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Can Anyone Invest in Canada’s Exempt Market?

Can Anyone Invest in Canada’s Exempt Market?

That’s a good question – and the answer is no.  Not everyone is allowed to invest there.

That usually surprises people a little as they think, “hmmm… it’s my money, I should be able to invest it however and wherever I want.”  That is not the case in Canada’s Exempt Market though as there are restrictions when it comes to who can invest there – and also how much.  There are also very good reasons for these restrictions, which I will explain a little further in this post.

Overall, in order to invest in the Exempt Market, you have to be either “eligible” or “accredited”.

You can read a previous post here to refresh yourself about these two terms and see where you fall. (The post will also tell you about investing possibilities if you are not eligible).  What it boils down to though, is that the majority of investors fall into the same category…

Eligible Investors

Here is a summary of an eligible investor in Canada:

  • Net worth of $400,000 or more
  • Annual income $75,000+ for the last 2 years and/or
  • Household annual income $125,000+ for the last 2 years

If you are “eligible”, it means that you can’t invest more than $100,000 in a 12-month period in the Exempt Market.

(Now, there are all kinds of caveats here because we would need to determine many things before you ever invested in the private markets, just to make sure it’s “suitable” for you.  There are also recommendations as far as your overall allocation – but I will touch on these items a bit more later.)

For now, and for illustrative purposes though, those are the requirements to be an eligible investor and if you fit the bill, you can (likely) invest.

Accredited Investors

“Accredited” investors have an interesting history in the Exempt Market – and particularly over the last 20 years when the private markets became a little more mainstream and retail.

Once again, you can refresh yourself about the terms in a previous post but suffice it to say that “accredited” investors have a higher net worth than “eligible” investors and generally have no restrictions regarding how much they can invest in the Exempt Market or how often.  The general premise being that they have the financial knowledge necessary to make wise investment decisions and can evaluate a private investment offering accordingly.

The truth of the matter is though, that just because someone has reached accredited status, doesn’t necessarily mean that they know anything at all about the Exempt Market or have any experience there.

Over the last decade, I would venture to say that there were many accredited investors that were over allocated into Exempt Market investments – because they didn’t fully understand the Exempt Market itself or the higher level of risk involved. 

It is only through time and experience, particularly because the Exempt Market is still so new to the majority of investors, that we can see the best recommendations to make when it comes to private investing.  That’s also why it’s important to find an experienced Dealing Representative to work with.  They will understand the importance of treating an accredited investor, with little or no Exempt Market experience, with care.

Is the Exempt Market Suitable for You?

If you are eligible or accredited, you can invest in the Exempt Market but that leads to the next step in the process which is – determining if these types of investments are “suitable” for you.  This would involve some discussion of course but I’ll give you a general sense of the information I would be gathering, including things like:

– Your age

  – Your time horizon to retirement (or maybe you’re already there)

  – Your risk tolerance

  – Your financial objectives overall

All of these things help me determine if higher risk, Exempt Market investments are suitable for you and your portfolio and – if they are – how much you should invest there.

How Much Should You Invest in the Exempt Market?

For eligible investors there are strong recommendations that you not invest more than 30% of your overall investment portfolio in the Exempt Market, and of that 30%, no more than 10% with one private issuer.

This can vary though depending on your own circumstances and you might find that, once you understand the higher risk nature of the private markets, these percentages are much lower, and a private investment might not be suitable at all for your portfolio.

You may also find that, if you have many years left until retirement, these investments can be an excellent choice to fill the higher risk/(potentially) higher return portion of your portfolio.

To Sum Up

I’m sure there are times when you reach the end of my posts and feel a little trepidation about making a private investment in the Exempt Market.  And that’s okay because my goal is to educate investors and it’s always best to start the conversation with absolute clarity about the risks involved.

It’s higher risk, it is difficult to get your money back before the end of the term because there is no secondary market to sell your securities and private companies do go through restructures and some fail all together.

There are definitely losses that have happened and there will be losses again in the future.

 

BUT…

 

Always Leave on a Positive Note…

There are also excellent private investment opportunities in the Exempt Market, with well above average returns and profit-sharing opportunities available.  With higher risk comes the potential for higher returns and there have been many successful projects and funds that have done very well for investors. 

The most important thing is to work with an experienced professional in the industry that works for a very reputable Exempt Market Dealer.  This will go a long way to helping you understand the private markets, helping you find excellent investment opportunities, helping you find strong issuers that offer the investments and having a high level of diligence done on these issuers.

All of these items plus a good understanding of the Exempt Market as a whole will go a long way to ensuring your own success in private investing!

 

And on that note, I’ll tell you why I feel the Exempt Market is “One of Your Best Options to Make Higher Returns“.

 

I appreciate you reading my post and please contact me anytime.  I would welcome the opportunity to talk further.

 

 

 

 

 

Shannon Pineau
Exempt Market Dealing Representative

E: shannon@whitehaven.ca
C: 403-872-4010

shannonpineau.com

P.S. “Who Can Invest in Canada’s Exempt Market” is a big topic and I didn’t touch on:

  • Eligibility requirements by province.
  • Foreign persons that live outside of Canada wanting to invest.

I will cover these topics in upcoming posts but you can always contact me to find out more.

This blog post is intended for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy securities. No securities regulatory authority or regulator has assessed the merits of the information herein or reviewed the information contained herein. This blog post is not intended to assist you in making any investment decision regarding the purchase of securities. Rather, the Trust has prepared an offering memorandum for delivery to prospective investors that describes certain terms, conditions and risks of the investment and certain rights that you may have. You should review the offering memorandum with your professional adviser(s) before making any investment decision. This blog post and the accompanying offering memorandum are intended for delivery only to, and participation in the investment is restricted to, investors to whom certain prospectus exemptions apply, as described in the offering memorandum.
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What To Do If You Experience a Loss In The Exempt Market

What To Do If You Experience a Loss In The Exempt Market

The Exempt Market is higher risk and so it can be expected that, at some point in time, you may experience an investment loss.  Whether it is a large or small investment though, losses can be very hard to deal with.

This is particularly true in the Exempt Market for a couple of reasons:

First, when an issuer runs into trouble, the losses can be quite significant.

Second, more often than not, losses can take a significant amount of time to realize.

With a stock, even if you are in a negative situation, you can still sell the stock and realize the loss.  You will likely still feel the same dismay at having lost money but it has happened and you can move on.  With private securities in the Exempt Market, the process can take a long time to wind everything down and crystallize what (if anything) you will be receiving back.  This tends to make it feel even worse because you continue to feel the loss through the whole wind up process.

So, if things don’t go as planned and you lose money in the Exempt Market, should you continue to invest there in the future? 

There’s a lot to take into consideration, and I’m here to help.

I’m going to lay it all out for you here – the pros, the cons – and then also make some recommendations based on your own particular situation.  After that, I feel you will be fully armed with the information you need to make an informed choice about your private investments.

FIRST STEP – REASSESS WHERE YOU ARE AT

Things change over time and it’s likely that your situation now is different than when you originally invested.  Here are 3 key things to consider right from the start:

YOUR FINANCIAL STATUS

It’s certainly possible that there have been some changes here, particularly related to the economy over the last few years.

This review is important both to determine if you have funds available that you’d like to invest and also to determine if your “eligible” or “accredited” investor status has changed.

YOUR CURRENT ALLOCATION TO THE EXEMPT MARKET

In the past, there were not a lot of guidelines here – for Dealing Representatives or Investors. There were no investment caps and no formal recommendations about how much an eligible investor should place in Exempt Market securities.  There was also not a lot of history yet to guide these decisions.

In today’s Exempt Market, the Exempt Market Dealers make these recommendations for investors and WhiteHaven Securities (my EMD) recommends that “eligible” investors not invest more than 30% of their net financial assets in private securities (and that amount can be much less).  And of that 30%, not more than 10% in one particular investment.

With these percentages in mind, we can figure out how much of your current portfolio is made up of Exempt Market securities and then adjustments can be made as needed.

YOUR CURRENT SITUATION & FINANCIAL OBJECTIVES

Some of the key things to look at here are your age, your time horizon for investing and your risk tolerance.

It’s important to reassess the first two if you are nearing (or in) retirement, and very important to reassess your risk tolerance. It may have changed now that you have experience in the market and have seen some of the challenges over the years.

MY RECOMMENDATIONS AT THIS STAGE:

Taking this all into consideration, and looking at your own personal situation, I would be happy to sit down with you and make recommendations any time at your convenience.

But even if you are just going to read this post, I think you will be able to determine yourself if your situation has changed significantly in any or all of the areas discussed above.  Here’s what I recommend:

If your allocation to the Exempt Market is higher than 30% or even just more than you are currently comfortable with, and/or you are in retirement and looking for shorter term investments with instant liquidity and much lower risk, it is time to start diversifying out of the Exempt Market.  (P.S. If you land in this category, you can stop here and reach out to me.  I’ll meet with you, we can look at your whole picture and find some solutions to re-balance.  You’re also welcome to read on though – particularly if you feel you might want to revisit the Exempt Market in the future).

If your current higher risk allocation is less than 30% of your overall financial portfolio, and you still have some years ahead to save for retirement, you may want to consider investing more in the Exempt Market. 

 

SECOND STEP – REASSESS YOUR OPINION OF THE EXEMPT MARKET  OVERALL

Even though you can invest more in the Exempt Market, after experiencing a loss, you might question why you would want to.

This is where I come in to help because I’ve been in the private investment markets for a long time and I believe I can put it all in perspective and also tell you about a lot of positive things that have happened over the years for investors:

THE FIRST THING TO REMEMBER IS THAT INVESTING HAS RISKS. INVESTMENTS LOSE VALUE OR FAIL.  INVESTORS CAN LOSE MONEY

This is true of almost any type of investment and particularly in a high-risk market.  There will be gains and there will be losses as this is the nature of investing.

FORTUNATELY, THE EXEMPT MARKET CONTINUOUSLY EVOLVES & IMPROVES

Private investing is still very new to the average “eligible” investor. Generally, the ability to invest privately became mainstream around 2005 – 2008 and then came back strongly in 2011/2012.  To read a very Brief History of the Exempt Market click here but suffice it to say that every failed issuer and investment leads to the market becoming stronger and more transparent for investors.

YOUR EXPERIENCE IS INVALUABLE

You’ve gained experience in a market that can be very lucrative and is still largely unknown. This experience will take you forward and help you evaluate new opportunities.

TODAY’S EXEMPT MARKET OFFERS ISSUERS THAT ARE EXPERIENCED WITH STRONG TRACK RECORDS

Nothing is ever guaranteed but in this ever evolving market, investors now have access to some of the best investment opportunities that are available in this higher risk space.

DIVERSIFICATION IS KEY

Spreading your capital out among several issuers helps to mitigate your risk. With multiple, strong, experienced issuers in this market now, that is easier to do.

TODAY’S EXEMPT MARKET OFFERINGS HAVE A LOT MORE OPTIONS

Regular returns

Early redemption options

Various terms

Different industries instead of such a huge focus on real estate

YOU HAVE AN EXPERIENCED DEALING REPRESENTATIVE WHO WORKS WITH A STRONG EMD

This becomes extremely important as time goes on. A strong EMD will perform extensive diligence on the issuers and investments and have a track record to prove that.  An experienced Dealing Rep will have seen all sides of the Exempt Market and will always work in your best interests.

MY RECOMMENDATIONS AT THIS STAGE:

If a higher risk product is still suitable for a portion of your portfolio – the Exempt Market is, in my opinion, one of the best places to find the higher returns you’re looking for.  Here’s why.

TO SUM UP

Any type of investment loss can be hard to take but hang in there, reassess, re-evaluate and let me help you find the best opportunities to take your portfolio forward to retirement.

I really appreciate you reading my post!  If you would like to talk further, with no obligation, please contact me today.

 

 

 

 

 

Shannon Pineau
Exempt Market Dealing Representative

E: shannon@whitehaven.ca
C: 403-872-4010

shannonpineau.com

 

This blog post is intended for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy securities. No securities regulatory authority or regulator has assessed the merits of the information herein or reviewed the information contained herein. This blog post is not intended to assist you in making any investment decision regarding the purchase of securities. Rather, the Trust has prepared an offering memorandum for delivery to prospective investors that describes certain terms, conditions and risks of the investment and certain rights that you may have. You should review the offering memorandum with your professional adviser(s) before making any investment decision. This blog post and the accompanying offering memorandum are intended for delivery only to, and participation in the investment is restricted to, investors to whom certain prospectus exemptions apply, as described in the offering memorandum.
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Why Consider Private Wealth Strategies?

Why Consider Private Wealth Strategies?

 

The Private Wealth Strategies that I have available generally fall into two categories:

 – Private Portfolio Management companies that have varying levels of risk and can manage the bulk of your portfolio.

 – Exempt Market offerings that are higher risk but offer the potential for higher reward and can potentially make up a smaller portion of your portfolio.

Private Wealth Strategies are not mainstream, and it can be a little more difficult to find an experienced professional that works in the Private Investment markets to explain everything to you.

So why go through the effort you wonder to yourself?  What do Private Wealth Strategies have to offer that can make it worthwhile?  Why do investors go the extra mile to find and invest in these kinds of products?

 

To try and make more money of course! 

 

It’s almost every investor’s goal and it can mean more than just finding an investment with projected, overall higher returns.  With all of the volatility in the public stock markets today, Investors are also looking for diversification in their portfolios which they hope will also lead to some consistency in their returns.

Private Wealth Strategies can potentially help investors achieve these goals in a few key ways:

– With Private Portfolio Management you have experienced private companies that can use alternatives in their portfolios to achieve downside protection. This can lead to solid and more consistent returns for clients over time.

– In the Exempt Market, you have higher risk for potentially much higher than average returns. There are many factors to consider here before ever making an investment but overall, this is a well-regulated space with quality issuers which can make it a good choice for a smaller portion of your portfolio.

 

To Sum Up:

Apart from a few guaranteed investing products that generally pay very low interest, investing comes with risks and there are no guarantees.

Overall, I would say that investors want to earn good returns on their investments so they can live well today and also fund (or maintain) a great retirement.

It’s always easiest to stay in mainstream, traditional investments to try and achieve your financial goals but it has been my experience that mainstream investments often equal mainstream results.

 

By searching a little further you have found the Private Investment markets and you’ve also found an experienced professional that can help you navigate them.

Please contact me anytime and I look forward to talking more about your financial goals.  I’ll explain private investing to you in an easy to follow format and then we’ll look at the Private Wealth Strategies that I offer and see if they can add some great benefits to your portfolio.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

P.S. If you’ve just landed on one of my posts for the first time and you want to start at the beginning…visit “Private Wealth Strategies – The Great Investing Alternative.”

 

 

 

 

 

Shannon Pineau
Exempt Market Dealing Representative

E: shannon@whitehaven.ca
C: 403-872-4010

shannonpineau.com

 

This blog post is intended for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy securities. No securities regulatory authority or regulator has assessed the merits of the information herein or reviewed the information contained herein. This blog post is not intended to assist you in making any investment decision regarding the purchase of securities. Rather, the Trust has prepared an offering memorandum for delivery to prospective investors that describes certain terms, conditions and risks of the investment and certain rights that you may have. You should review the offering memorandum with your professional adviser(s) before making any investment decision. This blog post and the accompanying offering memorandum are intended for delivery only to, and participation in the investment is restricted to, investors to whom certain prospectus exemptions apply, as described in the offering memorandum.
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