FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS




General

  • What is your office address?

    We are located at:
    Suite #1008, Livingston Place, South Tower
    222 – 3 Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta T2P 0B4
    You can reach us by phone at 403.265.7007.

  • Who owns QV Investors?

    QV is 100% independent and wholly owned by employees across all levels of the firm. Direct ownership creates long-term commitment from team members who also benefit from shared rewards.

  • What sets QV apart from other investment managers?

    Our firm culture contributes to our success and in many ways sets us apart from our competitors. In addition to their direct ownership in the business, nearly all employees are significantly invested in QV’s pooled funds, creating strong alignment with clients. These factors also foster a commitment to our firm values, including integrity, teamwork and continuous improvement.

    We have a long and successful track record of strong risk-adjusted returns across our strategies. Since opening our doors in 1996, unwavering discipline to our quality and value philosophy has resulted in long-term growth and capital protection for our clients.

    We maintain a competitive fee structure while offering the utmost in client service.

  • What is Quality and Value investing?

    Valuation plays a significant role in our risk-managed approach to investing, but not at the expense of fundamentally high-quality businesses. The combination of quality and value has performed well on the upside and, just as importantly, provided downside protection in challenging markets. Our goal is to build portfolios of resilient companies that can compound growth into the future, while minimizing downside risks. Commitment to our consistent and repeatable process increases our odds of successful long-term outcomes.

    Please visit our Approach page to learn more.

  • How do you balance growth with capital preservation?

    Contrary to investment theory, you can own a lower-risk portfolio and outperform the market. That’s because, to a certain extent, higher-than-average growth over the long term is an outcome of capital preservation. (We define risk as the possibility and consequences of permanent loss, not market volatility.) From bottom-up company selection to quantitative portfolio-level reviews, our objective is to maintain competitive and sustainable growth rates while minimizing downside risk.

For Individual Investors

  • What are the minimum investment criteria?

    The asset minimum is $500,000 per household. Exceptions may be accommodated at the discretion of our wealth management team.

  • Are we a good fit?

    Our conservative approach to investing isn’t for people who wish to get rich quickly. Our goal is to provide you with long-term capital growth, economic security and peace of mind.

    When making money is “easy” in the short term, it’s usually because people are taking excessive risks. Our track record demonstrates long-term value add, in part, because we have avoided participating in speculative excesses. You should expect us to outperform the market when speculative excesses are unwinding.

  • How should I prepare for my first meeting?

    Considering your broader goals before meeting with us is beneficial. Our eBook download includes some high-level questions that serve as an excellent starting point to guide our initial conversation. We look forward to speaking with you.

  • What is discretionary investment management?

    We discuss your goals and agree on a long-term asset mix consistent with your objectives. We navigate market cycles by adjusting your portfolio within the agreed-upon asset mix range. We use this discretion with the goal of adding additional value to your portfolio.

  • What does fiduciary duty mean and why is it important?

    A fiduciary is someone who legally must act in your best interest. As fiduciaries, our Investment Counsellors have a duty of loyalty and care to our clients, which includes disclosing any conflicts of interest we might have. Securities regulation requires the highest level of education and experience in the investment industry.

  • How often will I meet with my advisor?

    We work with the individual needs of our clients. Some people only wish to meet with us once per year, while others prefer more frequent communication. We will fit into your life on your terms. We won’t force you into a “one-size-fits-all” service model.

  • How can I monitor my account?

    We maintain an integrated client portal. Once you log in, you can access your account details and reporting documents at any time.

  • How do your fees work?

    Our fees are competitive and generally based upon the amount of assets held with us. There are no transaction fees and no exit fees. Full fee details are outlined in your account application, and every January we report the dollar value of fees you paid in respect of the previous year.

For Institutional Investors

  • Who will be my client service representative?

    All portfolio managers service clients.

  • Are your products available as pooled funds, segregated portfolios or both?

    All open strategies are available to Canadian clients under both pooled and segregated management. The account minimum for pooled fund management is $500,000. For segregated management, the minimum is $10 million, except segregated global or global small cap mandates for which the account minimum is $25 million.

    Our small cap strategy is only available to new clients on a pooled basis and is not available in a segregated portfolio.

  • Are QV's products open to new Canadian clients?

    QV’s Canadian large cap, global small cap, global large cap, balanced and fixed income strategies are open and accepting new Canadian clients. QV’s Canadian small cap business has been operating under a soft cap since November 2010.

  • Are we a good fit?

    Throughout market cycles, you can expect us to adhere to our quality & value philosophy to compound assets without compromising downside protection. We are fully independent and personally invested in the pooled funds we manage. Please get in touch to learn more about our focused, risk-managed strategies.

  • What is your fee structure?

    Our fee structure is competitive and generally based upon the amount of assets held with us. Please contact us for further details.

Responsible Investing

  • What is responsible investment?

    According to PRI (Principles for Responsible Investment), responsible investing involves considering environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues when making investment decisions and influencing companies (known as active ownership or stewardship). It complements traditional financial analysis and portfolio construction techniques.
    Responsible investors can have different objectives. QV is primarily focused on financial returns and the ESG factors that could impact these.

  • Why are ESG factors relevant?

    ESG risks are business risks. Understanding how a company’s exposure to material ESG factors relates to its corporate strategy is a fundamental consideration for long-term investors.

  • How do you evaluate ESG factors?

    True to our investment process, we employ a bottom-up approach to ESG. We use our proprietary ESG scorecard to identify and monitor material ESG factors unique to each investment.  

  • Do you approach responsible investment the same way across all funds?

    Yes, our philosophy and process are consistent across the firm.  

    None of our products are explicitly branded as responsible investing strategies. We feel active ownership and prudent consideration of ESG factors are key components of any strategy seeking to invest in enduring businesses over the long term. 

  • Who makes up your responsible investing team?

    Every member of our investment team is tasked with considering ESG risks and opportunities. We do not have a dedicated individual focused exclusively on ESG factors, as we believe better investment outcomes can be achieved when the same people evaluate all risks and opportunities in context. We have an ESG Committee that coordinates our efforts. The ESG Committee reports directly to our Board of Directors, which helps set priorities and oversee initiatives.

  • Do you have any responsible investing affiliations?

    We are a signatory to the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). Part of our commitment is to formally report and receive feedback on our ESG activities annually.

    We are also members of the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance (CCGG), the pre-eminent corporate governance organization in Canada.

    In 2021 we publicly endorsed CCGG’s Stewardship Principles, further formalizing our commitment to be active and effective stewards of our investments.

  • Why don’t you apply exclusionary screens?

    While companies in high-risk and/or controversial industries are not explicitly excluded from consideration on a policy basis, these types of companies are less likely to meet our investment criteria.

    Using our proprietary ESG scorecard, we carefully consider company-specific issues on a case-by-case basis within our investing framework.

  • What is your approach to engagement?

    Through regular engagement with management teams and board directors, we can better understand a company’s overall strategy, communicate our expectations as long-term shareholders, and identify potential impacts on business or financial performance.

    We generally focus on company-specific issues. In prioritizing resources, we may consider factors such as the size of the holding and the materiality of the ESG issue to our long-term investment case.

    Escalation of a material concern could include voting action, further engagement with the board, a reduction in exposure or divestment.

  • Do you use external ESG research?

    We may use third-party research to bolster our independent analysis. We do not rely on external ESG scores or ratings in our process.

QV Investors is an independent asset and wealth management firm focused on principles of quality and value. As whole owners of the business, our team is fully invested in growing clients’ capital while minimizing the risk of loss.

#1008 222 - 3rd Ave. SW
Calgary, AB, T2P 0B4
Canada

403.265.7007