I hope you can join me today on Facebook Live as we attempt to simplify the complex world of investing.

I’ve been asked by Alberta Treasury Branch (ATB) to help host a LIVE segment with Chris Turchansky, head of ATB Investor Services Thursday at 12:30 (Mountain Time) over on their Facebook Page — click the link here.

The reason we’re doing the segment is two-fold. First, there’s been much in the news lately about the lack of transparency in the banking and investment industry. Many investors, people just like you and I, actually have NO IDEA how much they are paying in extra fees to financial planners and fund managers who look after their accounts.

Even more worrisome is that some financial advisors may be in a conflict of interest if they are recommending certain investments to you, but only because they receive an extra commission or a higher commission for doing so. In a case like this, they are not acting in your best interest and you have every right to start asking questions.

And, that’s the second reason why we’re doing the segment. ATB wants to hear from you. Chris Turchansky will take your questions through our Facebook Live segment with the sole purpose of informing and empowering clients to learn more about how their investments are managed. After all, this is YOUR money, your life savings, your retirement and your kids’ education funds. You want these investments to grow while keeping those extra fees at a minimum. To be clear, some fees are necessary, but it’s imperative that you know what you’re paying and why.

The CBC has been doing some incredible investigative work on this issue. You can watch a story here by journalist Erica Johnson about one banking customer who paid more than $30,000 in fees over six years, yet his investments didn’t grow as expected.

It’s going to be an interesting discussion, even for the beginner investor, and I hope you’ll be able to join us.

I’ll leave you with this question…do you know the difference between a financial adviser with an “e” and a financial advisor with an “o”?  We’ll be talking about this important distinction Thursday on Facebook Live at 12:30 MT. I encourage you to go and “like” the ATB Financial page, so the segment will appear in your news feed. You will also be able to watch it on replay.

Thanks to ATB for partnering on this very special project.