Financial Advice for Public Servants

The challenges of everyday life in the aftermath of the fall of the Soviet Union were all absorbing. The work day was long and unpredictable. As the end of February 1992 came around, my sense of panic grew as I realized that not only had I not made any arrangements for an RRSP payment (and frankly never had thought much about it previously), but that there was precious little time left to make careful arrangements. My anxious call to Tradex was taken by Brien Marshall, who was calm, reassuring and humorous. He had dealt with Foreign Service Officers before, and was able to help quickly. A few questions established who I was and what I wanted to invest in. We set up an investment profile, and then we chatted about what could be done. Nothing was complicated. No time frame too short. No situation without its lighter moments.

I made my RRSP contribution in time that year – and in subsequent years. Tradex made the start of a long, happy, not to mention profitable relationship easy and calm. Over the years, my investment range widened, but never beyond human understanding. We did yearly reviews to see if each investment was providing the expected results. The benefits of investment diversification were explained and demonstrated. Over good years and bad, a diversified portfolio of mutual funds really did work for my benefit. Tradex staff, including Brien, Blair Cooper and Luc Bisaillon have always been ready to listen and to advise.

What do you want to do? Do you have investment objectives for the short, medium or long term? Tradex can help you to define what you want your money to do for you. Do you have particular concerns that affect your investment world (ethical concerns, support for a disable child or elderly parent, savings for post-secondary education)? The answers to these and other questions help Tradex’s team of financial advisers to fashion a package of potential investments that are suited to each member’s needs.

Tradex makes investing easy, but more importantly, very human. Monthly deductions meant that I did not have to worry about ‘back home’ issues when things heated up in the field. The team has moved forward with technology to keep Tradex members around the world up to date on their investments. Basic to their operation is human contact: a phone call, a short message, a visit. Tradex provides reassurance that you, the Tradex member, are the centre of their attention, not just one of four or six possible pre-defined investment profiles.

Tradex is member owned. Each investor in a Tradex fund is a partial owner of the operation. In return for the trust we place, Tradex offers ethical choice, low cost, salaried staff and most interesting – rebates to members owning Tradex funds. These rebates, over two million dollars since 2013, increase investment returns significantly. Try comparison shopping: ask the big banks about their rebates to investors, or availability of personal financial advice for starting investors with less than $50,000 to invest.

I have been a Tradex member since 1984, but I wish I had started even earlier. Like others in the foreign service, I became familiar with Tradex largely through word of mouth from fellow employees. The fact that Tradex was established on a completely volunteer basis by officers of the old Departments of External Affairs and Trade & Commerce and operated on an at-cost basis has always been very appealing to me.