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2018 Canadian Discount Brokerage Review & 2019 Preview

BMO InvestorLine

BMO: Inspiring and empowering Canadians to invest smarter

By Silvio Stroescu, Head of Digital Investing, BMO Wealth Management

First, a big thank you to investors for ranking BMO InvestorLine #1 in the J.D. Power 2018 Canadian Self-Directed Investor Satisfaction Study. With the highest Overall Satisfaction among investors and the highest Customer-Driven brand, BMO InvestorLine also scored top marks for our Product and Service Offerings, Investment Performance and Information Resources.

This recognition acknowledges our success in doing two things extremely well: being brilliant at the basics and evolving digital investing through innovation.

BMO Wealth Management has its finger on the pulse of all types of digital investors with three unique digital investing services. Through BMO InvestorLine Self-Directed, adviceDirect and BMO SmartFolio, we are inspiring and empowering Canadians to invest smarter.

Brilliant at the basics

Without listing all the ways we made investing easier in 2018, we are saving our self-directed clients time and delivering an effortless experience in the ways that matters most to today’s digital investors.

  • New clients are signing up with guided ease in just 15 minutes, and receiving well-timed how to information as they begin their InvestorLine journey.
  • New self-serve abilities are making simple tasks even simpler, from contributions and transfers, to password and security management.
  • Clients are receiving exceptional service when they contact our specialists for personal assistance, as we anticipate and respond to periods of high market activity to minimize wait times.
  • Our IPO Centre is meeting our clients’ increasing demand for alerts when IPOs, new issues and structured products become available.
  • Clients have additional insights inspiration and ideas available in a mix of media, from within BMO and from third-party providers.

Since we became the first Canadian bank to offer investors innovative digital portfolio management with BMO SmartFolio nearly three years ago, we’ve continued to focus on the basics. In 2018 we made the experience even more effortless. It’s now easier to open an account, transfer funds, set up recurring contributions and generally manage your BMO SmartFolio investment. Of course, the mobile experience also improved last year.

In addition to the investments we’re making in the client experience with all three BMO digital investing platforms, we’re respecting and protecting our clients’ information with ongoing security enhancements, and continuously elevating our data and analytical capabilities to remain the innovators we have been for 30 years.

Leading with innovation

In 2019 our self-directed clients will benefit from transformational capabilities that will further evolve the investing experience.

  • Clients will have access to Global Structured Products.
  • Our Five Star Program will be updated for our most active traders.
  • Upgrades are coming to Market Pro, our professional-level active trading platform.
  • Voice biometrics will mean greater security and quicker, easier authentication.

When we introduced adviceDirect six years ago, it was the first advice-based digital investing service of its kind in Canada, giving investors objective advice to maintain a well-balanced portfolio of top-rated securities. In 2018, adoption of adviceDirect quadrupled over the previous year, a testament to our foresight of a growing appetite among investors for advice to complement their trading and investing decisions. As new digital financial planning tools are introduced in 2019, adviceDirect will continue to evolve for this expanding segment of investors.

Head of Digital Investing for BMO Wealth Management, Silvio Stroescu is driving the well-recognized performance and client experience of BMO Wealth Management’s three online investing services. An innovator in digital banking and investing, Silvio is focused on expanding investors’ capabilities in ways that make the experience effortless.

BMO Wealth Management is the brand name for a business group consisting of Bank of Montreal and certain of its affiliates, including BMO InvestorLine and BMO Nesbitt Burns in providing wealth management products and services. Not all products and services are offered by all legal entities within BMO Wealth Management. BMO SmartFolio is a product of BMO Nesbitt Burns.

To learn more, visit www.bmo.com/self-directed, www.bmo.com/advicedirect or www.bmo.com/smartfolio. Or view our profile of BMO InvestorLine here.

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