BULLWEALTH is an integrated wealth advisory and consulting firm with a global perspective.

At BULLWEALTH, we invest our time to understand your needs and share our insights, so together we can make the most informed decisions that align with your overall financial goals.

About BULLWEALTH


BULLWEALTH was founded in March 2000 to offer integrated wealth advisory and consulting solutions to high net worth families and not-for-profit organizations.

At BULLWEALTH, we invest our time to understand your needs. We take the time to get to know you in order to help you understand all of your options. We invest our time to share our insights, so together we can make the most informed decisions that align with your overall financial goals.

BULLWEALTH is Independent! Our independence means we are conflict-free to advise you on your overall financial goals. We are only compensated by you – our clients! We receive no commissions or any other fees from any other organization; nor do we own, in whole or in part, any of the underlying managers we propose.What this means is pure, unbiased consulting advice.

We have a defined approach that aims to deliver superior independent and strategic consulting advice to you.

ASSET ALLOCATION


Asset allocation is the cornerstone of all of our client portfolios.

BULLWEALTH assesses the goals for each of our clients, then optimizes their portfolio by using non-correlated, global asset classes. Once we understand our client’s specific needs, we customize their asset allocation to construct a portfolio to meet their objectives.

Since our founding, we have embraced institutional asset allocation methodologies to reduce our client’s portfolio volatility, while aiming to achieve their expected returns. By using our proprietary optimization software (‘OASIS’), we can build portfolios with multiple combinations of different risk and return outcomes, so together we can make the most informed decisions that align with your financial goals.

Our clients have access to global asset classes that include:


Equities
Canadian equities, global equities, international equities and/or US equities across the market capitalization spectrum;


Fixed Income
Canadian fixed income, high yield fixed income, private credit (mortgage investments & debt) and/or global fixed income;


Alternatives
Canadian real estate, US real estate, global real estate, hedge funds and/or private equity.

MANAGER DUE DILIGENCE


BULLWEALTH completes extensive manager due diligence.

Our due diligence includes an initial search process to annual onsite visits to quarterly conference calls to regular reviews of Statements of Investment Policies and audited financial statements for each manager. Most investors see the returns and high level processes of a manager, however we apply both quantitative and qualitative criteria to uncover what is below the surface.

1. Why did a manager outperform or underperform their benchmark during specific time periods?

2. Does the investment policy match the holdings of the manager?

3. Is the volatility too high to meet our client’s financial goals?

BULLWEALTH searches for and hires high quality, global managers that can add “alpha” and provide downside protection to meet our client’s needs.

COMPREHENSIVE QUARTERLY REPORTING


Each quarter BULLWEALTH delivers a comprehensive quarterly report detailing all of our client’s quarterly, annual and multi-year returns against their customized benchmark. In other words, we measure your portfolio against its customized benchmark for an apples to apples comparison!

Along with quantitative analysis of our client’s portfolios, we share insights into their managers through detailed quarterly commentaries, so all clients may understand which managers they are invested in and why.

Following the receipt of their quarterly report, we will review each client’s portfolio on a quarterly basis, or as and when they would like, so we may provide our clients with independent and strategic consulting advice.

Risk Attitude Questionnaire


BULLWEALTH’s Risk Attitude Questionnaire helps us make an objective assessment of your attitude towards risk. By completing BULLWEALTH’s Risk Attitude Questionnaire, we can assess what your optimal asset allocation is, then build a portfolio to target your risk/return objectives to achieve your overall financial goals.

Risk can be split into two parts: Risk Capacity – The ability to take risk and Risk Attitude – The willingness to take risk.

Risk Capacity relates to your financial circumstances and goals where the higher your level of wealth and income, and the longer your horizon, the higher your risk capacity, while Risk Attitude is more to do with your psychology than your financial circumstances. BULLWEALTH’s Risk Attitude Questionnaire focuses on your risk attitude and your comfort with volatility. The more risk you are willing to take, the higher the volatility and potential return of your portfolio; however the higher your risk, the greater the potential for loss. Lower risk offers greater stability but lower potential returns.

BULLWEALTH’s Risk Attitude Questionnaire produces a score ranging from 0 to 100, where 0 is most risk-averse and 100 is most risk-tolerant.

Julian C. Smith

jsmith@bullwealth.com

President &
Chief Executive Officer


Julian has over 20 years of wealth advisory and consulting experience. He started his career as an investment advisor at Merrill Lynch before leaving to head business development at Charles Schwab Canada. Julian spent over 5 years as Senior Vice President at Raymond James Ltd. heading its Asset Management and Product Development divisions, then left to co-found a global government bond investment management firm. Julian’s expertise includes wealth advisory and consulting, operational management, compliance and risk management, and leadership.

At BULLWEALTH, Julian provides wealth advisory and consulting advice to high net worth families and not-for-profit organizations, along with manager research and due diligence responsibilities. Julian is a Portfolio Manager and is also a voting member of the BULLWEALTH Investment Committee.

Julian is a graduate of Trent University with a B.Sc. in Economics and holds the CIM® designation (Chartered Investment Manager). Julian also serves as a governor on the Trent University board of governors.

Kevin Van Dyk

kvandyk@bullwealth.com

Managing Partner &
Portfolio Manager


Kevin has over 20 years of wealth advisory and consulting experience, and continues to play a key role in our manager research and due diligence process. Kevin uses his extensive background in manager research and due diligence, along with his expertise in analysis to foster strong relationships with our high net worth families, not-for-profit organizations and institutional clients. Kevin is a Portfolio Manager and is also a voting member of the BULLWEALTH Investment Committee.

Prior to joining BULLWEALTH, Kevin worked at Merrill Lynch and CIBC Wood Gundy within their Managed Account platforms. Kevin graduated from the University of Western Ontario with an Honours BA in Economics and is a CFA® charterholder. He is member of the CFA Society Toronto and the CFA Institute.

Penny Bartlett

penny@bullwealth.com

VP, Client Strategist


Penny was a Partner and VP, Client Strategies with Vincero Capital Management Inc. prior to its sale to BULLWEALTH in 2022. Vincero was a multi-family office offering its high net-worth clients an integrated taxation, accounting and consulting platform, along with other financial strategies.

Penny has 15 years of consulting experience, along with over 20 years of integrated tax and accounting experience.

At BULLWEALTH, Penny works closely with families to monitor their financial risk, diversity and lifestyle requirements, while ensuring that tax planning, business succession, estate planning and family dynamic issues are all considered. Penny is a member of the BULLWEALTH Investment Committee.

Penny graduated from the University of Victoria with a BA before earning an MBA (Accounting) from McMaster University. She also holds the CPA-CA designation.

Randy Gunn

rgunn@bullwealth.com

VP, Portfolio Manager


Randy has over 15 years of wealth advisory and consulting experience working with high net worth families and foundations at industry leading firms such as BNY Mellon Wealth Management, Citigroup Private Bank and Connor Clark & Lunn. Randy’s experience has helped him advise his clients on their financial risks, while coordinating decisions with their other advisors.

Randy’s focus at BULLWEALTH is to safeguard his clients by ensuring that their risks align with their overall financial goals. Randy is committed to building an integrated wealth platform where he can work with his client to achieve their future goals. Over the years, Randy has worked with families who have recently experienced a liquidity event, as well as foundations looking for unique wealth advisory and consulting solutions.

Randy earned a bachelor’s degree from Brock University, an MBA from the University of Windsor, is a CFA® charterholder and is a member of the CFA Society of Toronto. Randy is a member of the Organizing Committee of the CFA Society of Toronto’s annual Private Wealth Conference and a past member of the Investment Committee for the Rotary Club of Toronto’s Charitable Foundation.

When not advising clients, Randy enjoys spending time with and entertaining his two boys either camping in the woods or at the ice rink.

Josephine Chan

jchan@bullwealth.com

Chief Compliance Officer &
Portfolio Manager


Jo has over 15 years of wealth advisory and investment management experience. She was an investment analyst at Ernst & Young's Investment Advisory Services, an investment analyst at Mercer Investment Consulting and an Assistant Portfolio Manager at Jarislowsky Fraser Limited. Jo is responsible for our firm’s compliance policies and procedures, and ensures we maintain compliance with all securities regulations. Jo also provides operational support to our team and works closely with our clients by providing wealth advisory and consulting advice. Jo is a Portfolio Manager and is also a member of the BULLWEALTH Investment Committee.

Jo graduated from the University of Toronto with a BA. She is a CFA® charterholder and also holds the CIM® (Chartered Investment Manager) designation. Jo is a member of the CFA Society Toronto and the CFA Institute.

Savva Cherdantsev

scherdantsev@bullwealth.com

Director, Research & Investments


Since joining BULLWEALTH in 2017, Savva has used his extensive background in investment analysis and programming to develop software to enhance our asset allocation (programmed and developed BULLWEALTH’s asset allocation optimization platform, ‘OASIS’), investment analysis and quarterly reporting platforms. Each of these developments has allowed our wealth advisory and consulting team to provide more effective, customized solutions to our clients. Savva has used his experience to provide insights and analysis on numerous managers in different asset classes, including real estate, private credit, and traditional equity and fixed income strategies. Since 2020, Savva has focused more of his time in conducting analysis on hedge fund strategies, while also consulting with our institutional clients on their portfolios. Savva is a Portfolio Manager and is also a voting member of the BULLWEALTH Investment Committee.

Savva holds his M.Sc. in Finance from Simon Fraser University and graduated from the National Research University Higher School of Economics with dual degree in Economics and Banking from London School of Economics (‘LSE’), and is a CFA® charterholder. He is a member of the CFA Society Toronto and the CFA Institute.

Peter Klein

pklein@bullwealth.com

Managing Partner


Peter was a Principal of KCS Fund Strategies Inc. before joining BULLWEALTH in 2014. Earlier in his career he was a Vice-President with CIBC/Wood Gundy Inc. He engaged in a wide range of capital market activities in their Toronto and Tokyo offices, and was Chief Trader of the bank’s European derivatives portfolio, while based in their London, UK office.

Peter is currently a Professor of Finance at Simon Fraser University. His research on investment policy, hedge funds and asset pricing models has been published in leading academic journals and earned numerous awards. Peter leverages his knowledge in asset allocation modeling, manager due diligence and portfolio implementation to serve as the Chair of BULLWEALTH’s Investment & Asset Allocation Committee, while also being a voting member.

Peter holds a Ph.D. in financial economics from the University of Toronto, an MBA, LL.B. and B.Sc. from the University of Western Ontario, is a CFA® charterholder and also holds the CPA, CGA and CBV designations. He was formerly the Chair of the Simon Fraser University Academic Pension Plan.

Paul Jaggard

pjaggard@bullwealth.com

Paul founded Vincero Capital Management Inc. in 1999 and continued as President until its sale to BULLWEALTH in 2022. Vincero was a multi-family office dedicated to successful succession planning and management of financial assets. Over the years, Vincero offered its high net-worth clients an integrated taxation, accounting and consulting platform, along with other financial strategies, designed to help ensure that capital persists through multiple generations.

While leading Vincero, Paul founded a chain of specialty healthcare clinics, which was sold in 2016, and prior to founding Vincero, Paul spent over 25 years with Ernst & Young LLP. While at E&Y, Paul was exposed to many of the firm’s professional service areas including assurance, taxation, business valuation/due diligence and management consulting, and served as Managing Partner of the Hamilton Office.

Paul has served on several public and private boards in both the resource and technology sectors, and a variety of not-for-profit entities and Provincial government taskforces principally engaged in the healthcare and arts sectors.

Tammy Huitema

tammy@bullwealth.com

VP, Assurance


Tammy was a Partner and VP, Director of Client Services with Vincero Capital Management Inc. prior to its sale to BULLWEALTH in 2022. Vincero was a multi-family office dedicated to successful succession planning and management of financial assets. Over the years, Vincero offered its high net-worth clients an integrated taxation, accounting and consulting platform, along with other financial strategies, designed to help ensure that capital persists through multiple generations.

Tammy has over 35 years of advisory and assurance business experience with both Vincero and Ernst & Young LLP. Over the years, Tammy has worked with both private and public corporations, along with private individuals and not-for-profit organizations.

At BULLWEALTH, Tammy is responsible for providing integrated corporate and personal income tax strategies, as well as overall corporate and personal tax planning, business succession and estate planning strategies.

Tammy is Past Chair and Treasurer of the Canadian Mental Health Association Hamilton Branch and Treasurer of Artaban Non-Profits Homes, and Tammy holds her CMA, CFP and CPA.

Insights Into Wealth


Insights into Wealth is a series of podcasts, created by BULLWEALTH, about various aspects of managing wealth. We take you inside BULLWEALTH to find out what makes us tick, what drives our decision making and the principles we live by in managing our clients’ wealth. We explore topics of interest for private clients, family offices and not-for-profit organizations. Hopefully there will be something of interest for everyone. And, because we know you're busy, we will keep the podcasts short and to the point.

For the full library of podcasts please follow the link below: