Signature Service Accounts

Our Approach to Wealth Management

Signature Service Account is not your typical investment account. It’s a premium asset management service that we have developed exclusively for our clients. It’s commission-free and gives you access to all the services, advice and investment options you need to meet your financial goals.

If you’re looking for all the benefits of working closely with an experienced and professional financial advisor, along with the comfort and security of a clearly defined all-inclusive fee, the GP Wealth Signature Service Account may be the perfect solution for you.

Introducing our Premium Asset Management Service

Here’s how it works

With the Signature Service Account, you don’t pay commissions. Instead, there is a monthly fee as a percentage of your account. Fees are calculated on a sliding scale, which means as assets grow the fee rate decreases.

3 Easy steps to set up a Signature Service Account

Working with your Financial Advisor, you will build a strategy from account opening to account management.

It starts with:

  1. 1
    Determining your ideal risk profile
  2. 2
    Developing a detailed portfolio audit of your current situation
  3. 3
    Establishing your ideal portfolio

You then choose from a variety of commission-free investment options including:

  • F-Class Mutual Funds
  • F-Class Pooled Funds
  • Money Market Issues (T-bills, and Commercial Paper)
  • Guaranteed Deposits and Daily Interest Savings Accounts
  • ETF Funds

Your Financial Advisor then:

  • Monitors your accounts on an ongoing basis
  • Reports back to you on an agreed-upon schedule

You then receive a comprehensive account statement on a quarterly basis with an annual fee summary that is simple and transparent.

A Simple, Transparent Annual Fee

With the GP Wealth Signature Service Account, you pay an all-inclusive fee for advice, reporting, and administration. Your fee is based on the total market value of the assets in your account(s) with GP Wealth Management. Fees are calculated on a sliding scale, which means as your assets grow the fee rate decreases.

3 other ways to reduce fees and save:

  1. 1
    With our Family Pricing Program, we combine all your account assets with those of your spouse or family members in order to pay even lower fees (1)
  2. 2
    When you Bundle additional assets like GIC’s and other accounts you benefit from further fee discounts (1)
  3. 3
    Having an investment account (non-registered) where fees paid may be tax-deductible (2)

Transparency, Accountability, Objectivity

You have amassed sizable investment assets and you want your wealth to grow. You expect advice that is sound and objective, and you appreciate the security of active risk management. Most importantly, you want a solution that is suitable to you, with the simplicity of a single monthly fee.

The investment services you will receive through your GP Wealth Signature Service Account will align your interests to make this relationship as responsive, dynamic and unique as you are.

(1) Speak to your Financial Advisor or contact us at our toll-free number 1-800-608-7707 to get full details on qualifying family members.
(2) Speak to your Tax Advisor to get full details on which fees may qualify as tax-deductible.

Get Started

Your first step is to complete an investor profile questionnaire to help prepare an investment plan. Then you can decide on evaluating your investments.

Investor Profile Questionnaire

Investment Knowledge
If you have a high level of investment knowledge, you have a good understanding of the relative risk of various types of investments and understand how the level of risk taken affects potential returns. If you have very little knowledge of investments and financial markets, speculative and high-risk investments and strategies are likely not suitable options for you.
1. Which statement best describes your knowledge of investments?
Subtotal: 0
Investment Time Horizon
The length of your investment time horizon impacts the types of investments that may be suitable for you. If, for instance, you had a time horizon of greater than three years, you would have a greater degree of flexibility when building a portfolio (although risk tolerance and investment objectives must also be considered). If you have a short time horizon, more conservative investments like GICs or money market funds may be a more suitable option for you. Choose your investment time horizon.
2. When do you expect a need to withdraw a significant portion (30% or more) from your investment portfolio?
Subtotal: 0
Investment Objectives and Asset Mix
Your savings objectives are the goal or result you want to achieve from investing. Knowing your savings objectives will help you determine your investment asset mix and the types of investments best suited to meet your needs. The investment products used to meet your savings objectives can have varying levels of risk and potential returns
3. What is your primary goal for this portfolio?
Subtotal: 0
Comments:
Risk Capacity
Your financial situation includes your assets, debts, and your income, including the stability of your income which are all important when determining how much risk you can take with your investments. In addition, the larger the portion of your total assets that you are investing, the more conservative you might wish to be with this portion of your portfolio.
Your financial situation includes your assets, debts, and your income, including the stability of your income which are all important when determining how much risk you can take with your investments. In addition, the larger the portion of your total assets that you are investing, the more conservative you might wish to be with this portion of your portfolio.
4. What is your annual income (from all sources)?
5. Your current and future income sources are?
6. Estimate your net worth by adding Liquid Assets (cash and investments) plus Fixed Assets (home and other real estate less total Liabilities (mortgages, personal loans, credit card debt and all other debts)?
7. How would you classify your overall financial situation? The option you choose should reflect your current % of debt to assets.
For example, if you have Investor A and B each with a net worth of $1,000,000. Investor A has a net worth that consists of $2,000,000 in assets and $1,000,000 in debt representing a 50% debt to asset ratio. Whereas Investor B has a net worth that consists of $4,000,000 in assets and $3,000,000 in debt representing a 75% debt to asset ratio.
8. The market value of the investment account/plan(s) covered by this questionnaire represents approximately what percentage of your total savings and investments?
Total savings and investments include all the money you have in cash savings, GICs, savings bonds, mutual funds, stocks, and bonds. (Total savings and investments include all the money you have in cash savings, GICs, savings bonds, mutual funds, stocks and bonds).
9. What is your age group?
Your age is an important consideration when constructing an investment portfolio as it relates to your capacity for risk. A younger investor may have a portfolio with a higher percentage of equity type investments in their asset mix to maximize the potential for growth with the understanding that should their portfolio drop in value, the longer investment time horizon provides an opportunity to recover any losses. An investor who is retired or near retirement may be less able to withstand losses and thus may desire a portfolio that is invested to maximize income and capital preservation. (Your age is an important consideration when constructing an investment portfolio. A younger investor may have a portfolio that is primarily invested in equities to maximize potential growth if they also have a higher risk tolerance and long investment time horizon. An investor who is retired or near retirement may often be less able to withstand losses and may have a portfolio that is invested to maximize income and capital preservation.)
Subtotal: 0
Comments:
  • Assessing Your Risk Capacity

     
Risk Attitude
Your comfort level with risk is important in determining how conservatively or aggressively you should invest. Generally speaking, you need to consider accepting more risk if you want to pursue higher returns. If you decide to seek those potentially higher returns, you face the possibility of greater losses.

10. In making financial and investment decisions you are:
11. The value of an investment portfolio will generally go up and down over time. Assuming you invest $100,000, how much of a decline in your investment portfolio could you tolerate in a 12-month period?
12. When you are faced with a major financial decision, are you more concerned about the possible losses or the possible gains?
13. The chart across shows the greatest one year loss and the highest one year gain on four different investments of $10,000. Given the potential gain or loss in any one year, which investment would you likely invest your money in:
14. From September 2008 through November 2008 and again from February 2020 through March 2020, North American stock markets lost over 30%. If you currently owned an investment that lost over 30% in 3 months, would you:
15. Investments with higher returns typically involve greater risk. The 4 charts below show a hypothetical annual return (annual gains and losses) for four different investment portfolios over a 10-year period. Keeping in mind how the returns fluctuate, which investment portfolio would you be most comfortable holding?
Subtotal: 0
Comments:
Assessing Your Risk Attitude
The questions around hypothetical gain/loss scenarios are meant to gauge your comfort and attitude towards risk. The maximum score for this section is 60.
Interpreting the results
You may find that there is a disconnect between your risk capacity and attitude towards risk. For example, you may express an appetite for risk, scoring high on risk attitude, but your score for risk capacity is low. Conversely, you may have a high capacity for risk but score lower for risk attitude. Your risk profile should reflect the lower of (a) your willingness to accept risk (attitude) and (b) your ability to endure potential financial loss (capacity).
General Plan KYC Guidelines
Time Horizon:
Investment Objective:
Risk Tolerance:

Open a Signature Service Account

The next step is to open an investment account with us. You pay no annual administration fees and receive $125 towards transfer costs.

Additional Information

Signature Service Account FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions About Our Signature Service Account

In this FAQ, we answer the most common questions asked about Signature Service Account. If you have any specific questions, send us an email and we would be pleased to help.

How do you calculate advisory fees and when are they billed?

Advisory fees are calculated monthly by the scheduled rate multiplied by the total value of the assets in the account on the last day of the month. Please see the GP Wealth Signature Service Account Addendum and refer to section 3, “Advisory Fee Schedule”.

For near-term goals, those in the next year or two, we will recommend using cash equivalents. For your in-between goals, we will recommend a combination of stock funds and short-term bond funds that reflects the length of time until you need the money.

Are advisory fees pro-rated from account opening?

Yes, advisory fees are pro-rated from the start date to the end of the first month.

How do I open a GP Wealth Signature Service Account?

Complete the GP Wealth Investor Profile Questionnaire with your Financial Advisor to prepare an Investment Policy Statement (“IPS”). Once the IPS has been completed then a GP Wealth Signature Service Account Addendum, GPWM New Account Application Form and B2B Bank Financial Services Account Application must be completed.

Are advisory fees pro-rated from account opening?

Yes, each account is billed based on the total asset amounts and advisory fees are reduced as the total asset amounts meet certain tiers. Please see the GP Wealth Signature Service Account Addendum and refer to section 3, “Advisory Fee Schedule”.

What is the minimum asset amount to open a GP Wealth Signature Service Account? Do multiple related accounts let you deviate below the minimum requirements?

There is no minimum asset amount required to open a GP Wealth Signature Service Account. Please see the GP Wealth Signature Service Account Addendum and refer to section 3, “Advisory Fee Schedule”.

What happens to the advisory-fee calculation if the asset amount grows dramatically?

The calculation is aligned to the tiered rate schedule, and you benefit from the immediate increase in assets. The fee value changes accordingly based on the total asset amount. On a tiered rate model, the calculation changes to include a weighting for the new pricing constant.

How does the advisory-fee billing work with multiple related accounts? Does the charge apply to one or all accounts?

The accounts are charged separately as if the accounts are all independent.

Are registered plans charged a trustee fee for fee-based accounts?

All trustee fees associated with the GP Wealth Signature Service Accounts that are registered plans are incorporated into the “Advisory Fee Schedule”. There are no additional fees. Please refer to the GPWM Compensation Disclosure Document for a complete fee schedule.

Can I invest in all different types of securities in the GP Wealth Signature Service Account?

Yes, but there are some exceptions. You should inquire with your Financial Advisor to verify that the products you would like to purchase are approved products.

Family Pricing Program

Get to know our Family Pricing Program

With our Family Pricing Program, you, your spouse and other family members can combine the value of your assets under management for the purpose of calculating a reduced annual advisory fee. In this way, everyone benefits from the lower fees that apply to larger investments in accordance with our tiered fee structure. And it provides the framework to develop a cohesive estate planning process for your entire family. Below is an example of how you can benefit from the family pricing option.

Types of Investment and Retirement Products

Client / Family MemberPortfolio SizePricing CategoryAdvisory Fee*
Client / Spouse$400,000.00Household Pricing1.219%
Parents / Children$550,000.00Extended Family Pricing0.921%
Business Entity$200,000.00Add Entities
(Corporation / Partnership / Trust)
0.796%
Total Assets$1,150,000.00All Members Receive
Tier 4 Pricing
0.796%

* By bundling all family member plans together, everyone can benefit from the lower fees charged at the higher tier. Please refer to the GP Wealth Signature Service Advisory Fee Schedule.

Building a family group

Family grouping rules are flexible and allow for different combinations of family members to be grouped under the primary account holder. The family group can be any combination of:

  • (a) Spouse, including common-law partner
  • (b) Children and their spouses.

Grouping other eligible accounts

It’s also possible to group other types of accounts:

  • (a) Joint Accounts: Any joint account where any of the family members can be identified as beneficial owners can participate
  • (b) Corporate Accounts: Any family members who are beneficial owners of greater than 50% of the voting equity can also participate.

Bundling Program

Get to know our Bundling Program

Our Bundling Program allows you to combine different account types and asset types (RRSPs, TFSAs. RESPs and GICs) to obtain the lower advisory fee charged at the higher tiers. In addition to saving money on advisory fees, you also benefit from consolidating and streamlining your asset management within a cohesive personal financial plan. Below is an example of how you can benefit from the bundling option.

Bundling Pricing Option

Account TypesBundled Portfolio SizeAdvisory Fee
RRSP$250,0001.35% of AUA first $250,000
TFSA$100,0001.25% of AUA next $350,000
RESP$150,0001.175% of AUA next $500,000
OPEN $400,0000.944% of AUA next $900,000
Additional Family
Accounts
Portfolio SizeAdvisory Fee*
Other Accounts$400,0000.808% of AUA over $1,300,000
Additional AssetsBundled Portfolio SizeAdvisory Fee
GICs$100,0000.786% on AUA of $1,400,000
Entity Account$400,0000.681% on AUA of $1,800,000
Total Assets$1,800,0000.681%* of AUA

* By bundling all assets together, your clients can benefit from the lower fees charged at the higher tier. Please refer to the GP Wealth Signature Service Advisory Fee Schedule for complete details.

Grouping other eligible accounts

Family grouping is available as part of our Family Pricing Program. The rules are flexible and allow for different combinations of family members to be grouped under the primary account holder. The family group can be any combination of:

  • (a) Spouse, including common-law partner
  • (b) Children and their spouses.

Compensation and Fees

The Value of Advice

Canadians with financial advisors are more confident  about their future.

Need Advice?

Are you looking for a fee-based investment account with a full range of services, advice and investment options? We encourage you to contact us to arrange a no-obligation meeting to discuss your options.

Client Relationship Document

We’ve developed a plain-language document that describes the relationship between you and your GP Wealth Financial Advisor or Planner.