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w w w .in s id e H A L T O N .c o m | O A K V IL L E B E A V E R | T h u rs d a y , D e c e m b e r 1 , 2 0 1 6 | 1 6 Do due diligence, interview several financial advisers continued from p.15 of stocks versus bonds. The risk-return balance is important because of the normal volatility that occurs in the investment world. · Four - price The first three items: people, process, and portfolio are what you are paying for. You need to know if you are getting value for your money. Assume a company finds an excellent manager but their fees are too expensive, then the value of what that company would be paying for, versus what it was getting, is out of line. The same is true for individual investors. When choosing a financial adviser, keep in mind that research shows a correlation between investment fees and investor returns. Funds with the highest investment fees have lower investment returns and vice-versa. The single most important reason why conventional mutual funds perform poorly is many funds have investment fees that are too high. · Five - performance The final criteria in selecting a manager is performance. Evalu ating performance is multi-faceted and it needs to consider all as pects of the portfolio, keeping in mind past performance is not an indicator of future performance. My own observations over the years is many individual investors consider short-term performance the most significant factor, and that is their only consideration when deciding what to pur chase. This is not an optimal strategy. An adviser should consider a cli ent' s short-term financial needs, while investing for the long-term. There is a strong parallel of how a large investment manage ment firm selects investment managers, to how individuals should select their financial adviser. Do your due diligence and interview several financial advisers to find the one best suited to your needs. -- Submitted by Peter Watson o f Peter Watson Investments and Aligned Capital Partners Inc, MBA, CFP, R.FP, CIM, FCSI., Certi fie d Financial Planner Celebrating DogGuides As Diabetes Awareness Month is recognized globally, the Lions Foundation of Canada is celebrating the third an niversary of its Diabetic Alert Dog Guide program. According to the Lions Foundation, the program is the only one of its kind in Canada that provides speciallytrained service dogs at no cost to people with Type 1 dia betes with hypoglycemic unawareness. "Diabetic Alert Dog Guides are scent-trained, mean ing they use their powerful noses to detect dips in their handlers' blood-sugar levels, and when a low occurs, they can fetch medication or food, bark for help, and even ac tivate a medical alert system," Ian Ashworth, one of the programs developers, said in a media release. "The dog becomes an important part of the support system for the person with hypoglycemic unawareness, since their bodies aren't otherwise cueing them to the physiological symptoms of a low -- the dog knows be fore they do." Those aged 10 years or older are eligible for the pro gram. Since its inception, Lions Foundations has seen nearly 30 clients graduate with Diabetic Alert Dog Guides. GIVE YOURSELF THE GIFT OF TIME Let MAID RIGHT Clean Your Home This Holiday Season and into the New Year Same Reliable Owners Clean Each Visit Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products y Colour-Code Clothes Enviroshield Whole Home Disinfecting Strongest Guarantee in the Industry SPECIAL HOLIDAY CLEANING OFFER $75 Receive $25 OFF your first regular service clean and $50 OFF your fourth regular service clean.* OFF 289.809.9823 Oakville.Maidright.com r ig h t a Not valid on prior services. Not redeemable for cash. Applies to new customers only. G ifts of the Season. follow us: Ham ilton | Burlington OO walkerschocolates.ca | O a k v ille