Insights Into Wealth

Today, Randy Gunn, BULLWEALTH’s VP and Portfolio Manager, continues his podcast series on Artificial Intelligence with Michael Page, Senior Director of Data Science & Advanced Analytics at Unity Health Canada, one of Canada’s largest Catholic healthcare networks serving patients, residents, and clients spanning St. Michael’s Hospital, Providence Healthcare, and St. Joseph’s Health Centre. Michael joins Randy to discuss how artificial intelligence is already being used in healthcare settings and where it may have the greatest impact in the years ahead. Together, they explore how AI can help relieve pressure on an increasingly strained healthcare system by reducing administrative burden, improving efficiency, and allowing clinicians to focus more on patient care. Their conversation also examines why healthcare organizations must be thoughtful about how AI tools are selected, trained, and governed, the importance of keeping human judgment firmly at the centre of decision-making, and how the best uses of AI can make healthcare more human, rather than less. Overall, they offer a practical and timely discussion on how Canada can use AI to strengthen healthcare delivery, support healthcare professionals, and help build a more effective and responsive system.

Today, Randy Gunn, BULLWEALTH’s VP & Portfolio Manager, sits down with Corina Weigl, Partner and Co-Lead of Fasken’s Private Client Service Group, to delve into the evolving world of trusts and the critical responsibilities trustees hold. With the fiduciary environment becoming more complex, the role of a trustee has never been more important—or more demanding. While our last podcast explored the various types of trusts and the opportunities they present for families, today’s discussion focuses to what it truly means to be a trustee. Corina outlines the key duties trustees are expected to fulfill, the qualities that define an effective trustee, and the best practices that can help trustees meet their legal and ethical obligations to beneficiaries. As trusts become a more common planning tool among Canadian families—and with many of our clients having a trust—this episode is especially relevant. Randy and Corina’s conversation is both thoughtful and insightful, offering practical guidance for those navigating the responsibilities and challenges of trust and estate planning.

Today, we are excited to launch the second annual Lessons Learned – Insights into Wealth podcast, featuring BULLWEALTH Portfolio Managers Kevin Van Dyk, Randy Gunn, Denisa Farrow, and myself. Hosted by Savva Cherdantsev, BULLWEALTH’s Managing Director, Research & Investments, our discussion will explore key observations from 2024. Topics include assessing whether a client’s portfolio is too risky for their comfort level, the risks of maintaining an overly conservative investment approach, monitoring portfolios during periods of company and market concentration risks, lessons learned from 25 years ago, and identifying key indicators for reviewing or replacing an underperforming investment manager. Each of us will share insights on why these considerations were critical to decision-making throughout the year.

Kevin Van Dyk, Managing Director at BULLWEALTH, engages Dr. Ian Mortimer, co-Portfolio Manager of the Guinness Global Equity Income Portfolio to discussed Guinness’ investment philosophy, process, and strategy, highlighting the team’s focus on identifying companies that have consistently grown dividends over the past 10 years. Ian explains that not all dividend-growing businesses are alike, sharing the specific criteria his team uses to select high-quality companies. Ian also describes their bottom-up analytical approach, balanced by macroeconomic awareness, within a focused portfolio of 35 companies. In addition, Ian reveals why 35 equally weighted holdings is a distinctive feature of the portfolio’s design.

Today, Kevin Van Dyk, BULLWEALTH’s Managing Director, introduces you to BULLWEALTH’s newest partner, Denisa Farrow. Denisa joined BULLWEALTH after many years in the investment advisory and consulting, and investment management arenas where she has worked with and advised many families and not-for-profit organizations and pension plans on their investment portfolios and overall wealth decisions. Kevin’s conversation with Denisa is wide-ranging and covers many topics from who Denisa is and how she found her way into investment consulting to some of her career decisions to why she loves the contact she has with her clients.

Kevin Van Dyk, one of BULLWEALTH’s Managing Director’s, and Sean Yuile from Manitou’s Canadian Equity investment team discuss how Manitou’s Canadian equity team implements a high-quality investment philosophy that has resulted in long-term outperformance and excellent downside protection by investing in growing companies that have a discounted value. Sean describes Manitou’s investment philosophy and process around searching for and investing in Grade A companies and how the portfolio’s cash weighting can rise and fall depending upon underlying company valuations.

Randy Gunn, BULLWEALTH’s VP & Portfolio Manager, speaks with Jeanette Bock, Founder and Senior Transition Specialist at Fluid Senior Transitions. Jeanette has over 30 years of listening, planning and solving the challenges of transitioning to our later stages of life. Randy and Jeanette begin their conversation by discussing the difference between long-term care and retirement living, then discuss where some of us may make mistakes as we age and forget to plan, or plan too late, for this next chapter of our lives. Finally, Jeanette gives examples of how to transition to retirement living or staying in your home as we age. Randy and Jeanette’s conversation is both thoughtful and insightful, and we hope it helps with your planning decisions.

Today, we welcome back Sharon Avery, CEO of Toronto Foundation, to share her thoughts as to where community foundations are assisting Canadians by giving through multiple vehicles, ideas of where to donate – Both big and grassroots organizations, and trends within the philanthropic sector such as giving circles or group giving to help solve some of our communities’ largest issues. Sharon speaks to Randy Gunn, one of BULLWEALTH’s Portfolio Managers, in an insightful discussion that we hope will help broaden your philanthropic thinking and different ways to approach giving.