We are excited to announce the dates for the 2024 Virtual Conference for Administrative Personnel. 

Following the September 5, 2024 communication, we would like to inform you of an amendment recently made to Administrative Procedures # 47 – Electronic Funds Transfer – Investia Nominee Accounts and #47A – Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) - Purchase in a Client-Name Account. More specifically, these procedures were reviewed, and clarifications related to EFTs from a third party’s bank account have been added.

Good news! As previously announced, we are pleased to confirm that starting September 16, 2024, it will be possible to make purchases via electronic funds transfer (“EFT”) deposit in Investia nominee accounts.

Following the launch of the Business Tracker last year, we are pleased to announce that we have made an enhancement to this tool.

Effective September 12, 2024, in the “Processing Timelines” section, a column will be added next to the existing estimated timelines to indicate the current processing times. This column will allow you to view the status of delays, if any.

We are happy to introduce to you the new online group training courses that are now available on Investia Learning.

As a follow-up to the September 5, 2024 communication, we would like to inform you that we will be sending over the bank files to the various financial institutions on September 19, 2024, to enable the withdrawal of Investia’s Client Administrative Fees from clients’ bank accounts for eligible clients:

• who have provided consent up to and including June 30, 2024;
• who have valid banking information on file;
• whose fee was not redeemed via investments;
• where the Representative has indicated that they are not paying the fee on behalf of the client.
  

In order to facilitate your transactions in client-name accounts and answer questions you may have on the Electronic Processing Agreement (“EPA”), we are providing you with a document entitled “EPA Guidelines (Client-Name Accounts Only)”.

The “Great Renewal” is coming. Are your clients ready for the mortgage renewal payment shock?

Millions of homeowners locked in super-low rates during the pandemic are about to face a financial reality check. When those terms expire, higher payments could seriously strain their budgets. Are you equipped to guide your clients through this turbulent transition?

We would like to inform you that we will be sending over the bank files to the various financial institutions during the week of September 16, 2024 to enable the withdrawal of Investia’s Client Administrative Fees from clients’ bank accounts for eligible clients:

We are pleased to announce the launch of our new dedicated estate email estates@investia.ca, effective Monday, September 9, 2024. This new channel will allow you to communicate directly with our team of Estate Specialists to ensure that you receive their expert support in a timelier manner.

The “Great Renewal” is coming. Are your clients ready for the mortgage renewal payment shock?

Millions of homeowners locked in super-low rates during the pandemic are about to face a financial reality check. When those terms expire, higher payments could seriously strain their budgets. Are you equipped to guide your clients through this turbulent transition?

We would like to inform you of an amendment recently made to Administrative Procedure # 47A – Using Nominee CCA (Open or TFSA) for a Purchase in a Client-Name Account. More specifically, this procedure was reviewed so that it can now apply to open accounts and nominee TFSAs which hold assets in the plans, whereas before this procedure was reserved for accounts opened for cash account purposes only.

We would like to remind you that in the situation where you are appointed as the executor/liquidator of a client’s estate, as a general rule, you must transfer the client’s account to another dealer. 

You missed these communications while you were on vacation this summer? Here are two initiatives released by our Compliance team last June and July to facilitate your day-to-day activities. 

We would like to remind you that our next Virtual Water Cooler Chat will be held on Thursday, September 12, at 2:30 p.m. (ET).

We would like to remind you that a new self-serve reporting tool is available on the Investia Advisor Centre. Launched on the week of August 12, 2024 (ref. August 1, 2024 communication), this tool enables you to generate useful reports for your practice, including the “Advisor Service Fee Invoice” report, which was made available upon launch.

Following the August 1, 2024 communication, we would like to remind you that holders of a nominee RRSP or LIRA/locked-in RRSP who will have reached age 71 by December 31, 2024 must transfer their account to a RRIF or LIF before year end.

Please be advised that effective Friday, August 30, 2024, the risk rating and asset class of several funds will change in Univeris. 

As a follow-up to the June 20, 2024 communication, we would like to inform you that as of Tuesday, September 3, 2024, Client Services will be returning to its regular operating hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.

Please be advised that Monday, September 2, 2024, is Labour Day and a statutory holiday in all the provinces. As a result, markets and Fundserv will be closed, which means that no trading or settlement will take place on that day. We will resume regular business hours on Tuesday, September 3.

As a follow-up to the June 27, 2024 communication, we remind you that effective August 28, 2024, Head Office will no longer manually adjust your clients’ AWDs in the event of insufficient funds. This applies to the payment cycle of September 5, 2024 as well as all subsequent AWDs.

To promote digital adoption, we would like to remind you that a contest was launched on August 7 to give clients the chance to win $1,000 by simply logging in to the Investia Client Portal or app. An amount of $1,000 in cash will be drawn each month until December among every client who logs in at least once during the month.

For those of you who may not know, a new global client management initiative was launched on July 18, 2024 (ref. Launch of Global Management memo).

As a follow-up to the June 27, 2024 communication, please be reminded that effective August 28, 2024, Head Office will no longer manually adjust your clients’ AWDs in the event of insufficient funds. This applies to the payment cycle of September 5, 2024 as well as all subsequent AWDs.

As a follow-up to the July 25, 2024 communication, we would like to remind you that the trade settlement cycle changed from T+2 to T+1 effective May 27, 2024.

We are pleased to inform you that a new client marketing document has been made available: the Investia Corporate Profile. This 4-page promotional document provides a high-level overview of Investia and the services we offer as dealer which set us apart in terms of client experience. 

Have you started using it yet? Launched on June 27, 2024, our Automated KYC Update Tool allows clients to review their KYC profile easily, quickly and securely through their Client Portal, and Representatives to approve the KYC much more efficiently.

After a well-deserved summer break, our Water Cooler Chats are now back in full force!

Effective April 29, 2024, Investia introduced a new process for adding clients’ banking information to Univeris via the Advisor Centre. The process has been in place for a couple of months, and we would like to take this opportunity to remind you of a few key steps to ensure a smooth process for both Representatives and Head Office. 

Following the August 1, 2024 communication, we are pleased to inform you that our client contest was launched yesterday, Wednesday, August 7. To promote digital adoption, this contest will give your clients the chance to win $1,000 for logging on to the Investia Client Portal or Mobile App. All they have to do is log on to the portal or app! $1,000 will be awarded each month until the contest ends on December 31, 2024. 

We are pleased to share with you some excellent news concerning the identification process for global management clients. As you know, we had previously announced that the use of the (*) symbol to identify these clients was a temporary measure. After analysis, we have found a simpler and more permanent way of facilitating this process.

Please be advised that effective Monday, August 12, 2024, Representatives will once again be able to access the “Unsuitable” tile on their Advisor Dashboard in the Advisor Centre. This tile was temporarily suppressed earlier this year due to an internal review.

Please be advised that effective July 26, 2024, the risk rating of each the following funds was increased by Invesco Canada Ltd (“AIM”):

We are thrilled to announce that a brand-new self-serve reporting solution is on the horizon! Starting the week of August 12, 2024, the Advisor Service Fee Invoice report will be the first report available to you through the Advisor Centre. As we continue to fine-tune the new tool, additional reports will be made available to you. Stay tuned via the weekly The 360 Newsletter for updates. 

As a follow-up to the communication sent to you by email on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, we have received confirmation from iA Clarington and CIBC regarding their revised client fee collection date (i.e., July 29 and July 30 respectively). 

Following the July 25, 2024, communication, we are writing to provide you with an update regarding our client contest that was scheduled for launch on August 1, 2024 as part of our Digital Adoption Campaign.

Good news! Following the launch of our automated KYC tool on June 27, 2024, we are pleased to inform you that the joint representative code functionality has been activated. Going forward, your clients under a joint code can also be eligible for automated KYC updates if they meet the other eligibility criteria (ref. Question 4 of the FAQ below).

As part of our year-end process, we would like to remind you that holders of a nominee RRSP or LIRA/locked-in RRSP who will have reached age 71 by December 31, 2024 must transfer their account to a RRIF or LIF before year end.

Please be advised that the risk rating of the following funds was increased by CI Global Asset Management (“CIG”) effective July 23, 2024, and by TD Asset Management (“TDB”) effective July 25, 2024:

Please be advised that the Product Review Committee will be taking a break for the next two weeks. As a result, we will not follow up on any product review/approval requests between August 5, 2024 and August 16, 2024 for the following products:

• Exchange traded funds (ETF)
• Liquid alternative funds
• Exempt market products
  

Please note that Monday, August 5, 2024 is a statutory holiday in several provinces, including in Ontario. As a result, the markets and Fundserv will be closed, which means that no trading or settlements will take place on that day.

As announced during our recent Best Business Practices Roadshows, iA Financial Group has recently launched a Digital Adoption Campaign across its lines of business and subsidiaries to promote the use of digital tools and platforms by clients.

We would like to inform you that the accreditation process for the presentations of this year’s Virtual Best Business Practices Roadshows is now complete. Below are details of the CE credits granted by presentation. Please note that no accreditation has been granted for Monday, June 3 presentations.

As announced in the May 23, 2024 communication, we would like to remind you that the trade settlement cycle changed from T+2 to T+1 effective May 27, 2024.

Please be advised that effective Friday, July 26, 2024, the risk rating and asset class of several funds will change in Univeris. 

As mentioned in the June 27, 2024 communication and as outlined in Administrative Procedure #34A – Automatic Withdrawal Deposits (AWD) – Investia Nominee Accounts, it is the responsibility of the Representative to ensure that the unit balance within a particular fund is sufficient to allow the scheduled systematic payment to be made.  

Please be reminded that we will be conducting system maintenance tomorrow, Friday, July 26, 2024. As a result, Univeris will be unavailable tomorrow from 10 p.m. to midnight ET.

As announced in the July 4, 2024 communication, we are ready to officially launch our new global client management initiative.

We would like to inform you that Q2 statements (from April 1 to June 30, 2024) will be available before the end of the week in the Investia Client Portal for all clients registered for e-delivery. For clients opting to receive paper statements, they will be mailed out to your clients shortly. 

Following the July 11, 2024 communication, we would like to remind you that this year’s client administrative fees will be processed and taken from client-name accounts starting tomorrow, Friday, July 19, 2024.

On July 4 (click here to read the communication), we announced the launch of a new online course, aimed at increasing the overall level of mastery of regulatory requirements in order to reduce the most frequent compliance failures.

We are pleased to inform you that a brand-new section has just been added to the accordion on the Advisor Centre.

Please be advised that we will be conducting a system maintenance on Friday, July 26, 2024. 

As a result, the Univeris system will be unavailable from 10 p.m. to midnight ET on July 26, 2024.

We would like to remind you that this year’s client administrative fees will be processed and taken from clients’ accounts as follows:

• For nominee accounts: fees will be taken from clients’ accounts over the weekend of July 13-14, which means transactions will be visible on Monday, July 15.
  
  
• For client-name accounts: fees will be processed on or about Friday, July 19.

The new online group training series titled “Enhancing Client Experience (CX) Using the Microsoft Suite” kicked off last Tuesday. Here’s a quick reminder, summarizing the 5 themes covered in this series, which is offered throughout the summer season.

Following the June 13, 2024 communication, we would like to provide you with some additional information on our revamped version of our The 360 Newsletter, launched on June 27.

I am pleased to share with you the arrival of our new Regional Vice-President for the Western Canada region, Mr. Daniel Bengtsson. Daniel graduated with a degree in economics from the University of Toronto and has been working in the industry for over 25 years, serving as an investment advisor and, more recently, helping advisors implement the best possible practices within their business to help them at every stage of their activities, from growth to maintenance and transition. 

We would like to inform you that a system update is scheduled to take place this weekend, which will impact the entry and update of client banking information.

Please be advised that effective June 26, 2024, the risk rating of each of the following funds was increased by CI Global Asset Management (“CIG”):

Please be advised that effective June 27, 2024, the risk rating of each of the following funds was increased by RBC Global Asset Management Inc. (“RBF”):

As mentioned during our recent Best Business Practices Roadshows, we are in the last stages of finalizing the launch of another important compliance initiative at Investia, i.e., global client management.

We are pleased to inform you that a new course has just been added to the content available on Investia Learning. Its objective is to deepen your knowledge of the main forms and systems in order to identify the compliance deficiencies which are most often noticed by head office, all this by validating the robustness of your business processes and integrating good practices when appropriate.

As mentioned in the June 27, 2024 communication, we remind you that our new automated KYC update tool is now ready for use.

As you are aware, a minimum annual payment (MAP) is mandatory for all RRIF and LIF accounts. In accordance with Section 146.3(1) of the Income Tax Act, Investia is responsible for ensuring that all minimum payments are made before the last day of the year.

Effective April 29, 2024, Investia introduced a new process for adding clients’ banking information to Univeris via the Advisor Centre. The process has been in place for a couple of months, and we would like to take this opportunity to remind you of a few key steps to ensure a smooth process for both Representatives and Head Office.

Please be advised that effective June 28, 2024, the risk rating of the following funds was increased by SLGI Asset Management Inc. (SUN).

We hope you enjoy the new format (Web and email).

For more information, click here to read the June 13, 2024, communication.

As mentioned in the June 20, 2024 communication, the automated KYC update tool is now ready for use. Simply log into the Advisor Centre and access the “Client Search” section on the homepage (“View all clients”) to start performing your first automated KYC updates.

Please be reminded that you have until Sunday, June 30, 2024 (no exceptions) to use the Client Fee Dashboard to select clients for whom you would like to pay this year’s Client Fee, if applicable. After this date, this option will be locked down.

As outlined in Administrative Procedure #34A – Automatic Withdrawal Deposits (AWD) – Investia Nominee Accounts, it is the responsibility of the Representative to ensure that the unit balance within a particular fund is sufficient to allow the scheduled systematic payment to be made.  

Effective April 29, 2024, Investia introduced a new process for adding clients’ banking information to Univeris via the Advisor Centre. The process has been in place for a couple of months, and we would like to take this opportunity to remind you of a few key steps to ensure a smooth process for both Representatives and Head Office.

Please be advised that our office will be closed on Monday, July 1, 2024, for Canada Day. We will resume normal business hours on Tuesday, July 2.

On behalf of all the team at Investia, Happy Canada Day to everyone!

Great news! As mentioned during our recent Best Business Practices Roadshows, we are pleased to announce the official launch of our automated KYC update tool.

We would like to remind you that you have until June 30, 2024 (no exceptions) to use the Client Fee Dashboard to select clients for whom you would like to pay this year’s Client Fee, if applicable. After this date, this option will be locked down.

We are happy to introduce our brand new series of online group training focused on using the Microsoft suite to optimize your client experience (CX) and productivity. 

Please be advised that effective June 24, 2024, the usage of the PPI bank card will no longer be permitted. 

Following the July 20, 2023 communication regarding the Electronic Processing Agreement (“EPA”) between fund companies and distributors (Representatives/Head Office), please be advised that Investia will be implementing changes to the Limited Authorization Form (“LAF”) approval process.

As such, effective June 21, 2024, Investia will no longer affix any signatures on the LAF as part of the approval process.

We would like to inform you that as of Monday, June 24, 2024, operating hours for our Client Services for the summer period will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, Monday to Friday.

As previously communicated, since March 2023, quarterly statements have been centralized in the Client Portal (available for consultation via the mirror access on the Advisor Centre) and are no longer archived in Univeris. Statements prior to this date are also available on the Client Portal.

Please be advised that Monday, June 24, 2024, is Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day and a statutory holiday in the province of Quebec. As a result, our services will be maintained during regular business hours, however we will be operating with reduced staff.

As we continuously strive to enhance the communication experience between Investia and our network of advisors and assistants, we consulted with you as part of our most recent Advisor Workgroup and during the course of interviews, to gather feedback on how best we can reshape the way we communicate. We received a lot of positive feedback and suggestions, and our project team is actively working on studying the feasibility of all of them. 

Following the June 1, 2023 communication, we would like to remind you that effective June 1, 2023, you must provide the French version of the following documents to all your Quebec-based clients, regardless of the client’s language, upon account creation:

• Investia NCAF (client-name, nominee and TFSA accounts);
• Investia Relationship Disclosure Information Document (“RDID”). 

Please be advised that following the release of the Univeris update (V24) on June 10, 2024, the “Options” tab in Univeris is no longer available.

As we wrap up another successful edition of our Best Business Practices Roadshows, we would like to thank you for attending in such large numbers this year. Your interest and participation are very important to us!

We would like to remind you that you have until June 30, 2024 (no exceptions) to use the Client Fee Dashboard to select clients for whom you would like to pay this year’s Client Fee, if applicable. After this date, this option will be locked down.

Please be advised that we will be conducting system maintenance for Univeris on the weekend of June 7, 2024.  As a result, Univeris, as well as the Investia Advisor Centre, Client Portal and Mobile App will be unavailable, for viewing and trading purposes, from Friday, June 7, 2024, 9:00 p.m., to Sunday, June 9, 2024, 5:00 p.m. (ET).

We would like to inform you that the online group training offer will be limited between June 15 and September 15.

Always with the goal of achieving the highest level of efficiency for you and your clients, we would like to provide an important reminder regarding internal transfers between two Investia nominee accounts.

Good news! Starting the week of June 3, 2024, clients will be able to select their document delivery mode on the Investia mobile app as well based on the following document types:

• Statements
• Tax documents
• Transaction documents

Please be advised that the following improvements will be made to the KYP tool effective June 3, 2024.

Currently, the North American investment industry supports a trade date plus two business days (T+2) transaction settlement period. However, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) mandated the U.S. market participants to shorten this settlement cycle from T+2 to T+1, which has prompted the Canadian Capital Markets Association (CCMA) to announce to move in tandem with the U.S. market and support a T+1 settlement period standard in Canada.

We would like to inform you that changes have been made to the Client Fee FAQ to clarify the following:

In preparation for the collection of 2024 Client Fees on June 30, please be advised that the Client Fee Dashboard has been reactivated.

Given the large number of documents we receive on a daily basis and in order to optimize their indexing to make your work easier, we would like to share with you a revamped version of our imaging procedure.

Please note that Monday, May 20, 2024, is a statutory holiday in several provinces of Canada, which means that markets and Fundserv will be closed and that no trading or settlement will take place on that day.

In preparation for the collection of 2024 Client Fees on June 30, please be advised that the Client Fee Dashboard has been reactivated.

In an effort to facilitate trading involving U.S. currency, we have gathered all the necessary steps in a comprehensive and easy-to-read procedure.

Yesterday, May 1, 2024, CIRO issued a press release warning Canadian investors not to be fooled by fraudsters currently impersonating the regulatory organization to launch investment recovery scams.

We would like to thank everyone who attended our live webinar dedicated to our new and improved process for adding and cancelling banking information, which was held on Wednesday, April 24.

Following the announcement of our new partnership with the financial planning firm Conquest Planning last March, we are pleased to provide you with a new FAQ document, which highlights all the information you will need about Conquest:

• Overview of the firm and description of the service offering for advisors
• Detailed plan features (standard and advanced)
• Pricing information and packages available
• How to sign up, including the request form*
• Advisor support contact information

As announced in the last federal budget on April 11, the Home Buyers’ Plan (HBP) withdrawal limit was raised from $35,000 to $60,000. As such, Investia has just received confirmation that we can now proceed with this change for our clients.

With the increased threat of potential cyber incidents, it is important for Investia and its Representatives to have cyber insurance coverage in place. For all Investia-licensed individuals (Representatives, Branch Managers, Assistants, Associate Advisors), cyber insurance coverage is now a mandatory requirement as part of your registration with Investia.   

It’s finally here! As discussed in last week’s Water Cooler session and yesterday’s webinar, effective Monday, April 29, 2024, all client banking information addition or deactivation will have to be made via the Advisor Centre, as follows: 

• Log in to the Investia Advisor Centre;
• Search for the client in the window below;
• Use the new “Manage Banking Information icon”:

Following the April 18, 2024 communication, the Client Fee Dashboard on the Advisor Centre has been updated in preparation for the collection of 2024 Client Fees. The Client Fee Dashboard will be accessible to Representatives in the next couple of weeks, i.e., early May.

On January 25, 2024, CIRO published its Position Paper: “Policy options for leveling the advisor compensation playing field”. This document aims, at a glance, to bring the industry (mutual fund and investment dealers) at the same playing field level in terms of available options for payment of commissions, and consequently address existing gaps and adverse consequences that have been known for a long time in the industry. 

As any intermediary, B2B Bank (“B2B”) has its own procedure when applying a power of attorney (“POA”) to client’s account. 

When a Representative wants to open an investment account with an intermediary, the Representative is obligated  to comply with the intermediary’s polices and procedures, even if they may differ or be stricter than the ones included in the Investia Compliance Policies and Procedures Manual.

We would like to thank everyone who attended the Virtual Water Cooler Chat held on Thursday, April 18. Below is a summary of key topics which were covered:

• IT technology update, including Conquest Planning integration;
• Compliance update, including upcoming Investia initiatives for 2024; and
• Operations update, where we provided information about the Client Fee Dashboard and the new banking information addition feature on the Advisor Centre.

As part of our fee structure harmonization initiative, we are waiving the Client Fee for Representatives’ personal and corporate accounts, as well as for those of their spouses and assistants (Investia nominee accounts only). 

As mentioned in previous communications, the Client Fee Dashboard on the Advisor Centre has been updated in preparation for the collection of 2024 Client Fees. The Client Fee Dashboard will be accessible to Representatives early May.

Please be advised that effective April 23, 2024, the following changes will be made to the “My Actions” tab in the Advisor Dashboard:

Please be advised that the risk rating of the following mutual funds was increased by Desjardins investments (“DJT”) on March 28, 2024 as follows:

Following the April 4, 2024 communication, we would like to remind you that an updated version of the Order Instruction Form for Systematic Withdrawals (Investia Nominee Accounts) (F51-326A) was made available in Univeris on Friday, March 15.

Following our March 7, 2024 communication, we would like to remind you that in April 2024, a new process will enable you to enter your clients’ banking information more quickly and efficiently.

In response to strong appreciation and growing demand from participants, we are pleased to inform you that, starting in May, the following trainings will be added to those currently available (ref. February 1, 2024 communication):

We are pleased to inform you that a new training module has just been added to the content available on Investia Learning. It is designed to enable you to familiarize yourself at your own pace with the various functionalities of the Advisor Centre.

Supporting the communities in which we live and work is something everyone at Investia takes pride in and we know how important it is for our advisor teams as well.

Following the March 14, 2024 communication, we are pleased to announce that clients will be able to select their document delivery mode on the Client Portal based on the following document types effective Monday, April 8, 2024: 

• Statements
• Tax documents
• Transaction documents

Following the March 14, 2024 communication, we would like to remind you that an updated version of the Order Instruction Form for Systematic Withdrawals (Investia Nominee Accounts) (F51-326A) was made available in Univeris on Friday, March 15. 

As announced in our March 7, 2024 communication, we will soon have a new process for adding and cancelling your clients’ banking information. In preparation for this, we are pleased to invite you to a live webinar which will be held this month and will be hosted by Johanne Pagé, Practice Management and Training Specialist. We will introduce you to the revised and improved process for adding and updating banking information and reiterate the alternatives to cheques available to you.

We have been informed by CI Global Asset Management of an issue related to clients’ 2023 T5008/RL-18 tax slips.

Please be advised that the Canadian Investment Funds Standards Committee (CIFSC) is implementing two new fund categories/asset classes: 

1. US Dividend & Income Equity; and
2. Global Dividend & Income Equity. 

First, we would like to thank everyone who attend last week’s Water Cooler. Below is a summary of what was covered in this session:

• Investia update with President Louis H. DeConinck;
• Sales reorganization and advisor training with Frédéric Laverdière-Pagé, Vice-President, Business Sales Development at Investia; and
• New partnership with the financial planning firm Conquest Planning.

Please note that our office will be closed tomorrow, Friday, March 29, 2024 due to the statutory holiday. Markets and Fundserv will also be closed, which means that no trading or settlement will take place on that day.

I am pleased to share with you the results of a reflection process which began some time ago, following Investia’s sustained growth over the past few years. In order to continue to support our sales force, we would like to inform you of certain changes that have been made to our structure, to provide our organization with greater agility and better strategic alignment.

With the high volume of documents we receive, we would like to take this opportunity to remind you of a few best practices regarding the upload of documents to imaging via the Secure File Upload tool.

Following the February 29, 2024 communication, we would like to remind you that a new uploading option has been added to the Secure File Upload Tool on the Advisor Centre. Going forward, simply select the “Estate processing (Nominee accounts)” option to send us your nominee estate documents for processing via the upload tool.

As part of our service offering with our cybersecurity partner Solulan, Investia advisors and their staff have received an email, on Monday March 18, 2024, including an invitation to complete a free self-assessment of their cybersecurity practices. 

Following the launch of the Business Tracker last year (reference: June 15, 2023 communication), we are pleased to announce that we have made enhancement to our transfer-in process. Going forward, this process will also include transfer-ins which are related to GICs, whereas currently the transfer-in process only tracks mutual funds (nominee accounts). Effective March 20, 2024, you will be able to see this new enhancement in the Business Tracker.

Good news! Coming soon, clients will be able to select their document delivery mode on the Client Portal based on the following document types: 

• Statements
• Tax documents
• Transaction documents

We have been informed by Lysander Funds of an issue in the mailing of T5008 tax slips to clients.

More than 93% of you have completed their “Annual Review of Professional Activities” (“ARPA”) questionnaire for 2023, thank you! If you have not completed yours yet, please make sure to do so no later than tomorrow, Friday, March 15, 2024 to avoid penalties.

Always with the goal of achieving the highest level of efficiency for you and your clients, we would like to provide an important reminder regarding internal transfers between two Investia nominee accounts.

Please be advised that an updated version of the Order Instruction Form for Systematic Withdrawals (Investia Nominee Accounts) (F51-326A) will be available in Univeris tomorrow, March 15, 2024. Below are two important changes that have been made.

We are writing to inform you about an important update regarding the process for Representatives adding client banking information within our system (Univeris).

Please be reminded that annual licences for all Mutual Fund Representatives, as well as licenses for Representatives registered in the categories listed below were automatically renewed via the National Registration Database (“NRD”) on December 31, 2023:

Please be advised that contribution receipts for the period between February 1 to February 29, 2024 will be issued in the second half of March (Investia nominee accounts only). 

Please be reminded that you have until March 15, 2024 to complete the “Annual Review of Professional Activities” (“ARPA”) for 2023. The questionnaire is available on the Investia Advisor Centre for online completion. Simply log into the Advisor Centre, then click on the “ARPA Survey” icon on the home page.

Following the February 8, 2024 communication, we would like to remind you that a new uploading option has been added to the Secure File Upload Tool on the Advisor Centre. Going forward, simply select the “Estate processing (Nominee accounts)” option to send us your nominee estate documents for processing via the upload tool.

Please be reminded that annual licences for all Mutual Fund Representatives, as well as licenses for Representatives registered in the categories listed below were automatically renewed via the National Registration Database (“NRD”) on December 31, 2023:

As is already the case with TFSAs, Investia must now report to the Canada Revenue Agency (“CRA”) the market value as at December 31 of all registered plans, including those in which no withdrawal was made during the course of the year.

Lately we have been noticing a higher number of payment rejections linked to clients’ closed bank accounts, meaning that the bank account may not have been validated at the time of redemption.

We would like to inform you that Administrative Procedure # 59 – Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) has recently been updated to provide additional clarification regarding the eligibility criteria for Representatives and Assistants. As such, Representatives wishing to integrate ETFs into their practice are  invited to read this amended version before sending their application to the Registration Department.

We are pleased to invite you to our next Water Cooler session, which will be held on Thursday, March 21, 2024.

Please be advised that annual licences for all Mutual Fund Representatives, as well as licenses for Representatives registered in the categories listed below were automatically renewed via the National Registration Database (“NRD”) on December 31, 2023:

As part of our efforts to ensure compliance with our anti-money laundering obligations, we find that we do not always have the source of funds on file for deposits or bank transfers received from clients, in amounts of $50,000 or more, whether for non-registered or TFSA plans. It is important to remember that the source of funds must be documented in the dealer’s records upon receipt of the sums.

We would like to remind you that the Business Tracker tool is a great way for you to follow up on your various requests sent to Investia during RRSP season, without having to contact Client Services for updates.

5 Email Best Practices
Below is the cyber routine to adopt at any time when receiving an email:

As a follow-up to the December 14, 2023 communication which highlights the recent amendments made to pre-authorized debit agreements (PADs) under CPA Rule H1 (read memo here), we thought it would be helpful to provide clarification in response to some questions recently received from advisors.

Supporting the communities in which we live and work is something everyone at Investia takes pride in and we know how important it is for our advisor teams as well.

Please note that next Monday, February 19, is a statutory holiday in several provinces, including Ontario, which means that markets and Fundserv will be closed and no trading or settlement will take place on that day.

Good news! Following a recent update of the Univeris system, please take note that High Interest Savings Account (“HISA”) Fund Fact Sheets are now available in Univeris under the “Fund Facts” section, whereas before they were not available at all in the database. This should make the document sharing process easier for you and your clients who hold these types of accounts.

5 Email Best Practices
Each week, we will be providing you with a friendly reminder of email best practices.

#5 – When in doubt, report a suspicious situation by calling 1-888-684-5548, option 4. It is your duty to notify the security teams to protect your clients’ data and close the door on cybercriminals!

Following last week’s communication, please be reminded that you have until March 15, 2024 to complete the “Annual Review of Professional Activities” (“ARPA”) for 2023. The questionnaire is available on the Investia Advisor Centre for online completion. Simply log into the Advisor Centre, then click on the “ARPA Survey” icon on the home page.

With the arrival of RRSP and tax season, Investia recognizes that the next few months are often the busiest period for our Representatives. As such, our goal is to reduce compliance inquiries, delays and obstacles that you may receive during this time. We hope taking note of the information below will have a positive impact on your client relationships through improved processes, more efficient client meetings and a reduction in the amount of time spent on administrative tasks.  

Good news! With the goal of facilitating the estate process, we are pleased to inform you that a new uploading option has been added to the Secure File Upload Tool on the Advisor Centre. Going forward, simply select the “Estate processing (Nominee accounts)” option to send us your nominee estate documents for processing via the upload tool.

With the high volume of documents we receive, we would like to take this opportunity to remind you of a few best practices regarding the upload of documents to imaging via the Secure File Upload tool.

We would like to inform you that a completely revised and improved version of the PureFees Representative Guide is now available to reflect certain changes made to the PureFees operating system.

Good news! Our parent company iA Financial Group (iAFG) is proud to inform you that one aspect of its corporate brand image is evolving.

5 Email Best Practices
Each week, we will be providing you with a friendly reminder of email best practices.

#4 – Analyze the context of emails

We have been advised that 3 major email providers, i.e., Google, Yahoo and Apple, will imminently be implementing new email authentication requirements for all email senders. These new requirements will provide their users with a spam-free inbox significantly reducing the risks of direct domain spoofing and email phishing attacks. 

We are happy to share that in 2024, we are implementing a harmonized fee structure across all client account types.

We would like to inform you that the “Annual Review of Professional Activities” (“ARPA”) questionnaire will be available on Thursday, February 8, 2024 on the Investia Advisor Centre for online completion. 

We would like to remind you that there is an automated process in Univeris which ensures that holding, plan and client statuses are changed automatically. The closing of holdings is based on month-end fund company files. The syncing of statuses will reduce the rejection of trades and duplication of holdings. 

We are pleased to inform you that a new investor-facing article has been made available on your Advisor Centre under the Marketing / Client Articles section: 

Good news! Effective immediately, clients can now click on linked accounts from their mobile app and view detailed information of these accounts as well. 

5 Email Best Practices
Each week, we will be providing you with a friendly reminder of email best practices.

#3 – NEVER open unexpected attachments

As you may already know, clients may request to have their 10% free and mature units automatically switched into 0% front-end load funds at the end of the year. Below is a reminder of the procedure to request this for your client based on the type of account:

We are pleased to invite you to our next Water Cooler session, which will be held on Thursday, February 15, 2024.

5 Email Best Practices
Each week, we will be providing you with a friendly reminder of email best practices.

#2 – ALWAYS move your mouse over URL links without clicking

We would like to inform you that Q4 statements including CRM2 reporting, and KYC Client Profile information will be available in the Investia Client Portal for all clients registered for e-delivery next week. For clients opting to receive paper statements, they will be mailed out to our clients soon after. 

We are pleased to inform you that, in addition to the digital courses available on Investia Learning, you will soon be able to register for various online trainings given by our instructors. These courses will be in the form of virtual classrooms with the ability to interact with the instructor, as well as other participants.

As a reminder, the Business Tracker tool was launched to provide you with visibility on the status of various transactions processed within Head Office. More specifically, we recently integrated transfers out within this tool, which allows us to provide updates as soon as we receive a request instead of sending an email after the transaction has been processed.

As we are in the midst of busy RRSP season, we wanted to remind you that the Business Tracker tool is a great way for you to follow up on your various requests sent to Investia, without having to contact Client Services for updates.

Please be advised that effective June 2023, the risk rating of the following exchange traded fund (“ETF”) was increased by Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. as follows:

5 Email Best Practices
Each week, we will be providing you with a friendly reminder of email best practices.

#1 – ALWAYS check the sender's email address

With RRSP season just around the corner, we are anticipating an increase in the number of documents sent for imaging and processing, and as such we would like to provide you with important reminders and information about document transmission.

We are pleased to announce the release of an updated version of Investia’s Compliance Policies & Procedures Manual (“CPPM”), reflective of policy changes and enhancements arising from internal, regulatory and harmonization developments made over the past year.

We would like to inform you that the calculation of Investia nominee LIF/RRIF minimum and maximum amounts for 2024 has been completed. The new amounts can be found in Univeris under the client’s plan “Details” section. This year’s temporary income amounts are also available in the same section for clients who have requested temporary income and provided us with the appropriate documentation.

6 Password Best Practices
Each week, we will be providing you with a friendly reminder of password best practices.

#6 – For a fool proof password:

Please be advised that effective July 2023, the risk rating of the following fund was increased by Mackenzie Investments (“MFC”):

6 Password Best Practices
Each week, we will be providing you with a friendly reminder of password best practices.

#5 – Never share your passwords