increasing disconnect between what people need (i.e. why they are saving) and what people have in their investments. They look for advice to better understand both what they need and how to get there.
Simply put, financial advisors include both very capable and incapable people, and those in between. Advisors’ work is judged on the same basis as that of other professionals, such as lawyers, doctors and engineers. But the entry-level qualification to give financial advice can be met with a few months diligent work by a high school graduate. It is no wonder that there can be a major difference between what people think they are accomplishing by their investment strategy and the risks they are actually undertaking, with huge losses arising with every downturn in the financial markets.
The Geller & Associates assists clients and lawyers with the analysis of claims and, where appropriate, the prosecution and settlement of claims in the civil courts.
Services to Clients
Analysis of claims
Presenting claims on behalf of clients to the federal Ombudsman (www.obsi.ca)
Commencing, prosecuting and resolving civil actions on behalf of clients in the courts of Ontario
Reports to regulators