Investor FAQs
Who or what is Altus Group Income Fund?
How can I purchase units in the Fund?
How does the Fund differ from a Real Estate Income Trust (REIT)?
Are the Fund's units eligible for all types of investment accounts?
What types of investors are most interested in the Fund?
Are my returns guaranteed?
Isn’t investing in a consulting services firm too risky?
How does the Fund determine cash distributions to unitholders?
When are distributions paid?
Does the fund offer a DRIP (Distribution Reinvestment Plan)?
What is the tax treatment of cash distributions?
Are these units available to U.S. investors?
When did the Fund go public?
When does the Fund release its quarterly financial results?
Who are the Fund’s transfer agent and registrar?
Who are the Fund’s auditors?
Who are the Trustees of the Fund?
Who or what is the Altus Group Income Fund?
Altus Group is the leading multidisciplinary provider of independent real estate consulting and professional advisory services worldwide. With a staff of over 1,600, Altus Group has a network of over 60 offices in 14 countries worldwide, including Canada, UK, Australia, Asia and the United States. We operate four interrelated Business Units, bringing years of expertise together into one comprehensive platform: Research, Valuation and Advisory; Cost Consulting and Project Management; Realty Tax Consulting and Geomatics services. Altus' clients include banks, financial institutions, governments, pension funds, asset and fund managers, developers and landlords and companies engaged in the oil and gas industry.
How can I purchase units in the Fund?
Fund units are publicly traded on The Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol AIF.un.
How does the Fund differ from a Real Estate Income Trust (REIT)?
REITs generally receive their income from the rental streams generated from owning commercial or industrial property. The Fund earns its income through consulting fee revenues that are supported by the business units of the Altus Group.
Are the Fund's units eligible for all types of investment accounts?
Investors are strongly advised to consult their financial advisor or planner to determine eligibility and tax considerations in their country of residence for their investment portfolio. The Fund is a mutual fund trust. In Canada, the units are eligible under the usual Canadian statutes for RRSPs, RRIFs, RESPs and DPSPs and non-registered accounts. Unitholders receive a portion of the fees generated by Altus Group Income Fund's consulting and advisory services.
What types of investors are most interested in the Fund?
Income trusts and income funds are popular among individual investors seeking consistent, predictable cash distributions. Altus unitholders include retail and institutional investors.
Are my returns guaranteed?
As an equity investment, neither potential returns nor your original investment are guaranteed. An investment in the units is subject to a number of risks. For more information on these please refer to our publicly filed documents on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
Isn’t investing in a consulting services firm too risky?
No, there are many examples of successful, publicly traded consultancy service firms. We have an established client base and several practice areas coupled with strong, experienced management. Altus Group has established an employee-owned investment partnership to hold a retained interest, to bring new people into the partnership and reward management by aligning management's objectives with those of the unitholders.
The nature and diversity of the services Altus provides means that its business generates recurring revenues, diversified by geography, property type, service and client type. It is therefore well suited to a business trust structure. Altus Group also has significant business strengths that are difficult for competitors to replicate, including:
- An extensive service offering;
- Global capability through geographic reach;
- Industry-, market- and asset-specific knowledge;
- Truly independent advice; and,
- A critical mass of experienced professionals and demonstrated ability to attract and retain professional talent.
How does the Fund determine cash distributions to unitholders?
Our Board of Trustees determines the level of cash distributions based on the recent performance of the underlying business, including its financial position.
Distributable cash does not have a standardized meaning prescribed by GAAP, but is a measure generally used by Canadian open-ended income funds as an indicator of financial performance. The Fund defines distributable cash as earnings before interest, depreciation, amortization, income taxes, and after interest paid, capital expenditures, income taxes paid and contributions to any reserves that the Trustees of the Fund deem to be reasonable and necessary for the operation of the Fund.
The Fund's method of calculating distributable cash may differ from similar computations as reported by other similar entities and, accordingly, may not be comparable to distributable cash as reported by such entities. The Fund believes that its distributable cash is a useful supplemental measure that may assist investors in assessing the return on their investment in units.
The Fund's stated objective is to set a distribution level that is achievable over the long term and will grow in step with the growth of Altus Group. Thus, Altus is taking the next logical step in its development – creating a broader service offering, and a more capable corporate structure with which to continue our strong growth and deliver reliable cash flows for unitholders.
When are distributions paid?
Altus Group Income Fund's distribution policy is to make distributions on a monthly basis to unitholders of record as of the last business day of each month with distributions being paid on the 15th day following the end of each month.
Does the fund offer a DRIP (Distribution Reinvestment Plan)?
Not currently. Investors interested in purchasing additional units at the current market price can do so through their financial advisor or planner.
What is the tax treatment of cash distributions?
Information regarding the tax treatment of distributions is posted on this website annually in late February for the prior year.
Are these units available to U.S. investors?
The units have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States without registration or applicable exemption from the registration requirements of that Act.
When did the Fund go public?
On May 19, 2005, the Fund went public as an income trust on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
When does the Fund release its quarterly financial results?
The Fund is obligated under securities laws to release its quarterly financial results within 45 days of each quarter end (calendar quarters) and within 90 days of year end, supported by quarterly conference calls that are open to all unitholders. The Fund must also hold an annual meeting within six months of year end (December 31).
Who are the Fund’s transfer agent and registrar?
CIBC Mellon Trust, P.O. Box 7010 Adelaide Street Postal Station, Toronto, Ontario M5C 2W9
Who are the Fund’s auditors?
RSM Richter LLP Chartered Accountants, Toronto, Ontario
Who are the Trustees of the Fund?
Harvey Naglie, Eric Slavens, Stuart Smith, Sandy McArthur, Trevor Eyton, David Jenkins, Michael Barker, Daniel Lachance and Gary Yeoman are Trustees of the Fund. Trustees are elected by the unitholders of the Fund at the annual meeting of unitholders and holders of Special Voting Units to hold office until the next annual meeting.
Messrs. Naglie, Slavens, Smith, McArthur and Eyton are considered by the Fund to be "independent" within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 52-110 - Audit Committees. The Fund intends at all times to have a majority of Trustees who are independent. The Audit Committee and the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee are comprised of the five independent Trustees.
The Trustees meet several times each year to evaluate management initiatives and performance. For a list of the Trustees, please refer to:
http://www.altusgroupincomefund.com/Board_Of_Trustees.aspx
For more information, please contact:
Altus Group Income Fund
17075 Leslie Street, Unit 7
Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
Phone: (905) 953-9948
Toll-free Phone: 1 (877) 953-9948
Fax: (905) 953-0018
E-mail: sayla.nordin@altusgroup.com