Over two fresh spring days in May, 78 local wealth industry veterans gathered at the Ivey ING Leadership Centre to participate in the Toronto CFA Society’s 2009 Annual Wealth Management Conference, presented by the Private Client Committee. Six subject matter expert speakers engaged a mixed crowd of business executives and investment practitioners covering topics spanning best practices to innovative thinking, which drew on the CFA Institute’s Private Wealth Management Body of Knowledge.

On day one, we first heard from Earl Bederman, president, Investor Economics, who presented the goods (and stats) on What’s Next for the High-Net-Worth Investor and their Adviser⎯and we ended that day with a very topical perspective on crafting an Investment Policy for Individuals during the Decumulation Phase, from Don Ezra, director of strategic advice at Russell Investments. The second day was balanced. We first received business tips on how best to approach Segmenting Your Marketing & Positioning Your Practice to High-Net-Worth Investors by Patti Williams, associate professor of marketing at The Wharton School. The back end of the morning had Richard Peterson, managing partner, MarketPsych, coaching us on Using Emotional Communication Strategies to Build a Stronger Practice and Improve Clients’ Quality of Life.

Practitioner note: As Stephen M. Horan, head, Professional Education Content and Private Wealth, CFA Institute, reminded us, the Private Wealth Management Body of Knowledge content found at www.cfainstitute.org/privatewealth is an incredible resource available to us.