Overheard at Crowe Soberman: The EOT advantage

In this episode of the Moolala: Money Made Simple podcast, Jon Shell joins Bruce Sellery to explain how employee ownership trusts (EOTs) work and why they could reshape business ownership in Canada. They discuss what employee ownership means and how it works, the purpose of the new Employee Ownership Research Initiative, current research gaps around employee-owned businesses and how employee ownership has evolved in Canada in recent years. The conversation explores how employee ownership could support business succession, strengthen workplaces and create new pathways for shared prosperity.

The Ontario Securities Commission wants to give retail investors access to private markets. But as Rachel Wasserman tells BNN Bloomberg, when you look closely, it starts to look less like democratization and more like offloading risk onto people with the least power to absorb it. Private equity is already underperforming S&P index funds over 1, 5 and 10-year periods and PE's biggest historical champions are quietly reducing their exposure. This proposal to offer retail investors access to PE stands to benefit the asset managers and intermediaries, with everyday investors bearing the costs and risks. Financial inclusion does not mean broadening access to financial products that sophisticated players are already walking away from.

Low productivity means lower wages and a lower standard of living. Canada does need to boost productivity—but we keep trying the wrong things. Watch SCP CEO Matthew Mendelsohn explain the productivity conversation Canada actually needs to have.