CEO & Founder of Frontwater Capital. OSC-registered Investment Counsel & Portfolio Manager. Formerly responsible for a private $500 million option overlay portfolio prior to founding the firm.
In April 2009, at the height of the global financial crisis, Jeff Kaminker recognized a glaring gap in the Canadian wealth management landscape: independent, high-quality professional investment advice that used options strategies — the same institutional-grade risk tools used by pension funds and large corporations — was simply not available to private clients.
Having spent years managing a private $500 million option overlay portfolio for George Weston Ltd, Jeff understood firsthand how options could transform the risk/return profile of a large portfolio. That expertise became the founding principle of Frontwater Capital.
The financial crisis had laid bare a painful truth: managing risk solely through asset allocation was far less effective than the large financial institutions wanted clients to believe. Traditional long-only portfolio managers were hit hard when fixed income investments — government bonds, investment-grade credit — fell in lockstep with equity markets, providing none of the diversification they promised. Seemingly "safe" portfolios turned out to be far more fragile than their managers admitted.
The decision to launch Frontwater Capital was straightforward. Options-licensed portfolio managers have a distinct structural advantage over their long-only counterparts — not only in generating higher returns but in managing the overall risk profile of a client’s portfolio.
Suitably designed options strategies add considerable value to a tactical asset allocation program. They allow the portfolio to participate in market upside while providing genuine downside protection — independent of whether bonds and equities happen to be correlated on a given day.
This is not a theoretical advantage. It is the same framework that institutional investors have relied on for decades — now made accessible to a select group of private clients through a boutique structure that keeps costs reasonable without sacrificing quality.
Where most managers rely on asset allocation to control volatility, Frontwater deploys options strategies to actively shape the risk profile of every portfolio — the same approach used by pension funds and large financial institutions.
As a fee-only, conflict-free firm, we have no incentive to recommend third-party investment products. Our advice is governed solely by your best interests — not commissions or distribution agreements.
Institutional-grade portfolio construction — diversification, derivatives overlays, tactical allocation — delivered through a boutique structure that gives clients direct access to the portfolio manager making every decision.
Frontwater is designed for entrepreneurs, executives, and families who understand the value of professional management and expect a high standard of service, transparency, and communication.
At Frontwater Capital, you never deal with an account rep or a call centre. When you have questions, you speak with Jeff directly.