Our Investment Philosophy

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is an investment philosophy?

A: Our investment philosophy is the guiding principles, or foundation, upon which a successful investment strategy can be built. Our investment philosophy sums up our approach to helping educators effectively manage their money.

Q: Why is it important to have an investment philosophy?

A: An investment philosophy provides focus and guidance for investment decisions. Without an investment philosophy, one can easily shift from strategy to strategy without proper consideration.

Q: What proof do you have to support that you know educators better than anyone else?

A: For more than 30 years, we've been dedicated to the education community. We've spent countless hours dealing one-on-one with educators, and all of this knowledge is shared, in keeping with our team approach. We're trained to understand all aspects of an educator's financial position so that terms like TPP, OMERS, four over five and gratuities are no mystery to us. Finally, we do research in order to better understand the needs and goals of the education community.

Q: What do you mean by a "disciplined approach" to investing?

A: Investment recommendations are based on research and facts. We use many tools to help us gather facts, including the following:

• A variety of in-depth research - including proprietary and third party - that gathers and analyzes information about economic trends, specific industries, and specific companies, in order to identify sound investment opportunities
• Sophisticated investment analysis tools such as screening processes, selection criteria.
• Investment Mandates and Performance Standards: we clearly articulate the objectives and guidelines for each of the funds. These are developed in partnership with the Fund Managers.
• Strong focus on investment results via review meetings with our Fund Managers.
• Investor profiling tools to help guide investment recommendations.

Q: Why should I trust Educators Financial Group?

A: We have proven experience. Our financial planners come with top-tier industry accreditation. Our commitment to continuous learning helps ensure we remain up to date with the latest developments in financial markets, and with changes in the education community. Our fund managers follow a disciplined process and they leverage their experience, as well as their ability to tap into global sources of knowledge. We use a team-based approach in our organization, so that we can make the most of the knowledge and skills of everyone on the team. All this supports strong, fact-based recommendations.

Q: Given what's going on in the markets, does it still make sense to take the long-term approach?

A: Market volatility is nothing new. While we've heard that these are "unprecedented times", markets have proven that investing over the long-term does pay off. We believe that taking a long-term view is a practical approach that avoids the pitfalls of trying to time the market.

Q: What if my time horizon to retirement is short and I can't afford the long-term view?

A: While taking a long-term view to investing is a practical approach, there are times when clients have financial needs with a short time horizon. For example, one client may anticipate purchasing a house in three years, so a down payment is required, while another client may wish to take advantage of the 4 over 5 program in five years. In these cases, we can develop a short-term strategy to help - and that's when understanding educators better than anyone gives us (and you) an advantage.

Q: Who is included in "family members"?

A: Educators Financial Group has exclusively served members of the education community and their immediate family members for over 30 years. Your spouse, parents, children, grandparents, grandchildren, siblings, in-laws, nephews and nieces are all eligible to get unique and exclusive advantages especially designed with educators in mind.