Imagine a trustworthy world of money - imagine blockchain and crypto-currency

Imagine a world where everyone was perfectly honest and trustworthy when it came to money.  This is where banks arose to help trusted intermediaries to able to protect and transact with money. Now, imagine a world with a single, universal, absolutely trustworthy and completely indestructible financial ledger. This is where blockchain is arising. It is to create a simplified, single ledger for transfer of value.

Jacoline Loewen at the Blockchain and Crypto-Currency Event, 2017

With these points in mind, I put together an event discussing these themes and how blockchain is gaining in achieving this lofty vision. Crypto-currencies and blockchain technologies are attracting tremendous interest from new and traditional participants across all sectors, and banks are at the forefront of understanding the potential applications of these technologies - which will change how banks operate at an organizational level, not just at a technology level.
Efforts like UBS's Blockchain and Innovation Lab in London, UK will drive innovation through unique partnerships with fintechs and other large banks as blockchain technologies are better understood by regulators and clients and industry standards emerge.
In 2015, UBS started a pathfinding journey to explore, harness and share the potential of blockchain. As a leading financial organization, it is our duty to understand the technology and its implications, to share the knowledge and benefits with clients, the financial industry and the wider society, and become ready for blockchain in production in 2018.Thank you to our expert speaker, Peter Stephens, Head of UBS Blockchain and Innovation Lab in London, UK. A special thank you to Andre Perey, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP (Blakes), who hosted the fireside chat with Peter. Andre is also a director on the board of UBS Bank (Canada).If you would like more information about the Exploring Blockchain and Crypto-Currencies event held by UBS Bank (Canada) in August, 2017, or for UBS reports on blockchain and cryptocurrencies, please contact me for details.


Jacoline Loewen: 416-332-7012
You can follow me on Twitter @jacolineloewen

The Atmospheric Fund Board

I was pleased to be invited to serve for a third term on the board of directors of The Atmospheric Fund.
Being on the Investment Committee means real input into private equity investing and sustainable investing.

TAF is governed by a 12-member board. Five of these members are City Councillors and seven are citizen members appointed through the City of Toronto’s public appointments process. TAF has been fortunate to have attracted a wide range of experience and expertise to our board, including investment specialists, energy experts and community engagement professionals. The board meets five times a year and board meetings are open to the public (but may include in-camera sessions).

Investment Committee

The Investment Committee oversees both management of TAF’s endowment and mandate-related investments (loans and equity investments in enterprises that can deliver emission reductions). The committee members have a wealth of investment and legal expertise and provide recommendations to the TAF board on all investment decisions.

Members:

• Rob A. Roberti (Chair), Principal at Verde Finance
• John Campbell, City Councillor
• Bill Crossland, President and CEO at Thermal Energy International Inc.
• Jason Kotler, Entrepreneur
• Hyewon Kong, Associate Portfolio Manager at AGF Investments Inc.
• Matthew Z. Leibowitz, Partner at Plazacorp Ventures
• Jacoline Loewen, Director at UBS Bank (Canada) Wealth Management
• Graham McBride, Independent Investor and Strategist
• Bill Tapscott, Managing Director at Era2 Productions Inc.
• Terry Vaughan, Senior Consultant at Prime Quadrant

The committee’s responsibilities include:

• Selecting the investment manager(s) and any other agents or advisors needed to prudently manage the endowment
• Formulating and amending when necessary the Statement of Investment Objectives and Principles (SIOP), with consideration to TAF’s mandate and purpose of advancing solutions to climate change and air pollution, and reviewing the SIOP at least once per year
• Preparing and maintaining a Prohibited Securities List of companies whose securities cannot be held in the portfolio in keeping with the mandate and beliefs expressed in the SIOP
• Monitoring the investment manager(s) and any other agents or advisors with respect to investment performance and compliance with the SIOP
• Reviewing and advising on impact/direct investments and providing recommendations on those investments to the board
• Providing quarterly reports to the board on the performance of the endowment and any other aspects of asset management, which the Investment Committee deems appropriate or as requested by the board

How to build wealth fast

We all know that automating a monthly deposit to our nest egg bank account is a proven method to build wealth. It's fairly painless as you do not notice the withdrawals and you rapidly adjust your lifestyle. Pretty quickly, your wealth does grow, particularly if you choose lower risk investments with a decent interest rate?
How about something more specific?
I like the table below that shows monthly savings rate with interest earned. It is over a 25 year period which my not serve your needs but will be good to show your adult children to inspire them to at least start with the automatic monthly savings to their TFSA.

Toronto Triathlon Festival 2017

The UBS Bank (Canada) team showed their true grit at the Toronto Triathlon Festival 2017.
It was a great experience to be with my team on the weekend and to see the competitive spirit of all of them.

Thank you for the great day

Jacoline Loewen, Toronto Triathlon Festival

Do you know the 3 Ways Retirement Planning is changing?

For "complete" retirement planning, there is more required than the usual "meat and potatoes" approach of financial preparation. Recent research shows that the retirement planning needs are changing.

Pre-retirees report that they are more anxious about the emotional adjustment to retirement than they are about financial security. Once over that barrier, the retirees worry about health and long-term care, and not so much about having income to sustain their lifestyle.

Our findings confirm that the wealthy investors are focused on:

1) Liquidity: Wealthy pre-retirees want to reach a certain asset or dollar level before they retire. In contrast, age is the retirement trigger for pre-retirees with fewer assets.

2) Longevity: More than half of wealthy retirees feel unprepared for health issues and long-term care. This is an opportunity for Financial Advisors to add far more value to their clients.

3) Legacy: 51% of retirees plan to leave assets to heirs and charity. As a result, many maintain and even increase equity holdings after retirement. Retirees in their eighties, for example, have equity levels similar to investors in their fifties.

Technology Hall of Fame Awards celebration

Jacoline Loewen

At the EW Technology Hall of Fame Awards celebration at the Rideau Club in Ottawa.

Could you be the future of finance?

Submit your innovation and join our launch event in Toronto

Please join us for our breakfast and briefing session about our UBS global innovation challenge for FinTech start-ups, with up to US$250,000 in prizes and support for technologies that best address our four challenges.

Contact Jacoline Loewen to get on the guest list.

The UBS Future of Finance Challenge 2017 is open to start-ups and established, growing companies that think they can change the way finance works and how banks meet their clients' needs.

To find out more: https://innovate.ubs.com/  Complete a submission form to enter our global innovation competition for FinTech start-ups, with up to US$250,000 in prizes and support for technologies that best address our four challenges.

Twitter: #UBSinnovate

 

Life with a Baby celebrity golf day

Healthy Start, Healthy Future held their fourth annual Celebrity Tournament, this year featuring a special celebrity skills challenge with some of your favourite stars.

The Celebrity Tournament is in support of the Life with a Baby Program to support parents and prevent Postpartum Mood Disorders. Support focused on the mental and emotional health of mothers, and mothers of preterm infants who spend time in the NICU to prevent postpartum depression.
It was a terrific golf event that featured appearances by a wide range of celebrities who believe in our cause.

Our 4th annual golf tournament took place on Monday July 10th 2017 at The Thornhill Club..

Jacoline Loewen and golf with Healthy Start

Healthy Start, Healthy Future manages the Life with a Baby Program, Canada’s largest peer‐to‐peer network with over 10,000 members. This program is geared toward providing a Healthy Start for parents and children from day one.  Members are primarily mothers aged 25‐40 with at least one child. Proceeds from the event will benefit Life with a Baby and other programs that support new and expecting parents to ease the transition to parenthood and prevent the debilitating effects of Post‐Partum Depression and of Perinatal Mood Disorders.

For the fourth year in a row, CFL Hall of Famer Damon Allen returned as host for the event along with Todd Keirstead, golf professional, founder of Golf With Attitude and Bring Back the Game - which focuses on helping everyone enjoy golf regardless of age or (dis)ability.

Other celebrities in attendance include:

• Murray Foster – Songwriter, environmentalist, filmmaker, and musician with Moxy Früvous, Great Big Sea, and the Cocksure Lads.
• Bryan Muir - Retired NHL defenceman and former Stanley Cup Champion with the Colorado Avalanche.
  Sherman Hamilton – Former Basketball Player for Team Canada and sports analyst on Sportsnet & NBA TV.
• Paul Jones –  Raptors TV host and Raptors play-by-play announcer for radio broadcasts.
• Sherry Middaugh – Five-time Ontario and one-time Saskatchewan curling champion, multi-time bronze medalist at the Scotties Tournament of hearts.
• Rob Hitchcock – Former linebacker and safety for the Hamilton Tiger Cats and the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL.
• Gregg T. Butler – Former CFL defensive back and football coach at the CFL and CIS levels.
• Bob Turcotte – Retired curler, winner of 3 Canadian senior curling championships, multiple provincial titles, and a world championship.
• Roy Weigand – Retired curler, winner of 3 Canadian senior curling championships, multiple provincial titles, and winner of one world championship. 
• Jason Portuondo – Veteran Canadian TV/Radio personality and sportscaster for TSN, CTV, Sportsnet, G98.7FM, and 680 News.
• Ian Leggatt –  Retired professional golfer, winner of one PGA Tour event and one Nationwide Tour event. Ian appears as a golf analyst on Sportsnet and is currently the Director of Golf at The Summit Golf and Country Club.
• Dennis Maruk – A retired Ukrainian-Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League from 1975 to 1989, scoring a career high 60 goals for the Washington Capitals in 1981–82.
• Dwayne De Rosario - A retired Canadian professional soccer player, who played as a forward or as an attacking midfielder. A four-time MLS Cup champion, he also won the 2011 MLS Most Valuable Player award. 
• Anson Henry - A Canadian sprinter who specializes in the 100 metres. At the 2003 Pan American Games he won the bronze medal in the 100 metres. Also competed at the 2008 Olympic Games.
• Glenn Howard - Canadian curler from Tiny, Ontario. One of the most decorated curlers of all time; He has won 4 world championships, 4 Briers and 15 Ontario provincial championships.
• Elliot Price - A Canadian sportscaster and currently the host of the morning show of CJCL 590 in Toronto.

Boomers will pass $4 Trillion to the Next Generation business owners over the next 5 years

The huge transfer of small business wealth is the last big direct impact that the baby boomers are going to have on the economy during their working lives, said Glenn Huber, president of Calgary-based private equity firm Chrysalis Acquisition Partners Inc. After that, boomers’ big influence will be mainly on the travel industry, retirement homes, and ultimately, the funeral business.
 

Jacoline Loewen, director of business development

Mr. Huber’s company has set up a fund, the Chrysalis Acquisition Fund 1, to buy up small and medium-sized businesses in Western Canada that are looking for an alternative to selling to heirs, employees, or individual buyers. In many cases the fund will partner with a small firm’s remaining management, providing the capital to help buy out the founder.
 

Jacoline Loewen, director of business development at UBS Bank (Canada)
 and an expert on small business succession, said the recession delayed the start of the boomer transition because many entrepreneurs did not want to sell out while the economy was weak. Now, she said, many are ready to think about it, although few have done the necessary preparation. That has created an even bigger bubble of small companies ready to change hands.
 

Ideally, business owners should begin thinking about transition five to 10 years before they leave, she said, and even before they hit their 50th birthday. In preparation, they should hire advisers, or at least set up an expert advisory board that can help guide them and provide contacts. But baby boomers tend to overestimate their health and stamina, and “stay on for far too long,” Ms. Loewen said.
 

The first choice for many small business owners is to have their children take over, Ms. Loewen said, although often the kids just aren’t interested, having seen the toll that running an enterprise can take. When the children are keen to take over, she said, a proper valuation of the business needs to be performed, and the next generation should be prepared to buy in – even competing with external buyers if necessary.
 

At Alps Welding, Mr. Dussin and his parents set up a structure where he received shares that will gain value as the business grows. Eventually, he can buy out his parents’ holding.

More importantly, Mr. Dussin said, was the gradual process of shifting managerial control from one generation to the next. He came in as vice-president 11 years ago, then took on more responsibility over time, becoming president about five years ago.
 

Mr. Dussin’s father is still involved, and that is a key aspect of baby-boomer business succession if it is to proceed smoothly. “This business is my father’s life … He doesn’t have a lot of interests outside of work. It is not like he has been waiting to play golf five times a week,” Mr. Dussin said.

PricewaterhouseCoopers, in a recent report, predicts a “highly competitive buyer’s market between 2018 and 2025” for family businesses, and suggests that many owners will not get the nest egg they hoped for.

 

Over all, the sale of small businesses in the coming decade will involve a massive transfer of assets – estimated at between $1-trillion and $4-trillion in Canada alone. And if many of those businesses simply close up shop, it could damage the economy through significant loss of employment.


Boomers will pass a small-business baton worth as much as $4-trillion

by RICHARD BLACKWELL

The Globe and Mail

Published Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015

Selling your business? Can you avoid these 5 pitfalls?

Selling a business is harder than buying one. During the long process of selling, with the buyer kicking the tires in interest, the seller may find it hard to resist dropping the price as flaws and shortcomings become magnified. But whether the owners are keen to sell or not, their top concern will be to get the best price. Failing to get maximum valuation can occur for those owners taking on too much of the process themselves.
Why are prices adjusted downwards during a sales process? Here are a few common reasons about why sellers may get a less than top valuation:

1. My time is limited. Owners who have sold their businesses often complain about how long the process can take, and how it takes time away not only from customers, but from helping their teams keep operations running smoothly.

Gordon Forsythe, president of Compass Capital Corp. and buyer of companies, emphasizes the importance of knowing what you’re getting into. “Ideally, it would be beneficial for individuals who are considering selling their companies to understand how disruptive the sales process is to the day-to-day operation of their business,” he says. “The sales process typically becomes an all-consuming effort and unfortunately diverts attention and focus that is required to effectively operate the business.”

2. I am the smartest guy in the room. The mergers and acquisitions process is not something typical owners have done before, or if they have, it’s not their expertise. Owners often fall into the trap of thinking they are the best person to sell their businesses when in fact they should be focused on continuing to run the business.

Sure enough, they usually are the smartest guy in the room and could do whatever they want to achieve. For example, these capable entrepreneurs could fix their own dental cavity but why not get a true expert, the dentist? After all, dentists have trained and spent their career taking care of patients' teeth. It is the same for transition of the business. Find the experts and put your time into what matters more.

A mismanaged sale can have several ramifications, says Mr. Forsythe. “If employees begin to fear for their positions, they may retreat into self-preservation mode, and negatively affect the productivity and direction of the company. Likewise, clients may see this as an opportunity to re-evaluate their relationship with the company and look for alternative suppliers. If the purchase fails to transpire, the company may have wasted considerable resources, which would have been better spent growing the business.”

3. Let’s sell the whole thing. Sellers who investigate whether parts of their businesses could be carved out of the core and sold separately are sometimes able to spin off a division. They can take this additional capital and re-invest it into a growth strategy or use the liquidity to pay out a family member, partner or shareholder, for example, who wants out of the business. There’s no need go with the ‘all or nothing’ sales strategy.

4. A bird in the hand. Along comes a large, brand name company that wants to buy the business. If the first thing that comes to mind is “here’s a good offer, might as well take it as I may not get something like it in the future,” think again. When the seller chooses to go through the courtship process without lining up a range of alternative suitors, there’s the increased risk of falling in love with the prestige of the impressive big brand name and accepting an undervalued sale price as a result.

5. They should be happy to get us. Every owner thinks that his or her business is unique, and the relationships built with customers and suppliers are special. And though this may be true, the buyer may not feel the same way. Watch out for attitude during a sale, and exercise humility.

Due diligence isn’t just for buyers. Smart owners should hire their own corporate finance experts to eliminate surprises that could reduce the sales price. The seller can then be reassured that their house is in order and their strongest features and assets are put forward.

This article first appeared as a column - Special to The Globe and Mail

Jacoline Loewen is a director at UBS Bank (Canada), Wealth Management. She focuses on transitions for family businesses and closely held small to medium-sized enterprises, as they sell and move from being business owners to being managers of their wealth.

Ms. Loewen is also the author of Money Magnet: How to Attract Investors to Your Business.

You can follow her on Twitter @jacolineloewen.

 

Sustainable Investing delivers winning stock portfolio over long term

Jacoline Loewen, Sustainable Investing, Vancouver, 2017

In Vancouver, presenting on Sustainable Investing. Thank you to the Swiss Consulate for hosting us at the official residence of the Swiss Confederation. Great event.

The thesis is that sustainable business practices can be much more than a cost, a good deed, or good public relations for businesses—it can be a source of competitive advantage. In his 35 years in the investment industry, Bruno has experienced that picking sustainable companies for investing does not mean forgoing a higher return.  

Bruno runs the Global Sustainable Fund which brings a way to look at the relationship between business and society that does not treat corporate profits and societal well-being (including sustainability) as just a balancing exercise. It is good business and the consequences mean lowered reputational risk to brand equity, for example. 

United Airlines is experiencing the social consequences of their lack of sustainable corporate culture and their subsequent employee actions which shocked the travelling client base.

Bruno's investing strategy encourages public companies to discover opportunities to benefit society and themselves by strengthening the competitive context in which they operate, to determine which CSR or sustainability initiatives they should address, and to find the most effective ways of doing so.

Follow On Twitter @Jacolineloewen

What is the ROI of Golf?

 

For me, golf is hard. I only started playing a few years ago, primarily for business, and just when I think I am getting bearable on the golf course, the season ends. When I watch the professionals play - like Annika Sorenstam - they make it look easy. Annika swings her club and her ball goes exactly where she determines it should go. I watch her play to get some tips for myself and dream that my ball could also glide across the green and thunk into the hole. Annika has recently stepped down as #1 top female ranked golf player. Her ROI on golf has been substantial - world class and a huge draw for TV viewers and golf enthusiasts.
Annike has dedicated herself to the game and is an expert. This means her game is predictable and you can be confident she will be the top of her category. Those few feet between my attempts at getting  the ball in the hole and Annike's are actually worth a great deal of money - the ability to win world championships and making an income from playing the sport.
My ROI for golf is a lot of fun, getting out in the sunshine with friends and getting to play with business colleagues who cheerfully put up with my lack of competence.
What is your ROI on Golf?

Should children be taught in school how to become wealthy?

Do you think schools should be teaching their students how to become wealthy? It is a teachable subject, just like driving a car?
Last week, our team visited a high school for Junior Achievement to talk about becoming wealthy which is actually achievable for every teenager who was listening in that classroom. There you have it...everyone who was listening. It was shocking to have rude comments made by the teens to the team.
Yup. Unbelievable. Unless you are a teacher...
Wealth, I believe, starts at home. Attitudes of these smarty pants kids starts at home.
Do you think they will be a client of a financial advisor in a few decades? When they had the privledge of hearing from client advisors who handle millionaires' money, they needed to realize the impact on their future lives. Most of our clients made that money themselves and also were teenagers but often their stories illustrated their dedication to learning.
When I calculate the cost of salaries and bonus of our team, plus their good will and energy put forward, I wonder about the worth of such an outreach program.
What do you think?

Pierre Ouimet and Jacoline Loewen

From our magazine, Unlimited, I read the views on teaching wealth in schools made by Finland's Minister of Education:

Dr Marjo Kyllonen is the Education Manager for Helsinki. Having devised the blueprint for the future of Finland’s school system, she is playing a pivotal role in driving these changes through. She is doing so because she sees the structure and aims of current education systems in the West as increasingly irrelevant and obsolete, relics of an Industrial Age that we started to leave behind a long time ago. She argues that we need to rethink our entire relationship to education to equip future generations with the tools they need to face the challenges to come.

Do you think we should give much priority to teaching children how to become wealthy?

No, I don’t think that’s the role of the school. Of course, we’d like everyone to have a good life and be successful. But the way you’ve put it makes me think of a world where individuals are looking out for themselves – a “me first” culture. My picture of future society is totally different – I think people need to have social responsibility and understand that no one is doing well if there are others in society who are insecure and suffering.

What should our legacy be to future generations?

It’s not only us and our kids, it’s our grandchildren and their children – if we want our little human “club” to survive in the future we really have to think: what is sustainable? And how do we teach that to our kids? Not only ecological sustainability – social sustainability, too.

If you could change one thing about the way politics on Earth works right now, what would that be?

My friend, the former NASA astronaut Ellen Baker, told me that when she was in space, she saw how beautiful our world is. And there are no boundaries. Go far enough away and Earth looks very peaceful, no borders. She said to me that our politicians should go and have a space-trip, to see how beautiful our planet is and make peace.

M&A Fee Guide: Industry Survey Results

Mergers and Acquisitions Fee Guide: Industry Survey Results and Findings.

The most comprehensive study on lower middle market Mergers and Acquisition advisory fees.

By: John Carvalho

Recently, Firmex and Divestopedia partnered to provide transparency into Mergers and Acqisitions  fee structures within North America. Their goal was to research fee structures charged for Mergers and Acquisitions by finance experts.

Currently, no mainstream published data exists that offers both buyers and sellers insights into average cost structures, what’s being charged and why. This survey actually is very much needed to help business owners understand why they need the services of finance experts beyond their accountant and what services the fees support.

Here is a link to the M&A fee survey report:

https://www.divestopedia.com/14/8102/sale-process/investment-bankers/ma-fee-guide-industry-survey-results-and-findings

If you want to get in touch with the author:

John Carvalho, CA, CBV, CF

President

Stone Oak Capital Inc.

www.stoneoakcapital.com

The survey ran from August through to the middle of October 2016 with 320 responses.