Manulife launches smart ETF seg funds

Manulife Investment Management has announced the addition of three new offerings to its segregated fund platform.

With its three new Manulife Smart ETF GIFs, the firm has become the first among Canada’s financial institutions to offer single-asset category ETFs in a segregated fund wrapper, offering advisors new building blocks to construct diversified portfolios for clients. 

“We're excited to bring these new Manulife Smart ETFs to the segregated fund platform as innovative solutions for investors and to make active ETFs available to a wider range of Canadians," said Marie Gauthier, Head of Pricing & Guaranteed Investment Products.

Aside from competitive pricing, potential creditor protection, and estate planning advantages, each fund offers benefits from the active management provided by the seasoned investment teams behind each underlying ETF.

The new GIFs, which build on the popularity of Manulife Investment Management’s Smart ETFs launched last November, include:

• Manulife Smart Corporate Bond ETF segregated fund – aims to help investors earn income while preserving capital;
• Manulife Smart Dividend ETF segregated fund – tailored for investors seeking steady income with dividends that have potential for consistency and growth;
• Manulife Smart U.S. Dividend ETF – also for income-seeking investors, but focuses on U.S. dividend-issuing companies.

The new segregated funds are available in both the Manulife Private Investment Pools—MPIP Segregated Pools and Manulife GIF Select InvestmentPlus contracts:

"The new Manulife Smart ETF segregated funds bring together the quality of management of our ETF platform, while embracing the easy-to-access and flexible nature of our segregated fund contracts," Gauthier said.