There was a bit of everything in our great inaugural International Investment Lat Am event in Miami's splendid East Hotel on Thursday 8 September, 2022. 

It was an amazing day of debate, presentations, discussion and networking and made memorable for many reasons.  To see the gallery of pictures from the day, click here. 

As our publisher Gary Robinson also noted, there was a "beautifully observed and touching minutes silence on news of the death of the queen".  

Notable and impressive too was that many of the delegates travelled in from 12 different countries across the region to attend. 

Thanks to our sponsors: Aiva, Canaccord Genuity Group Inc., Hansard and The UAP Group. And in particular, our lead sponsor Investors Trust who marked their 20th anniversary in style. 

Gusavo Otero, Investors Trust's head of distribution, Latin America, gave the first insightful presentation in which he highlighted geopolitical, product and technology trends across the region while also comparing the different jurisdictions.  

Gustavo also showed how these trends tied in with the 20th anniversary celebration with some history of Investor's Trust and the legacy they continue to build today. 

Hansard's head of sales for Latin America, Michael Wrigley came next with a deep dive into the company's findings from an extensive survey conducted with advisers across the region during August and September. 

While Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management's business development director Daragh O'Sullivan and chief investment officer Justin Oliver followed on with the clear message that "investors in the region should ‘ignore the noise' and invest for the long term", with analysis of the impact of inflationary pressures.  

Turning to the theme of financial planning, the next speaker Rob Shipman, group chief executive of UAP Group and Concept Group, focused on how retirement plans are increasingly being used to provide private clients with wealth preservation and succession opportunities that were once dominated by trust structures. 

Rounding off the morning sessions, I chaired a lively panel debate on the rise of fintech and its impact on advice, with a mix of providers and advisers, namely Nicolas Henderson, product manager and fund selector, Investors Trust; Rob Shipman, group CEO , UAP Group and Concept Group; Michael Wrigley, head of sales, Latin America, Hansard; Sebastian Higham, director, Niverton International; and Diego do Santos, president, Brokers Financial.  

After lunch came II's innovative case study and break out session when Investor Trust's Gustavo took to the stage again, acting with his ‘stage wife' and ‘financial adviser' Gary Robinson in a fun and illuminating fact finding chat watched by ‘nosy neighbours' the delegates!  

In a nutshell, the scenario involved a planned move to Chile by Jean Rodriguez, 33, a finance director for a well-known bank. She was born in the US and her husband Pedro Rodriguez 34, is a writer and was born in Uruguay. They have a son Rodrigo Rodriguez, age 5. 

Advisers divided into groups and discussed what advice they would give, and all came together for a full debate afterwards which saw many insights into the financial planning solutions. 

A Q&A session followed with Agustin Queirolo, managing director, Aiva, covering its positioning at the heart of the Latin American and advice and brokerage world. 

Rounding off the day came a second insightful panel debate, chaired by Gary Robinson, ranging over such issues as the long-term future of international life products amid global regulatory change and consolidation, and how important product choice is to future advice. 

The panellists were: Ariel Amigo, chief marketing and distribution officer, Investors Trust; Agustin Queriolo, managing director, Aiva; Daragh O'Sullivan, business development director, Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management; Robert Parra, president & CEO, SupraBrokers; and Joby Gruber, CEO, Beacon Global Adviser Network. 

All in all, this was a special event that brought together a great mix of advisers, brokers and providers from the Lat Am space in a way that has not been done before.