The Globe and Mail reports in its Monday edition that most Canadians access their investment advice from bank branches. The Globe's guest columnists Andrew Auerbach and Jean Backlock write that as a result, millions are offered products exclusively manufactured by the bank, resulting in a much narrower selection of products compared with investors who deal with providers outside the branch system. Shopping at Loblaw, Canadians choose at the very least from President's Choice and Heinz ketchup, arguably a less important decision than mutual funds used for retirement plans. Many countries have addressed these conflicts. Britain implemented ring-fencing rules for banks as a guardrail between product manufacturing and distribution. When accessing investment advice outside bank branches, there are regulatory requirements relating to the distribution of both in-house and non-proprietary investment products. In order to access investment managers outside the bank branch system, advisers often require a minimum investment of $250,000, an amount beyond the level of most Canadian households. This means a Canadian household with less to invest and needing the best array of options to accumulate savings has access to fewer products.