2003 Household Balance Sheet Report

Over the years, Investor Economics’ Household Balance Sheet Report has become a cornerstone of strategic thinking and a benchmark for business planning and forecasting for the organizations that compete in all facets of Canada’s financial services industry. The 2003 report—our special 10th anniversary edition—builds on our growing body of research and contains a number of important new features. In order to mark the 10th anniversary of our initial Household Balance Sheet Report, we offer a retrospective on our original study. We examine the accuracy of our original predictions, but more importantly the validity of the Household Balance Sheet as a change model for assessing the prospective development of the retail financial services industry. A major objective is to re-assess the continuity of core themes. This provides the necessary context for thinking about and predicting the future. The Household Balance Sheet Report is fundamentally about the future, and we have gone into overdrive on this subject. For the first time ever we provide 10-year wealth market segment projections. This is the leading edge of a new dimension of Investor Economics’ research capability that you will hear much more about in the future. In this report we take our forecast of wealth market assets and households and break them down into projections by asset threshold, income, and age. This is the part of our report where you can locate projections on the size of the $1 million and over market 10 years hence. We examine the size of the wealth market controlled by households within particular age groups, and by income thresholds as well. We also provide provincial breakdowns. In a difficult and extremely competitive market—and one with an intense focus on profitability—every provider will need to understand something about the demand side of the equation in greater levels of detail. The 2003 edition of the Household Balance Sheet Report will present: ·  detailed projections of over 60 line items that make up every category of assets, liabilities, and net worth that comprise the aggregate Household Balance Sheet; ·  our outlook for the wealth market examined through four key lenses: asset mix, lines of business (i.e. spread-, transaction-, and fee-based), distribution channels (seven detailed channels), and taxable and tax-deferred; ·  projections of the fee-based market and each component of the fee-based continuum; ·  a prognosis for the funds industry and strategic and competitive challenges for its participants; ·  our outlook for advice and the prospects and challenges for distribution channels, branch advice, full-service brokers, and financial advisors; ·  the identification of overarching trends in the wealth market and how they will shape its future development; ·  a feature on the retirement market—pensions, defined contribution plans, individual and self-directed RRSPs, RRIFs, RESPs, and annuities; ·  a Canada/U.S. Household Balance Sheet comparison. I strongly believe that the Household Balance Sheet Report is a ‘must have’ in the research arsenal for senior executives, business planners, market researchers, and policymakers who have a stake in the future growth and development of Canada’s retail financial services industry. The bottom line is that this report is bigger and better than anything we have done before. We think that says a lot. Like all Investor Economics research, our guaranteed deliverables include multiple copies of the report, electronic access, and a great deal of hands-on support.