Selling Segregated Funds through Investment Dealers
A brokerage-based life insurer asked us to identify the support services and conditions needed to foster sales of segregated investment funds through life insurance brokers residing in stock brokerage firms. We also estimated speed of uptake and revenues, as well as identifying implementation strategies.

Investment Trends and Demographic Change
The study began by identifying ten major demographic changes from statistical sources and research reports. The impact of these trends on savings and investing was identified by layering primary research onto this trend information. Future trends for retirement and educational savings were the focus of the work.

Selling Government Debt in the Retail Market
Two studies fit under this title. The first study looked at retail market appetite for government debt including how to package and distribute government debt in different ways to broaden consumer holdings. The second study, done on behalf of a group of banks, identified the appropriate distribution costs for bank sales of government debt based on comparison with comparable sales in the brokerage community.

Business Sharing & Compensation
This study focused on fostering referrals between banks and their associated investment dealers and asset managers. After identifying a set of peer banks and their related firms, we interviewed senior executives about their referral compensation practices and philosophy. Each participant received a summary of our findings. For our client, the information was adapted to their unique circumstances and led to a set of more than 30 recommendations structuring fair compensation among its business arms.

Incentives for Stimulating Brokerage Sales
Interviews with deposit brokers and financial planning firms discussed their compensation practices and how they fostered sales. Each participant received a brief summary of the findings, while our client received more detailed results with recommendations for action.

A Comprehensive Look at Mutual Funds (Multiple Studies)
Including surveys of both consumers and brokers, we looked at a full range of issues for different types of mutual funds (and segregated funds) including: individual and group ownership patterns, distribution/buying patterns, buying decisions (including information sources), service of suppliers, loyalty/switching, drivers of buyer behavior, future buying behavior, fees and commissions and a host of other issues.

The Market for Asset-Based Securities
Beginning with a base of mortgage-backed securities (MBS), we looked at market uptake of asset-backed securities in both retail and institutional markets. Product features and new products that would attract additional investment were a key issue, as was identifying targets for new asset-backed instruments.