Today we are shaking things up with a roundtable discussion with our experts with "boots on the ground" experience in private investing.Featuring an insightful discussion on real estate, music royalties and more on alternative investments with industry experts.We explore the evolving landscape of private debt and equity investments, and delve into real estate market trends, including demographic shifts and migration patterns, that impact leverage on investment returns.You'll also learn about the upcoming Alt by Alt conference, dedicated to educating investors and advisors about alternative investments and promoting transparency and education in the industry.Expert Panelists:Vikram RajagopalanSenior Managing Director, Capital Strategy and DistributionTrez CapitalCynthia MaisonneuveDirector, National Accounts and Investment SalesCMLS Asset ManagementMichael BakerPrincipal & Director, Sales at ICM Asset ManagementICM Asset ManagementToday's Points of Interest:0:00 Intro3:11 - Cynthia, could you tell us about yourself and CMLS Asset Management?5:12 - Michael, tell us about yourself and ICM Asset Management.6:40 - Vikram, share with us your background.8:47 - Cynthia, what are you seeing in the multi-family space today?12:09 - Mike, can you talk about the Music Royalties fund?15:17 - Vikram, can you talk about the marketplace when it comes to private debt and equity?19:34 - Cynthia talking about transparency and Alt by Alt conference.20:27 - Mike, what are you seeing in the world of real estate investing?22:09 - Vikram speaks on U.S. in comparison to Canadian real estate markets.21:14 - Vikram speaks about the U-Haul Index moving rates in the U.S. versus Canada.25:27 - Cynthia, is real estate highly levered or a conservative investment?26:12 - Mike can you talk about how leverage is affecting the market right now?27:13 - Vikram expands on the leverage topic.29:40 - Cynthia's final thoughts.30:10 - Mike's final thoughts.31:29 - Vikram talks more about the Alt by Alt conference.33:57 - How to attend the conference.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and visit our website at https://www.privatedebtandequity.ca/ for any questions or to learn more!

Hosted by Bob Simpson, today we shift the focus to answering the question "Why Invest in  Self Storage?".Learn from our host Bob Simpson and our expert guest,  Rob Anton, President and Partner at Next Edge Capital.Questions of Interest:1:44 What are you seeing with equities and bonds in the current financial landscape?5:13 Could you explain the returns you're seeing in private lending?12:41 What can investors expect when it comes to fees?13:55 How do you go about assessing return of capital?19:27 Are most private lenders floaters?  23:08 Does the combination of higher interest rates plus a recession impact your borrowers?26:28 You measure withe the Cliffwater indicies ?27:25 During the negative years, what were the size of the losses?28:07 Is private lending an alternative to bonds in a portfolio?If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and visit our website at https://www.privatedebtandequity.ca/ for any questions or to learn more!

Hosted by Bob Simpson, today we shift the focus to answering the question "Why Invest in  Self Storage?".Learn from our host Bob Simpson and our expert guest,  Gabriel Millard, Managing Partner at Avenue Living.Today's questions of interest:0:00 - Intro1:14 - What brought you to this investment concept and you current position at Avenue Living?2:38 - Where did Avenue Living get its name?5:13 - Could you tell us about the Self Storage concept?8:46 - What makes self storage a better investment because of the use of technology? 13:52 - What percentage would you say are owned by individuals versus firms like yours when it comes to self storage?16:35 - Are you a buy and hold strategy or do you put packages together then sell lumps to some institutions at premium prices? 19:12 - What do you people keep in self storage?22:41 - What's what's happening in the marketplace in the prairies?27:29 - What's important about being an active manager versus a passive manager?31:42 - Can you explain what investors should expect in terms of returns, risk and liquidity?33:24 -  How has the self storage area been affected by interest rates?36:23 - What's your level of leverage in this particular investment? 37:02 - How do you handle the debt? Are you more fixed term or are you more floater on this?If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and visit our website at https://www.privatedebtandequity.ca/ for any questions or to learn more!

Hosted by Bob Simpson, today we shift the focus to answering the question "Why Invest in Purpose Built Student Accommodations?".Learn from our host Bob Simpson and our expert guest, Aly Damji, Managing Partner at Forum Asset Management.Today's questions of interest:0:00 - Intro1:32 - Aly, tell us about you and what brought you to Forum?4:11 - Please talk about your firm, Forum Asset Management.6:49 - What are the trends that you're seeing in student accommodation in Canada today? 9:40 - Tell us why you're excited about this new asset class?12:58 - Why is student housing an attractive investment option for potential investors?15:43 - How does student housing compare to other asset classes out there?17:07 - If you look at your portfolio, how does your financing line up?19:50 - How does your portfolio compare in the private and public REIT space?23:25 - Could talk about the QUAD at York University, an RFP you won back in 2010?25:44 -  How does your firm look at ESG and social responsibility when looking to run a build? 27:54 - Talk about how this fund, Purpose Built Student Accommodations align with investor intrigue?If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and visit our website at https://www.privatedebtandequity.ca/ for any questions or to learn more!

Hosted by Bob Simpson, today we shift the focus to answering the question "What is Liquidity?".In this episode Bob explores the complexities of liquidity in both private and public investment markets. He is a veteran of the financial industry, discusses the evolution from transaction-based to fee-based business structures and the gradual integration of private mandates into investment portfolios. He emphasizes the importance of understanding liquidity and its implications for various investment strategies, including private debt and equity solutions.Simpson provides insights into the challenges of managing liquidity in private investments and the need for aligning investors' time horizons with investment strategies. He also compares the performance of private investments with traditional options like stocks and bonds, highlighting the importance of evaluating risk and returns. The episode concludes with Simpson underscoring the significance of patience and informed decision-making in navigating the financial landscape.Points of Interest:0:00 - Intro1:00 - A deep dive into liquidity.2:49 - Investors are faced with implications of reduced liquidity due to increase popularity.4:30 - Your investment advisor should always have your best interest in mind! 6:44 - Private managers work hard to give investors what they want.7:54 - It's important to understand where your investment money is going.9:08 - Plan your investment according to your financial goals.11:11 - Are your stock funds accessible when you need them?14:37 -  When time horizon's and investment processes align, it protects long-term interest.16:05 - Review your current investments and seek comparable advantageous opportunities.17:09 - Does providing investors with greater liquidity actually serve their best interests?18:22 - Your financial journey begins when you understand your relationship to liquidity.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and visit our website at https://www.privatedebtandequity.ca/ for any questions or to learn more!

Hosted by Bob Simpson, today we shift the focus to answering the question "Why Invest in Farmland?".Learn from our host Bob Simpson and our expert guest, Kent Willmore, CEO & President at AGInvest Properties Canada Inc.Today's questions of interest:0:00 - Intro2:38 - Kent's background, growing up on a farm and getting into this investment space.5:15 - Are baby boom farmers looking to exit their business with kids resisting the legacy? 7:10 - Is farmland owned 50/50 by elderly farmers and corporations?8:51 - Describe the work that you do to make investments available to people like our listeners. 10:39 - Is it a good idea to invest in farmland, especially down in Southwestern Ontario? 12:32 - Can you explain the one group you've rented to using technology to ship soybeans worldwide?13:29 - Why should investors consider the farmland asset class in their portfolio? 16:32 - When you buy a farm, are you trying to improve the land and the investment overall?18:22 - Who are you leasing farmland to and what is the process?19:56 - What do you do to protect that important 12 inches of soil on farmland?21:13 - How has farmland reacted with some of the recent economic pressures in the marketplaces?23:20 - Can you touch on how farmland considers ESG as part of the investing process?25:13 - Why should somebody choose your firm over some of your competitors?27:05 - What do you see happening with farmland in the longer term, say 25, 50, 100 years?30:19 - Will there be farm tours available for interested investors?If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and visit our website at https://www.privatedebtandequity.ca/ for any questions or to learn more!

Hosted by Bob Simpson, today we shift the focus to answering the question "Why Invest in Canadian Multi-Family?".Learn from our host Bob Simpson and our expert guest, Geoff Lang, Senior Vice President at Equiton Inc.Today's questions of interest:0:00 - Intro2:47 - Tell us about your story and the work your firm does with investors.4:15  -Could you explain Canadian Multi-Family in terms of your buy and hold strategy?5:28 - What kind of financing do you have in place in your portfolio?6:18 - Do you have lower leverage compared to a buy and flip model?7:23 - What's your forecast on future interest rates?9:44 - Could you touch upon value add as it relates to multi-family?11:52 - Where do you get the best deal when it comes to value add's?13:56 - How does the Canadian Multi-Family model help those interested when starting in this space?16:40 - How does this investment fit into a typical investor portfolio?19:23 - How does this model work for the millennial demographic who have difficulty finding housing?21:13 - Can you explain the difference in public versus private when it comes to Canadian Multi-Family?25:03 - Are we currently in a buyer's market? 28:07 - Final thoughts.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and visit our website at https://www.privatedebtandequity.ca/ for any questions or to learn more!

Hosted by Bob Simpson, today we shift the focus to answering the question "Why Invest in  Mortgage Investment Corporations?".Learn from our host Bob Simpson and our expert guest, Will Granleese, Director and Portfolio Manager at Antrim Investments.Today's questions of interest:0:00 - Intro4:03 - Where were you back 50 years ago and what has led you to join in on Mortgage Investment Corporation work?6:28 - Who borrows from private lenders? If they need a mortgage, why don't they just go to the bank? 9:43 - What does a typical mortgage in your portfolio look like? 11:09 - With 2000 plus mortgage's,  tell us where are you now and what's your latest number? 12:46 - Tell us how you differ from a bank when you work with borrower's who are going through a rough patch. 15:43 - Can you talk about secured lending as opposed to unsecured lending?16:35 - We're reading reports that banks are having major write offs, could you touch on that?19:45 - How do you differ from private lenders who offer minimum holding periods and have early redemption penalties. 21:57 - How long is your typical mortgage and could you explain the mortgage market?22:33 - Have you had over the last 30 years, how many negative months? 24:34 - What is you fund's current return rate?at compare to what the returns would have been over the last couple of years? If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and visit our website at https://www.privatedebtandequity.ca/ for any questions or to learn more!

Welcome to a special episode of the podcast, Outlook 2024 is a collaborative effort between us and our founding company, Wealth Stewards Inc..Our lineup of experts panelists include: Bill Chinery FSA, FCIA, ICD.D - Retired Chairman of Ontario Teachers Pension Plan’s Investment CommitteeTopic - Recent Economic and Investment TrendsSasha Cucuz - CEO Greybrook Securities Inc. & Partner of Greybrook CapitalTopic - Ontario Real EstatePrathna Ramesh - Vice President of Operations FutureSightTopic - Artificial Intelligence Trends in the EconomyToday's questions of interest:3:21 How do you anticipate equity market changes over the next 12 months?5:33 Should we be watching the short or long terms rates?7:27 Do you see a recession?8:04 Does the Fed watch the equity markets?9:08 Do you see a reversion back to the real low rates that we saw during COVID? 11:02 Looking inside the market, where should we be focusing our attention?12:06 Should we be looking at healthcare as an opportunity, with an aging baby boomer economy?13:10 With North America's large millennial group, will we see more manufacturing happening here?14:29 Should we diversify nationally or internationally?16:59 What is your view on the state of Canadian Real Estate?18:17 Could you address your thoughts on immigration, especially during recent changes in real estate?19:36 If you compare Canadian immigration rates to U. S. immigration rates, how do they compare?20:47 So although it's concentrated, what we're seeing especially in the GTA is that boundaries are expanding?21:55 With constant changing, what is has been happening with permits and approvals? Where do they stand?23:43 With Ontario having the best farmland in the world, what do you think about the expansion of agriculture?25:38 Could you talk about single family communities and condo market opportunities available to investors?27:37 How has rate shifts affected the market, developers’ perspectives and plans of action for private equity firms in real estate?31:18 Can you please give us some insights into your view of the current landscape of AI technologies?36:41 Are we going to see the large, multi-national companies become major players in this area of AI?39:29 Could you touch upon the negative and positive aspects of technological advancements in AI?43:13 For sites like ChatGPT, could you explain the advantages of using these tools?44:33 Could you give your insights when it comes to AI and real estate?46:54 Can you comment on any trends in institutional towards private debt and equity versus public market investment?49:48 With housing valuation metrics, is it sustainable, with evergreen's collapse and the highlights of highly concentration of real estate in individual holdings?54:40 As AI evolves, how can financial professionals and investors stay informed on the changing landscape? 57:51 The private investor, the individual investor hasn't really kept up with the shift to private markets. What's your view on that?  59:44 What is your viewpoint on the buzz around AI and the teacher’s position on this?If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and visit our website at https://www.privatedebtandequity.ca/ for any questions or to learn more!

Hosted by Bob Simpson, today we shift the focus to answering the question "Why Allocate Funds to Music Royalties?".Learn from our host Bob Simpson and our expert guest, David Vankka, President at ICM Asset Management Inc.Today's questions of interest:0:00 - Intro1:46 - Share your background and how you decided as a firm to get into the music industry? 3:26 - Tell us about music royalties and how you generate revenue through music?5:49 - Do you need to buy music directly from the artist?7:26 - Can you explain songwriting credits and what goes into these catalogues?8:06 - Could you explain the artist's incentive to monetize their catalogue?12:45 - Are their sources you use to when navigating the investment exchange? 14:52 - How do you value and pay for the rights to music in an investment portfolio? 19:37 - What do you see as the future of streaming and how will music, intellectual property and cash flows evolve over time?24:55 - With music royalties, is it a equity or fixed income investment? Where do you slot that in? 27:53 - Could you walk us through potential returns, risks and price volatility? 30:19 - How many songs in your portfolio? How many pieces of music? If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and visit our website at https://www.privatedebtandequity.ca/ for any questions or to learn more!

Hosted by Bob Simpson, today we shift the focus to answering the question "Why Allocate Funds to Institutional Grade Real Estate Private Debt?".Learn from our host Bob Simpson and our expert guest, Adam Dean, Vice President and Portfolio Manager at CMLS Financial.Today's questions of interest:0:00 - Intro3:21 - What's your story? Does everybody you meet mistake you for Roberto Luongo?5:07 - What is Institutional Grade Real Estate Private Debt?6:40 - What are you seeing in the commercial versus residential real estate, especially something like multifamily?10:00 - If apartment building value is based on revenue of the building, it sounds like the major stress in interest rate cost would be present for people who hadn't locked in their financing for term?11:18 - Would you say we're in a buyer's market with prices that have come down a bit? 13:00 - Are most of the loans in your portfolio, are they fixed or they're floaters? 13:48 - So it takes a little while for investors in a fund like yours to see the increase in rates? 14:16 - Where you are today if you looked at the overall yield of your portfolio?15:54 - What is weather proof deployment?18:39 - What is the story of of lending money to a borrower who is investing in multifamily? 21:20 - What percentage would you loan against? 23:03 - Investors want to see that you are primarily focused on protection of their capital because you're getting single digit returns, right?23:38 - So for an investor, what's a reasonable return objective for an investor in, in your fund? 24:48 - How over the last couple of years, would you say that your fund performed? 26:19 - If you looked over the last three to five years, how many negative months have you had?27:13 - Looking at your particular market, what are you worried and excited about?If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and visit our website at https://www.privatedebtandequity.ca/ for any questions or to learn more!

Hosted by Bob Simpson, today we shift the focus to answering the question "Why Allocate Funds to Commercial Real Estate?".Learn from our host Bob Simpson and our expert guest, Harley Gold, Managing Partner at Peakhill Capital. Today's questions of interest:0:00 - Intro1:44 - Harley, tell us about your journey to build your private credit firm.5:24 - Could you explain the investment concept Commercial Real Estate Private Credit?9:49 - What prevents somebody to go directly to CMHC instead of waiting a year?12:41 - For individual investors or family offices looking to diversify their portfolios, how would you recommend using your strategies in their portfolios?  15:53 - People are flocking to the GIC market but what's the historical return differential for GICs?19:09 - What would you say is a major reason that your fund and your firm have done well over the last few years? 20:37 - Where do you see your firm in five years?If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and visit our website at https://www.privatedebtandequity.ca/ for any questions or to learn more!

Hosted by Bob Simpson, today we shift the focus to answering the question "Why Allocate Funds to Short Term Senior Secured Private Debt?".Learn from our host Bob Simpson and our guest and Chief Executive Officer at Cortland Credit Group Inc.Today's questions of interest:0:00 - Intro1:53 - Can you share your remarkable journey from your early days to becoming one of Canada's premier private lenders?4:48 - What is Short Term Senior Secured Private Debt?8:04 - Is a first mortgage a senior loan?8:22 - And if you're doing receivables would that be 30 to 45 days? 9:41 - Do you use credit insurance to protect a layer of the portfolio?10:40 - What is the process when deciding on a loan opportunity for a corporation? 14:14  - If you're going to put money out how do you measure the risk for your capital? 16:52 - How have your portfolios done in comparison to the bond market?18:59 - What kind of spreads are you lending over the prime rate? 19:53 - Why are borrowers turning towards private lenders versus traditional banks? 23:27 - How would you recommend using a short term senior secured private debt?25:18 - Could you give our listeners more details about the Short Term Senior Secured Private Debt concept?If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and visit our website at https://www.privatedebtandequity.ca/ for any questions or to learn more!

Hosted by Bob Simpson, today we shift the focus to answering the question "Why Allocate Funds to Life Settlements ?".Learn from our host Bob Simpson and our guest and co-founder of Private Debt and Equity, Paul Tyers, FCPA, FCA, CFP, CIM.Paul's expertise comes from his various roles, currently at Canadian Life Settlements and Wealth Stewards Inc., as well as his extensive experience in the financial industry.Today's questions of interest:0:00 - Intro2:42 - Paul, what's your story?5:09 - Can you talk about how you've championed consumer and business rights initiatives?8:16 - What do you mean when you talk about a secondary market for life insurance policies?11:30 - A life settlement firm pays more than the policyholder who gets $50-100K for a $300K policy? 13:10 - Who makes the premium payments and when do investors get paid?  13:55 - With life settlements, there's a view that seems like you are betting on people to die early?15:00 - Could someone sell their policy in Stockholm, Nebraska or Toronto if they don’t want to pay the premiums?16:42 - Why can you sell it in Ontario but allowed in Quebec? 18:29 - How do investors get involved in Life Settlements or Loans?18:57 - Can you maybe discuss how investment in life settlements works?21:02 - For those looking for income, how often does your pool pay?21:38 - Life Settlements summary and corporate perspective.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and visit our website at https://www.privatedebtandequity.ca/ for any questions or to learn more!

Hosted by Bob Simpson, today we shift the focus to answering the question "Why allocate funds to real estate private debt?". Learn the answer to this question and more from our panel of experts in the private market:Will Granlese - Antrim InvestmentsAdam Dean - CMLSHarley Gold - Peakhill CapitalToday's rapid fire questions:0:00 - Intro3:30 - How does a MIC or Mortgage Investment Corporation operate and what are some benefits to investors?6:09 - Why do you like lending to owners of multi-family apartments?  What metrics do you look at when financing a property? 11:29 - Given concerns around commercial real estate, what kind of deals are you focused on today and how are you assessing risk differently today than a couple years ago? If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and visit our website at https://www.privatedebtandequity.ca/ for any questions or to learn more!

Hosted by Bob Simpson, today we shift the focus to answering the question "Why allocate funds to private real estate?".Learn the answer to this question and more from our panel of experts in the private market:Kent Willmore - AGInvestGeoff Lang - EquitonVikram Rajagopalan - Trez CapitalGabriel Millard - Avenue LivingAly Damji - ForumToday's rapid fire questions:0:00 - Intro02:22 - Why should investors consider farmland as an asset class for their portfolio? 06:21 - Why invest in private real estate, could you summarise what multi-family is and the opportunities available? 09:47 - Why does your firm like Texas and what are some of the key opportunities in that market?  12:22 - Could you tell me about investing in public storage?18:12 - Could you give us some reasons why investors should consider allocating part of their portfolios to purpose-built student accommodations?If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and visit our website at https://www.privatedebtandequity.ca/ for any questions or to learn more!

Hosted by Bob Simpson, today we shift the focus to our first in a series of episodes to answer the question why?  Why allocate funds to private debt? Learn the answer to this question and more from our panel of experts in the private market: Paul Tyers - Life Settlements Sean Rogister - Cortland Vikram Rajagopalan - Trez Capital Rob Anton - Next Edge Michael Scott - SAF Today's rapid fire questions: 0:00 Intro2:27 - What is private debt? 4:19 - Why is private debt important to Canada’s economy? 6:07 - What are some benefits of private debt investing to Canadian investors? 8:25 - Why have pension funds been increasing allocations to private debt? 9:36 - Why have individual investors been so slow in accepting private debt investments in their portfolios? 10:45 - Why are Canadian borrowers turning to private lenders instead of traditional borrowers like banks?13:48 - Compare investing in private debt to investing in GIC’s or bond funds? 15:48 - How should an investor deal with liquidity?18:17 - What kind of price or return volatility should an investor expect in a private debt investment? 20:06 - What are the major risks of private debt investing? 23:00 - How should an investor use private debt in a portfolio? If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and visit our website at https://www.privatedebtandequity.ca/ for any questions or to learn more!