"They're all invested in GICs," Newman said with a smile. "Their investments are safe, they're all guaranteed, they've got nothing to worry about."

Guests at the event included Linda Leatherdale, money editor of the Toronto Sun, National Post Wealthy Boomer columnist Jonathan Chevreau and Forever Young national editor Don Wall. Leatherdale spoke and praised Fiscal Agents for its successful 2004 crusade to convince the federal government to increase CDIC insurance coverage of bank deposits.

Pictured at the Fiscal Agents 30th-anniversary party on Oct. 29 are: Toronto Sun money editor Linda Leatherdale, acting Oakville Mayor Ralph Robinson, Fiscal Agents founder David Newman and Fiscal Agents president Rob Whipp.

One of the core principles of the Cornerstone Planning model of investment that Fiscal Agents has espoused for over 30 years is that investors should periodically re-evaluate their financial plan in the context of a regular review of their long-term goals and values. Are circumstances different? Have goals changed over the years? Am I still on the right path?

Fiscal Agents took a dose of its own medicine recently. FA principals David Newman and Rob Whipp figured it was time to undertake a thorough study of the company's business practices to ensure they continue to meet the needs of its clients. And so these stakeholders in the process were consulted and surveyed; their views were solicited on the services that are currently provided and they were asked how Fiscal Agents could serve them better.

The clients spoke. And Fiscal Agents listened. "For starters, we have learned that we are meeting our clients' needs in many, many ways, resulting in an overall approval rating of over 85 percent," Fiscal Agents founder David Newman reports. "A full 92.5 percent of our customers told us they would not hesitate to recommend our services to family, friends and acquaintances. For that show of support, we are grateful."

But Newman says, the survey indicates several areas where the service model should change to meet the needs of customers better: "In today's evolving marketplace, with messages coming from all directions, it is sometimes difficult to sort through all the information available and grasp what is essential. Two thirds of our clients told us drat their preferred` method of communication is not through e-newsletters or website blogs or updates, but rather through the tried and true means or a printed, hard-copy newsletter, mailed to homes and offices on a regular basis. So that is what we'll do as well.

The survey also offered insights into the types of financial issues that clients rate as most important to their lives. While there was a typical divergence of views on the types of services and products they would like to see Fiscal Agents produce, there are three key areas clients tended to focus on:

• preserving capital;
  
  
• estate planning; and
  
  
• minimizing taxes paid every year.

"Conservative, mature investors don't want to wade through information on speculative investments and get rich quick schemes," Fiscal Agents president Rob Whipp says. "Our clients have accumulated nest eggs through years of prudent investing and now wish to preserve their assets, invest in safe products like GICs, prevent erosion from taxes and plan for a time when they can transfer their estate to heirs and favourite charities."

The introduction of a new newsletter program along with the launch of a seminar series early in 2009 offering practical advice and information on estate planning and tax issues for the conservative investor will complement existing information programs, Whipp explained, that include;

• personal contact with clients in person and over the phone;
  
  
• mailings of important documents (such as summaries of the status of investments);
  the Money Management newsletter, emailed, highlighting important programs Fiscal Agents undertakes on its clients' behalf, such as the successful campaign two years ago to convince the federal government to hike CDIC insurance coverage of bank and trust company deposits from $60,000 to $100,000;
  
  
• continued expansion of the award-winning website (Fiscalagents.ca) with its extensive access to in-depth investment information (see the Knowledge Bank, Money Centre, Learning Centre, Radar Screen and Cornerstone Planning sections) and many financial tools and calculators;
  
  
• publication of targeted, in-house handbooks and brochures with such titles as First Step to Smarter Choices, Prudent Canadian's Guide to Estate Planning, Get Bonus GIC Rates, The Ten Principles of Being Rich, the Household Directory of Documents and various Money Guide documents.

"We wish to thank our clients for taking the time to assist us in planning future programs and services," David Newman commented. "And we welcome further input that will allow us to continue to improve and serve our clients better."