Big Deals & Bigger Lessons with David Kassie on The Unlimited Podcast

In this episode in our Lessons with Legends series, on The Unlimited Podcast, we welcome David Kassie, Chairman of Outcome Asset Management and Chairman Emeritus of Canaccord Genuity. Brian and David discuss David’s journey to becoming Chairman and CEO of CIBC World Markets, the founding of Genuity, some of his most significant deals, and more.

David Kassie has held key leadership roles in the financial industry for decades. He served as Chairman or Executive Chairman of Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. since May 2010 and was Chairman and CEO from April to October 2015. Previously, he was Principal, Chairman, and CEO of Genuity Capital Markets from November 2004 to May 2010, leading the firm until its acquisition by Canaccord Financial. Before that, he served as Chairman and CEO of CIBC World Markets and Vice Chairman of CIBC from 1979 to 2004.

With extensive experience as an advisor, underwriter, and principal, David has played a crucial role in major financial transactions and serves on multiple corporate boards. Beyond finance, he is deeply committed to community and charitable initiatives. He is a Director and former Chairman of Baycrest Health Sciences, where he also led its commercialization efforts. He has previously served on the boards of the Toronto International Film Festival Group, the Hospital for Sick Children, and Ivey Business School.

David holds a B.Comm. (Honours) in Economics from McGill University (1977) and an MBA from the University of Western Ontario (1979).

This episode can also be found here or find us in your favourite podcasting app, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.

If you like what you hear, please don’t hesitate to rate us kindly. And if there are particular topics you’d like covered, please let us know.

Note to Clients re Trump Tariffs – February 2024

To Ginsler Wealth’s Clients:

You are no doubt paying close attention to the Trump Tariffs that will be levied on Canada, Mexico and China in a few days – and the resulting impacts to the Canadian and U.S. economies, and (North American) financial markets in general.

It is fortuitous that my two most recent quarterly letters were written precisely to address situations just like this:

In October of last year, in my 2024 Third Quarter Letter, I wrote about the importance of “doing nothing” in the face of a market shock event, if you are confident that you have already taken appropriate steps to build portfolios that are diversified across numerous asset classes and strategies; portfolios that have inherent downside protection built in. I remain confident that we have done this, and as such won’t be taking any rash or dramatic actions this coming week.

And just a few weeks ago, in my 2024 Fourth Quarter Letter, I wrote about some of the actions (“doing something”) we have taken and continue to take based on what we have been observing in U.S. and international markets. This included further diversifying portfolios into non-U.S. markets and increasing allocations to income-oriented investments. More recently, in 2025 so far, we have begun shifting some equity allocations to more value-oriented U.S. and Canadian strategies, and have taken steps to further reduce risk in client portfolios.*

On the first page of our website, there is a quote that reads: “We don’t rest, so you can.”

Rest assured – we are watching very closely and thinking very carefully about the best actions to take – or not – to prudently care for your portfolios.

Thanks as always for your trust, support and confidence. We are available 24/7 should you need us.

Sincerely,

Brian singnature

Brian Ginsler
President & CEO

*As always, please recall that all clients have different goals, objectives and risk tolerances, which means that some or all of the actions and investments detailed above may not be suitable for your own specific circumstances.

[Picture generated by ChatGPT]