We create financial strategies specific to your goals and dreams and create a plan to help you efficiently move through the various transitions of your life.
Everyone’s journey is different and no single strategy fits everyone which is why we designed a fluid process that allows our clients to follow their own unique paths. From where you are to where you want to be we help you to reach your financial goals.
We specialize in the following areas:
Comprehensive
Financial Planning
For those who want to take the entire journey with us we assist in mapping out your most efficient path from where you are to where you want to be. Our most in-depth service digs deep into your goals and dreams and brings recommendations in all aspects of your financial world. This is a long-term relationship which uses deliberate preparation and structured advice to prepare you for a lifelong adventure towards your success. We look at the big picture and ensure all the pieces are in the right places.
Modular
Financial Planning
We recognize that not everyone is ready to take on a full financial planning program. For those who have specific needs and aren't yet ready to take the entire journey with us we assist in arranging and implementing the most appropriate program for your specific need. We have a series of Modules to choose from which can help you along the way.
Cash Flow Planning
Managing your money is more than just making and following a budget. We will help by ensuring your income is being used as efficiently as possible. If you’re losing money unnecessarily we want you to know this as quickly as possible.
Debt-Reduction Strategies and Planning
Everyone has their own comfort level when it comes to debt. Our role is to determine if your current debt is structured as efficiently as possible. There is ‘good debt’ and there is ‘bad debt’ and it’s important to have a plan on how to work with it. Our associated lending specialists can also help recommend programs that may not have been offered to you before.
Risk Management
Every journey has risks and it’s important to be prepared for whatever could prevent you from successfully reaching your destination. We’ll review your current risk management strategy to ensure it meets your needs today and continues to do so down the road. One of the most important modules of our program, this process is designed to protect you, your family, your business, and your estate.
No one likes to talk about their mortality or morbidity but without proper planning these aspects of our lives can be devastating both emotionally and financially. This module does not focus on investing money to make you wealthy but instead looks to help keep you from ever becoming poor. If done correctly, however, we can sometimes achieve both.
Investment Planning
Whether you love investing or find it intimidating it is an important tool to help you reach your goals if used correctly. We help you create an investment plan to best achieve your goals and objectives. We then help you implement the plan considering your risk tolerance, time horizon and goals.
There is no growth, however, unless the plan is properly executed, managed and reviewed. We understand the markets and have the tools and processes to help increase your chance of success. Investment planning means creating a strategy for growth but also must accommodate for surprises and life events that risk derailing your success. We will work with you to create an Investment Policy Statement as your roadmap to investment success.
Higher Education Planning
One of the biggest concerns for young parents (or grandparents) is how to properly save for college. We have both traditional and unique programs and will help you identify what is best for you and your family. Obtaining grants and other benefits requires navigating government paperwork. We will help you to properly implement this strategy and ensure everything is in place.
Short & Long Term Savings Planning
Whether you’re planning for a trip, on the verge of retiring or looking to do home renovations our programs will help keep you moving along the path towards your desired end-result.
Retirement Planning and Retirement Income Planning
We work with you to create a formal retirement program factoring in Government sponsored social benefits (i.e. CPP, OAS), taxation, corporate retirement strategies and more. We will review your existing RRSP’s, TFSA’s, pension plans and all other investment and retirement assets and help you determine how much you need to retire. Most of the people we work with want to know two things: when can I retire and will I run out of money. We will help you answer these questions based on your current plan and compare it to our recommendations (including unique options you may not have seen before). We help you create a clear path and monitor progress along the way to ensure that your retirement income is coming to you in the most tax effective way possible and to your beneficiaries tax efficiently should you pass away.
Estate Planning
Possibly the most complex module in our program but also one of the most important. Even people who have established estate plans have often neglected to keep them up to date. We will review your current plan relative to your objectives and make any recommendations relevant to the plan. We have specially designed programs that address the unique estate planning needs of various demographics. Whether you’re single, in a common-law or married relationship, separated or divorced, in a blended family, have young or adult children, own a business, or have other specific or unique needs, we will help you set up a comprehensive plan to ensure you, your family, and your assets, are protected.
Special Needs Planning
We can help accommodate planning for special and unique situations. Do you have children with special needs? Do you have family members with lifestyle concerns you want to plan around? Are there disabilities in your family that require special planning consideration? Our programs and network can help you along the path to ensuring that these special needs are taken care of.
Planning for
Business
Business owners have unique planning needs and typically encounter a combination of issues that make their planning particularly challenging. Their needs tend to be multi-faceted, crossing many disciplines, and requiring a variety of advisory services, including accounting, taxation, family law, human resources, business valuation, mediation, insurance, and investment management.
Business owners have two separate lives they need to plan for. They have their personal lives and typical financial needs and they have their business lives which create their wealth and income. These lives cannot be planned for or considered individually. These two lives have to conform.
Corporate Estate Planning/Succession Planning
Business owners often have a significant amount of their identity tied to the business they worked so diligently to grow and protect. A smooth transition to the next generation is imperative to insure the legacy lives on. Working with your other professionals we oversee that process and offer guidance during the initial steps, during the transition, and throughout the process. Documents such as buy-sell, shareholder or partnership agreements will control the transfer of business assets or a business succession. Proper planning ensures that this process is tax effective, minimizes loss of value and will help avoid potential family disputes.
As Allan was fond of saying, and whether we are discussing Estate Planning or Corporate Estate Planning, our focus is to ensure “the right assets go to the right people for the right reasons”. Let us help you create a clear roadmap for your loved ones and let you better control the distribution of your wealth.
Estate Planning
You take a lifetime building your wealth and likely have ideas about what you want to happen to that wealth when you’re no longer here to enjoy it. We ensure that your assets are structured efficiently and are properly protected and will assist you in defining the legacy you want to leave for loved ones, charities or others. Not having a plan can lead to significant losses of wealth from your estate and can leave your heirs with unintended obstacles that could have been avoided. This module starts with a plan and not products. We will review your existing programs including Wills, Powers of Attorney, Shareholders Agreements, and other documents to ensure that your estate is prepared to properly carry out your wishes.
Business Planning and Advanced Corporate Strategies
Owning and running a business is not as simple as having an idea and hanging an ‘Open’ sign in your front window. Whether you’re starting your first Sole Proprietorship, Incorporating your first business or have been running multiple businesses for years our team and associates can help ensure that you have everything structured and operating effectively and efficiently today and are well positioned for the growth you want tomorrow.
Employee Benefits, Health Spending Accounts and Savings Plans
Your employees are the life blood of your operation. Attracting and retaining good employees in today’s world has become a challenge and having a well-designed health and/or savings plan in place is a very cost-effective way of bringing the right people into your organization. We will do a thorough analysis of your current employee benefit plans to ensure they are appropriately designed and priced to match your operation. If you do not currently have a plan we will work with you to design that plan that is best suited to your company and your employees.
Executives and employees at all levels have varying needs outside of their group benefits coverage. Along with your health and savings plans we can recommend a broad range of programs to match the lifestyle, aspirations and special requirements of your members. Our team will tailor coverage to complement and augment your group plan, help retain and protect individual key employees and design, implement and monitor programs positively impacting your teams personal financial well-being.
Pension Evaluation and Analysis
Canadian pension rules are complicated and require a lot of administration and attention. We can help you evaluate your current pension plan, ensure you are up-to-date with your CAP Guidelines and run a cost analysis to ensure you’re plan is priced appropriately.
When taking any journey it’s necessary to know your starting point and your destination. It’s also important to be prepared for any detours you have to make along the way. Our process is focused on creating your unique roadmap to get you where you want to be. It’s a journey we take with you to discover where you are today, the factors that have led you here, to look ahead at where you want to be, and what will need to be accomplished to make reaching your destination a reality.
Get to know you, and
Where you want to be
The most important part of our process is getting to know you (and you getting to know us). For us to provide you with value we need to fully understand you and your family, your business, goals, and objectives. During this time we answer any questions you have for us as well. It's important that everyone feels this relationship is a good fit.
Get you
Organized
For those who want to take the entire journey with us we assist in mapping out your most efficient path from where you are to where you want to be. Our most in-depth service digs deep into your current situation, goals and dreams and brings recommendations in all aspects of your financial world. Our goal is to bring your big-picture financial future into focus. This is a long-term relationship structured to prepare you for a lifelong adventure towards your success.
For those who are looking for modular planning we dig deep into the details relevant to the module in question and create a plan to help you achieve the relevant objectives.
In either scenario your financial life will be more organized and you will have a better idea of where things are today.
Get you
There
At our next meeting we will discuss with you our findings and any areas we feel need to be addressed. As per our core values we will always be 100% transparent in discussing the pros and cons of our recommendations, alternative options, fees, conflicts of interest and even if we feel you’d be better served elsewhere. We also believe that having everything in writing ensures clarity, transparency and that we are always on the same page. Once we are certain you clearly understand your options we will work with you to implement whatever programs are required to get you moving in the right direction, will work with your other professionals (i.e. lawyers, accountants, etc.) to ensure everything is set up properly in their eyes and will follow the process through until completion. We make the process as easy as possible to understand and ensure you’re able to make informed decisions along the way. Many of these transactions can be done in either traditional paper format or online across the country and we have access to all the major insurance companies, many banks and investments, as well as a number of ETF and robo-advisor solutions.
Beyond that we will review with you on a regular basis, as appropriate, to ensure that the plan stays on track to achieving your goal.
Our team is dedicated to understanding your needs and adding a caring personal touch to the process of meeting those needs every day. Our clients choose to work with us because of who we are, not because of the products or services we offer. The value we deliver is in our advice, years of experience, and in the assistance we provide with making smart decisions. We use innovative thinking and practical solutions to help you create a strategy that is uniquely yours and to deliver the service and expertise you need.
Through various programs and concepts, we can design simple to complex financial plans and use industry leading software programs to ensure the plans effectiveness. Our mission is to keep these plans easy to manage and easy to understand.
We want to make a difference in our client’s lives and our most important core value is that we always put our clients interests first. Our teams passion for customer service is manifest in how we treat people and the caring that we bring to our business relationships. We treat our clients like family and that human personal touch allows us to go way beyond being simply your insurance or investment broker.