KFA adheres to a long-term strategic approach to the stewardship of assets entrusted to us by our clients.  With over 50 years of combined experience managing portfolios for high net worth individuals and family offices, our team of investment counselors all hold the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and are part of our investment management board which is rounded out with external members with experience as chief investment officers of large single family offices.  The group meets regularly to inform portfolio positioning given economic and market conditions and to approve manager selection.

We believe in the benefit of incorporating leading specialty managers that complement one another to give the best risk adjusted returns.  Depending on the portfolio size, portfolio objectives, tax considerations and preferences, this can be achieved though customized individual accounts or through our multi-manager pooled fund program.

Through our rigorous KFA Investment Process, we take the time to develop an individually-tailored investment portfolio and plan – one that incorporates a full knowledge of your financial goals and resources, ensures that your assets are most tax-effectively structured and managed, and has access to the best investment professionals in the field.

KFA Investment Process

1. Discovery: We use a proprietary Investment Policy Statement System and leverage third party psychometric questionnaire analysis, allowing us to deeply understand your return objectives, risk tolerance, liquidity requirements and any other unique constraints.
2. Review of existing portfolio: We review your current portfolio and overall approach as it compares to your specific risk tolerance and objectives. We also assess the current tax optimization of your portfolio, leveraging our internal team of qualified tax experts and professionals.
3. Investment manager selection: With a clear understanding of your risk profile and investment objectives, we craft an individually-tailored strategic portfolio that draws upon an opportunity set of leading speciality managers to provide diversification by asset class, management style, sector and country selection.
4. Measurement and reporting: In addition to monthly reporting provided by our custodians, KFA delivers quarterly reporting and evaluation via consolidated reports that compare your performance with relevant benchmarks. In addition, on an annual basis we assess your portfolio to identify tax planning opportunities should they arise and changes in your circumstances.
5. Tactical shifts and adjustments: as market and economic conditions change, or as new investment goals are identified, portfolio shifts and tilts within your strategic framework will be discussed as deemed necessary or opportune – all in accordance with effective and timely communication.

All sub-advisors added to our investment platform are vetted through a rigorous selection process that includes third party institutional attribution analysis to identify the manager’s unique investment approach, history of adhering to their stated investment style, proven risk controls and return prospects relative to peers. And this same rigorous approach helps us to remove managers that may lose their direction.  Depending on the portfolio size, portfolio objectives, tax considerations and preferences, this can be achieved though customized individual accounts or through our multi-manager KFA Private Investment Pools:

• KFA Balanced Pooled Fund: A single manager pension style balanced fund mandate focused on large cap globally diversified dividend yielding equities.

• KFA Multi-Manager Fixed Income Fund: We have selected a leading specialized corporate bond manager and a larger pension style fixed income manager to manage this mandate in shared proportions.  A minimum of 90% of the fund is in investment grade Canadian bonds with allowance for a small proportion in higher yield corporate bonds.

• KFA Multi-Manager Canadian Equity Pool: A dedicated Canadian equity fund providing access to companies that exhibit market leadership and are of international caliber through pairing of value and momentum style managers. The fund will hold up to 25% in small to mid cap equities.

• KFA Multi-Manager Global Equity Fund: A multi manager pool providing access to global equity markets, currently anchored by a defensive large cap global manager with a dividend focus, a value style and a momentum style international managers, with small weightings in an emerging markets manager and a few international ETFs. The fund’s policy calls for targets of 40-60% US equity, 25-45% EAFE equity, 0-10% Canadian equity and 0-15% emerging markets equity.