* Want to take a strategic portfolio approach: The Summit Program takes you through the steps of customized strategic asset allocation, arriving at a portfolio in line with your long-term investment objectives.  First, we will work with you to identify your personal requirements and risk tolerance.  Next, using sophisticated portfolio optimization analysis, we engage in a detailed consultation with you to assess exactly what you want to achieve with your money. Finally, using this information, we will determine your portfolio’s optimal asset allocation.

* Want objective investment advice: After optimizing your portfolio, we work with the Summit Portfolio Management Group to ensure your recommended portfolio is properly diversified by asset class, investment manager, and investment style.   At this stage we will help you choose the investment managers who best meet your needs and share your investment philosophy. Prior to implementing your investment strategy, you will receive a proposal from us reviewing your stated investment goals, and risk and return targets. In that proposal, we set out in writing our recommended asset mix and details about the investment managers which have been selected to best help you reach your goals.

* Want dedicated investment management expertise: The Summit Program investment managers are specialists in their asset class and investment style. They have been chosen from among the strongest institutional managers available to add full asset class and style diversification to the program.

* Want the additional monitoring of a third-party investment consultant: Northern Trust Global Advisors rigorously screens all Summit investment managers. Each manager is monitored on an ongoing basis, to ensure they continue to meet their targets for risk-adjusted investment returns.

* Want customized portfolio and performance reporting: Each quarter, you will receive a comprehensive report, called the Summit Program Monitor, which will allow you to review your portfolio. As part of our regular quality control procedures, our third party consultant, Northern Trust Global Advisors, consistently monitors each investment manager’s performance. Quarterly investment manager commentaries are also available to help you keep current on how the markets are affecting your various investments.

For more detailed information on the The Summit Program, please click here:
Summit Overview

What you can expect as a Summit client:
Summit Investment Planning Proposal
Summit Quarterly Monitor
Summit Year End Tax Reporting

Key Benefit:
The Summit Program fee in a non-registered portfolio may be deductible on your income tax return as an investment consulting fee. Please consult your tax advisor for more information.

Northern Trust Global Advisors:
Northern Trust Global Advisors Inc. (NTGA) and its affiliate is an investment consultant and leading “Manager of Managers”: for over 160 clients around the world. NTGA manages over $7 billion in assets, employing over 85 investment managers. NTGA has over 17 years of experience in manager research and selection. The firm, worldwide, conducts over 500 on-site research visits each year. Research teams cover over 100 managers in Canada, over 1,000 in the U.S. and over 200 international managers.

Selecting a manager is, or should be, like picking stocks. It requires extensive research and a disciplined analytical process combined with the knowledge and experience to interpret the results so as to identify the best possible investment managers. The job doesn’t stop there. It is equally important to monitor the manager continuously so that you know how to respond to events that inevitably occur: under-performance - is it unexpected or simply because the manager’s style is out of favour? How will a change in personnel affect the manager’s philosophy and possibly his performance?

In our experience, most investors do not have the time, knowledge, skill or resources to conduct the necessary manager research to become successful in manager selection and monitoring. This is why we have retained NTGA to help us make sure you have access to the best investment management talent available and to monitor and evaluate the contribution that the managers are making to achieving your goals.

For more detailed information on NTGA, please click here:
Northern Trust

The Ritcey Team at ScotiaMcLeod makes use of independent world-class money managers in the Summit Program.