We’re flooded daily with information on investing. You hear it on the radio, see it on TV, in newspapers, the Internet, billboards, signs, painted vehicles, junk mail, handouts, even our own clothes! Someone’s out there making money and it never seems to be us. The question becomes obvious: how to find the right people to help us make the most of all this information.

“The key to investing well,” says Adena Franz of the The Adena Franz Group, “is to find the one thing that’s hard to come by.”

“That ‘something’ is authenticity in the people you work with,” she said, “and once you’ve found it, you’ll never want to let go.” 

She should know. A portfolio manager for 16 years, Franz and her experienced team work as part of MacDougall, MacDougall and MacTier, an employee-owned firm that has been serving investors since 1858.

“People are frustrated with our industry,” she said, “because they are always being sold to. When you have an experience where you get what you want with someone who’s there to truly help you, it’s a whole different ballgame. You know instantly when you’re dealing with a business that takes pride in what it does for you. You can see it, hear it, and feel it.”

That’s no myth with Franz’s team, whose members are trusted and recognized expert advisors for proactive investors with a minimum $500,000 and who are looking for someone who will help them buy what they want: respect, personal attention, independent and intelligent thinking along with superior service for their hard-earned investment dollars.

“At 3Macs, it’s independence that counts. Without corporate or backing from a bank,” she says, “conflicts of interest are nonexistent. The bottom line is commitment to clients and their plans. It’s quite elegant, really.

“Without products to sell, your portfolio is invested to reflect you - period.” 

Independence permits straightforward and transparent advice. It’s the relentless pursuit of client goals, which are, of course, to help you succeed and not to fill someone’s sales quota.

With an upscale clientele and limited margin exposure, 3Macs holds zero inventory and does not trade its capital, sheltering investors further from these traditional sources of instability. The firm succeeds when you succeed.

Clients are loyal for a number of other reasons.

“True professionalism and good business practice begins with complete candor about what you’re paying for and how,” Franz said. 

“Fees are based on account size, as opposed to transactions. You’re not offered high-cost, multi-tiered mutual funds or wrap programs. They cost too much. Often you’ll save as much as 50% of your investment expenses. This can work out to thousands of dollars.”

Savings on fees add up, as do the savings of having a clear sell strategy, something absolutely unique about her team. Take the example of Nortel. “Clients will never again own a Nortel for too long,” she said. “Our early warning systems work.”
 

Spend a few minutes talking with Franz and her colleagues, and you’ll discover that integrity is a core value here; more than just keeping promises, it includes simple rules that are the life-blood of the team’s client-service philosophy.

“We show up on time and say please and thank you,” Franz said, amused by the notion’s simplicity. “Clients feel respected. We do what we say, when we say, and we always finish what we start. Clients find it refreshing. Our word is our promise.”

Using research from independent internal and external analysts, along with sophisticated ranking software, Franz and her team possess solid, full- and real-time market intelligence that gives them the ability to accommodate virtually any style of investing without skipping a beat.

Clients looking for income are discouraged by the meagre rates of interest paid to their bank account. You are fortunate to earn 1%, a rate that hasn’t been exceeded over the last three years. 

“The business units of Gaz Met pay 8% and the dividends of Bank of Montreal are approximately 3.7%,” Franz points out. “By investing in these alternatives and by taking time to understand them, our clients see their incomes jump.” 

Active listening to answers is key,” Franz said. “Our clients are allies. They watch how we work. They see that we respect their specific needs and situations. We don’t have cookie-cutters so when we review what’s happening from year to year, they get excited about the progress because it’s really their own.

“We open relationships with people. You need the information and you want to understand it. You’ll receive the advice and assistance that makes it easy for you to choose us. We’re open.

“Whatever your profile,” Franz said, “the first item is to build you a safe and solid foundation. If we’re to be the guardians of your capital, it stands to reason that we must truly understand your dreams and your goals and create what’s needed to get you there without compromising what you already have.”

The no-nonsense emphasis on understanding clients’ goals is no accident. 

“Clear communication means clear communication, and it is essential to making you money.” 

For small-business owners, foundations, family accounts and those entering their 50s – a group Franz likes to call the “worried boomers” – the full-service and experienced professionals of The Adena Franz Group are perfect partners on the road to financial freedom and retirement security. 

“Trust our data, our strategy and our process, and in return you will succeed,” Franz said.  “Our disciplines speak for themselves.”
 
We invite your call at 514-394-3771. Let’s get started!

Call us at 514-394-3771 for a risk-free, confidential meeting to discuss how you too can enjoy increasing income. You won’t regret it.

The Adena Franz Group has over 16 years’ experience of successful portfolio management and is with the independent firm
MacDougall, MacDougall and MacTier Inc.
1010 de la Gauchetière West, Suite 2000
Montreal, Qc  H3B 4J1
Phone: 514-394-3771
Email: ptria@3macs.com

The information contained in this article is for general information purposes only. It does not account for specific investment objectives or the financial situation of any person reading it. Opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of MacDougall, MacDougall & MacTier Inc. Investors should seek professional advice regarding the appropriateness of investing in any securities discussed or recommended here and should recognize that statements regarding future prospects may not be realized.