A. Description of our advisory firm, including how long we have been in business and our
principal owner(s).
Jarislowsky, Fraser Limited (“JFL”) is a Canadian investment counsel firm, registered as an
investment adviser with the SEC. The firm is also registered in all thirteen Canadian provinces and
territories. JFL manages pension funds, endowment funds, corporate and private portfolios for clients
in North America and overseas. Our firm was founded in 1955. With offices located in Montreal,
Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver, JFL manages investments on behalf of governments, corporations,
universities, labor unions, and high net worth individuals. Assets under management at JFL were
$34,180,261,657 on October 31, 2023, on a discretionary basis.
B. Description of the types of advisory services we offer.
JFL provides investment management and sub-advisory services. We create diversified balanced
portfolios consisting of fixed income assets as well as North American and international equities. The
objective is to add value through longer-term asset mix positioning rather than short-term trading. For
many of our portfolios, we strive to keep portfolio volatility or risk to a minimum by implementing gradual
asset mix changes and often employ a “buy and hold” strategy. Our style has historically emphasized
buying long-term growth at a price we have deemed reasonable. We integrate Environmental, Social, and
Governance (ESG) considerations in our assessment of quality across many of our strategies.
Mandates offered include Balanced, Canadian Equities, U.S. Equities, Foreign (international, global, and
emerging market) Equities, as well as Fixed Income portfolios and variations on each of these, which we
can cater to each client’s requirements. The firm specializes in separately managed portfolios but also
offers commingled vehicles for certain qualified investors. Additional details regarding these mandates
are available upon request.
Please note that corporate titles reflect legal and business conventions used in Canada and may not carry
the same meaning in the US. The title “Portfolio Manager” (PM) in Canada can refer to an individual
that manages client portfolios, among other duties, whereas in the US the “Portfolio Manager” title may
more specifically only implement client investment plans and not provide client servicing.
C. Explanation of how we tailor our services to the individual needs of clients.
We spend time to get to know you, our client, to review and discuss your financial situation. Areas of
review will focus on, but are not limited to, your: (i) goals and objectives; (ii) assets and
liabilities; (iii)
liquidity needs; (iv) risk tolerance; (v) tax status; and (vi) other variables relevant to understanding your
unique investment circumstances. We also spend time explaining our style to ensure that your
expectations will be met. Together we develop the investment policy guidelines which outline the overall
asset mix we will follow when managing your portfolio. The guidelines also list the investments we may
purchase and any restrictions you may want to put into effect.
D. Participation in wrap fee programs
Certain individuals and entities participate in wrap programs which are sponsored by other financial
institutions (the wrap sponsor), for which JFL is the manager. These individuals or entities choose to
receive the investment advisory services of JFL through this other financial institution. Wrap clients pay
one fee (which also encompasses other services such as trading, execution, and brokerage) to the wrap
sponsor based on the amount of assets under management. JFL receives a portion of this wrap fee, paid
directly to us by the wrap sponsor, for advisory services rendered. With wrap programs, JFL acts as a
sub-advisor to the sponsor of the wrap program and rarely meets with the underlying client. In these
cases, it is a representative of the wrap sponsor who meets with you to review the items mentioned in 4.C.
above in order to determine the asset mix to follow for your portfolio. Only after this has been decided,
and you sign on to have JFL manage all or a portion of your assets, do you also become a client of our
firm.
Each wrap sponsor works with our firm to establish a policy or policies for the type of portfolios they
wish us to offer. We then determine a framework to follow and invest each new client’s assets according
to this same framework. The framework we follow for our wrap clients may therefore be different from
how we would invest your portfolio if we were to customize holdings specifically for you. The
investment style we follow is the same, either way, but wrap clients, for instance, tend to hold more
names in their portfolios. Certain wrap sponsors choose to trade each client’s portfolio themselves, in
which case we simply provide the sponsor with updates to our frameworks. In other cases, JFL logs into
a system provided by the sponsor which permits us to review holdings and to enter trades.
E. Client assets managed on a discretionary basis.
JFL manages portfolios on a discretionary basis which means that you sign a contract which gives us
the authority to buy and sell securities within your account(s) without having to first ask your permission
to do so.