The Beginning
The Croft Financial Group Founder and CIO Richard Croft made the transition from public service to the investment world in the early 70’s. Driven by his passion for education and with a knack for writing, he entered the world of financial market journalism in the early 80’s writing for the Globe and Mail and developing a number of investment indices and benchmarks that are still in existence today.
In 1993, at the request of many of his followers, Richard became licensed as an investment counselor/portfolio manager and has been navigating the markets ever since, while having written nine books and thousands of articles and commentaries for Canada’s largest media outlets.
The Vision
Richard’s vision was to build a platform where financial professionals across the industry could access active, discretionary investment management for their clients, offering investment products and solutions not accessible under their existing regulatory framework. The goal was (and continues to be) to reduce the related regulatory, compliance and administrative burdens on the advisors that come with this high level of service, placing it on his experienced team, many of whom are still with the firm.
Where we are today
Our entire team of professionals remain guided by a set of core principles which include honesty, integrity and openness. Our focus is on serving our partners and investors by delivering value ethically and within a culture of compliance, while fostering the same entrepreneurial spirit within the firm and in our partners that the Croft Group was founded on over 30 years ago.
The Power of 3
The Accounting Place and Castlemark Wealth Management, two wholly owned subsidiaries of R N Croft Financial Group Inc., play a strategic role in delivering this integrated wealth management approach. By combining the tax expertise of The Accounting Place with the advanced financial planning services of Castlemark Wealth Management, we provide our advisor partners with added bench strength to address the complex and diverse needs of their clients.
This partnership ensures that every aspect of a client's financial needs is addressed under one roof, empowering advisors with the resources and expertise to deliver exceptional value. This fully integrated approach is designed to optimize financial outcomes and deliver lasting value—ensuring that every decision positively impacts your financial future.
The Commitment
As a licensed Portfolio Manager and Investment Fund Manager, we work with our advisor partners and clients across Canada to deliver an exclusive High-Net-Worth Service that is typically reserved for investors with over one million dollars in assets. Our commitment to each of our clients ensures that we take an unbiased approach to security selection and portfolio composition based on their best interest and financial goals. We work with our associated Financial Planners, Tax Specialists and other industry professionals to implement this approach to the highest standard of care.
The Beginning
The Croft Financial Group Founder and CIO Richard Croft made the transition from public service to the investment world in the early 70’s. Driven by his passion for education and with a knack for writing, he entered the world of financial market journalism in the early 80’s writing for the Globe and Mail and developing a number of investment indices and benchmarks that are still in existence today.
In 1993, at the request of many of his followers, Richard became licensed as an investment counselor/portfolio manager and has been navigating the markets ever since, while having written nine books and thousands of articles and commentaries for Canada’s largest media outlets.
The Vision
Richard’s vision was to build a platform where financial professionals across the industry could access active, discretionary investment management for their clients, offering investment products and solutions not accessible under their existing regulatory framework. The goal was (and continues to be) to reduce the related regulatory, compliance and administrative burdens on the advisors that come with this high level of service, placing it on his experienced team, many of whom are still with the firm.
Where we are today
Our entire team of professionals remain guided by a set of core principles which include honesty, integrity and openness. Our focus is on serving our partners and investors by delivering value ethically and within a culture of compliance, while fostering the same entrepreneurial spirit within the firm and in our partners that the Croft Group was founded on over 30 years ago.
The Power of 3
The Accounting Place and Castlemark Wealth Management, two wholly owned subsidiaries of R N Croft Financial Group Inc., play a strategic role in delivering this integrated wealth management approach. By combining the tax expertise of The Accounting Place with the advanced financial planning services of Castlemark Wealth Management, we provide our advisor partners with added bench strength to address the complex and diverse needs of their clients.
This partnership ensures that every aspect of a client's financial needs is addressed under one roof, empowering advisors with the resources and expertise to deliver exceptional value. This fully integrated approach is designed to optimize financial outcomes and deliver lasting value—ensuring that every decision positively impacts your financial future.
The Committment
As a licensed Portfolio Manager across Canada, we work with our partners to deliver an exclusive High-Net-Worth Service that is typically reserved for investors with over one million dollars in assets. Our fiduciary commitment to each of our clients ensures that we take an unbiased approach to security selection and portfolio composition based on their best interest and financial goals. Working with Financial Planners, Tax Specialists and other industry professionals to implement this approach to the highest standard of care.
meet the team
CROFT FINANCIAL GROUP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Jason Ayres
Kenneth Mulders
Christopher Croft
Diane Bode
Richard N. Croft
Jason Keogh
Jordan Rosenberg
OUR TEAM OF PROFESSIONALS
FILTER BY:
Our Team of professionals hold a range of industry designations and accreditations including:
The Croft Financial Group is committed to a multi-stakeholder approach to Integrated Wealth Management: a long-term, multi-generational strategy, designed to keep all stakeholders on the same page under one holistic and unified plan.
We are proudly supporting the REAL WEALTH MANAGER™ (RWM™) DESIGNATION 
OUR VALUES & CULTURE
At Croft Financial Group, we are motivated by key guiding principles.
INTEGRITY
We value all our stakeholders equally – including our clients, employees, colleagues, and the community at large – irrespective of age, gender identity, ethnic affiliation, education, livelihood, and regardless of religious, political or philosophical perspectives.
OPENNESS
We believe that the ability to make informed decisions is of critical importance, and in the value of complete, clear, and honest communications with our stakeholders to support good decisions.
HONESTY
We believe in the fundamental value of effective investment capital management to achieve the financial objectives and security, and to enhance the quality of life of our clients and stakeholders.
KNOWLEDGE
We value and will always strive to maintain a level of skill and knowledge necessary to support good investment decisions to fulfill our commitments and obligations to all our stakeholders.
Reason One:
A committee approach adds the benefit of gaining multiple perspectives. When an investment idea is presented to the IRC, the committee has a chance to ask more questions or offer additional insights that the primary analyst might not considered.
Reason Two:
A committee approach often leads to the gathering of additional information. This rigorous vetting process helps in making a more informed/higher quality decision.
Reason Three:
A committee ensures continuity. If one or more Portfolio Managers are absent, the committee is always present to ensure the process continues.
INVESTMENT PHILOSOPHY
INVESTMENT REVIEW COMMITTEE (IRC)
Investment Review Committee (IRC) Our mission is to deliver superior investment advice and discretionary portfolio management expertise with outstanding service, holding all Portfolio Managers on the Croft platform to the highest standard. All Advising Representatives (Portfolio Managers) and Associate Advising Representatives are accountable to the IRC. With a committee-based, rigorous portfolio building process, our portfolio management team seeks out which assets, sectors and geographical exposures make the most sense for meeting clients’ investment objectives under real-time market conditions. To minimize investor risk and maximize returns, we combine this methodology with targeted active investments and sophisticated option strategies. While each Portfolio Manager may have their own approach, all investments and strategies are vetted through the IRC.
WHY THE COMMITTEE?
The Investment Review Committee (IRC) at Croft is responsible for all investment decisions. While one Portfolio Manager is responsible for the research, each security that is used in a portfolio must be vetted by the IRC. There are several reasons this process is advantageous.
MEET THE CUSTODIAN OF YOUR Investment Accounts
We take client assets and client account safekeeping seriously.
All Croft client investment accounts are held in their own name at National Bank. Committed to independent firms for more than 25 years, National Bank Independent Network is one of Canada’s leading providers of custodial, trading, clearing, settlement and record-keeping services to independent registered portfolio managers, introducing brokers and investment fund managers.
National Bank Independent Network proudly serves over 450 firms from coast to coast and is backed by the strength of National Bank of Canada (NBC). National Bank Independent Network is a division of National Bank Financial Inc. (NBF Inc.), which is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of NBC, a public company listed on Canadian stock exchanges (TSX: NA). National Bank Independent Network is also a registered trademark of NBC used under license by NBF Inc. NBF Inc. is a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF) as well as the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC), which is the national self-regulatory organization that oversees all investment dealers and trading activity on debt and equity marketplaces in Canada.
Once complete the onboarding process and assign an account number, our clients have complete online access to their accounts, statements and tax documents through NBIN’s My Portfolio +.
OVER
450
INDEPENDENT FIRMS
OVER
$300B
ASSETS UNDER ADMINISTRATION
OVER
1M
CANADIAN INVESTORS
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
The Croft Group works closely with our strategic partners to find the best services and opportunities for our clients.
insights
Research Report: Volatility Returns
The “picture-is-worth-1,000-words” metaphor is well-suited to illustrate the performance of financial markets during January 2022. Early declines, most notably within the tech heavy Nasdaq 100 index, were followed by sharp rallies, described by pundits as take your pick: a reversion to the mean or a bull fake out. The late-stage rally in the Nasdaq prevented it from recording the worst January in its history.
The Last Wave: Tempered Expectations Amidst Virus Uncertainty
In chaos theory, the butterfly effect refers to how minor changes in an initial assumption can alter the future in unimaginable ways. It was based on the work of mathematician and meteorologist Edward Lorenz who used the example of a tornado being influenced by minor perturbations such as a distant butterfly flapping its wings weeks earlier.
Omicron: Variant of Concern?
OMICRON: VARIANT OF CONCERN?
Is it an ominous sign that social media posts focused more on the process for naming the latest iteration of COVID, than it did debating the risks associated with the transformative mutations unique to Omicron?
The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies COVID variants with letters from the Greek alphabet in much the same way as we categorize hurricanes alphabetically. The idea is to provide the general population with a down-to-earth classification that simplifies the scientific designation and removes any stigma caused by referencing variants using the location where they were detected.
Research Report: Metaverse… Closer than you think
Are we to assume from Facebook’s name change that Mark Zuckerberg is embracing a corporate transformation? Or could it be an attempt to shift attention away from mounting regulatory headwinds? Perhaps, it is a bit of both.
Whatever the reason, Meta Platforms Inc. (Facebook’s new name) reflects the company’s growing ambitions beyond social media. To that end, the company is setting in motion a ten-year US $10 billion spending initiative to ensure that its platform and more than two billion daily active users will be the central player in the next iteration of the Internet… the “Metaverse.”
Research Report: Worried About Inflation? Chill out…
The latest Canadian data suggests that inflation, on a month-over-month basis, may be abating. Could it be that central bankers are right in the assertion that inflation is transitory? To address concerns that central banks may be ‘behind the curve’, let’s not forget that they employ some of the brightest economists who are constantly sifting through myriad data.
Research Report: Search For Income
A central theme in portfolio management is risk-adjusted return. Weighing potential upside performance against downside variability is the essential element in setting an appropriate asset mix.
