Who is CIBC Wood Gundy?

Established in 1905, CIBC Wood Gundy is one of Canada's leading full service brokerages with a 15% share of the wealth management market CIBC Wood Gundy is a wholly owned subsidiary of CIBC. CIBC (TSX, NYSE: CM) is a leading Canadian-based financial institution with a market capitalization of $30.1 billion and a Tier 1 capital ratio of 14.7%. We have three major businesses - Retail and Business Banking, Wealth Management and Wholesale Banking- focused in Canada and around the world. CIBC provides a full range of financial products and services to 11 million clients. We have more than 42,000 employees dedicated to helping our clients achieve what matters to them, delivering consistent and sustainable earnings for our shareholders; and giving back to our communities.
 

What other financial services can the Guzzi Advisory Group provide, beside Wealth Management solutions?
We help our clients benefit from the strength of CIBC, one of Canada's largest financial institutions, through our close relationships with key personnel and senior decision makers. Our clients require the flexibility of a wealth management solution that will address all of their specialized needs in one place. We have cultivated an influential network to deliver a packaged solution to meet our clients needs. This network includes:

Banking & Credit Management

• CIBC Private Banking Advisor
• Business Banking Advisor

Estate & Trust Services

• Regional Trust Manager
• Estate Planning Specialist

Business Planning

• Business Transition
• Tax Advisory Services

What due diligence does The Guzzi Advisory Group perform in selecting and monitoring investments?

The Guzzi Advisory Group conducts Investment Manager Due Diligence with the support of the over twenty professionals dedicated to Investment Manager search, selection and monitoring. Our Investment Manager Due Diligence team is the largest in Canada and is singularly dedicated to identifying high quality investment managers. The Guzzi Advisory Group in coordination with our Due Diligence Team identifies and selects the most suitable investment managers worldwide and provides ongoing monitoring for more than:

• 120 Funds
• 50 Manager Relationships
• Over $40 Billion Assets Under Management
• 27 Pools
• 70 Strategies

Therefore, our clients benefit from an expanded investment opportunity set, which provides the ultimate benefit of increasing the likelihood of meeting and exceeding their organizations or families investment objectives.

How can organizations like Foundations, Endowments, Associations, and Charitable Organizations benefit from The Guzzi Advisory Group?

Our institutional clients range in size of $5 to $50 million in assets under management. We help these organizations solve key issues in the management of their assets. Learn more about our insight with helping these aforementioned organizations, as well as our extensive Investment Consulting Service (ICS) platform.

What are some community initiatives that The Guzzi Advisory Group is involved in?

The Guzzi Advisory Group, in coordination with CIBC, is committed to causes that matter to our clients, employees and communities. Our goal is to make a difference through corporate donations, sponsorships and the volunteer spirit of our employees. The Guzzi Advisory Group has specifically supported the following charitable organizations: CIBC Children's Miracle Day, SalvAide, Mary Centre and the Salvation Army's Project Winter Survival.

Are my assets protected at CIBC Wood Gundy?

CIBC Wood Gundy (through CIBC World Markets Inc.) is a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF), a trust financed by Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) members to provide protection for client assets in member accounts. If CIBC Wood Gundy goes bankrupt, cash and securities losses to a specified amount will be protected by the CIPF. The Guzzi Advisory Group will also help you create a portfolio that responds to your personal risk tolerance and offer you the opportunity to acquire life and wealth protection solutions that respond to your unique circumstances. To learn more about the CIRO or CIPF, please visit their websites.

I have chosen to invest my assets with more than one advisor. I believe that this strategy will protect me if one of the Advisor's financial institution or investment strategy fails. Why would I consolidate my assets with The Guzzi Advisory Group?

There are four key reasons that you should consolidate all your investable assets with The Guzzi Advisory Group:

1. Investor Protection
   CIBC Wood Gundy (through CIBC World Markets Inc.) is a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF), a trust financed by Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) members to provide protection for client assets in member accounts. If CIBC Wood Gundy goes bankrupt, cash and securities losses to a specified amount will be protected by the CIPF. The Guzzi Advisory Group will also help you create a portfolio that responds to your personal risk tolerance and offer you the opportunity to acquire life and wealth protection solutions that respond to your unique circumstances. To learn more about the CIRO or CIPF, visit their websites.
2. Saving on Fees
   We employ a tiered fee structure where the costs to our clients decreases, as the size of the clients assets held with us increases
3. Better Understanding of your Financial Situation
   We provide our clients with a financial plan that captures their entire financial situation. We try our best to capture the client's investable assets held outside The Guzzi Advisory Group, but this added layer of complexity usually causes issues for clients. We find that by not consolidating your assets, which helps us see your entire financial situation, improper investment strategies and duplication across investments can occur. This leads to a suboptimal investment solution for the client
4. Three layers of diversification
   We understand that clients want to meet their investment objectives by accessing the best investment solutions available. As a result, we employ a three tiered diversification solution that enhances return and reduces the clients risk. The three layers include diversifying by:

• Asset Class
• Investment Style
• Manager

Using this three layered strategy diversifies the management of client assets among a variety of money managers, which can include individual stock and bond positions as advised by The Guzzi Advisory Group. Therefore, in the case that an investment manager performs poorly, the effect on the entire portfolio will be minimized and the clients financial condition will stay largely intact.