In this episode of the Frontier of Finance, James dives into the world of alternative funds or “alts”. Over the course of 2020, assets in Canadian alt funds grew from $5.8 billion to $12.2 billion, according to the IFC. Also known as “liquid alts”, these funds have become an important part of the modern portfolio. The episode is dedicated to exploring the driving factors behind this rapid growth of this asset class and how Canadians can use alternatives to build wealth. To find these answers, James sits down with Michael Sager, Vice President of Multi-Asset and Currency Management at CIBC Asset Management. Michael is part of the CIBC Client Portfolio Manager team, working with the distribution channels to deliver thought leadership, education and investment advice. During the episode, Michael helps to shed the light on what makes alternative funds so dynamic and walks us through how alternatives are used in the CIBC Multi-Asset Absolute Return Strategy (MAARS).