• Why should I work with a financial advisor?

    Financial planning is complex and it can be daunting to tackle it on your own when you have a lot of other things competing for your time. We ask the relevant questions, offer an objective perspective when it comes to making wealth-related decisions, and work with you to create a financial plan you can follow. We will be with you at every turn to adapt your plan as needed, and help ensure you are always well-positioned to reach your goals, regardless of changing priorities and market shifts.

  • What questions should I ask when choosing a financial advisor?

    How long has the advisor been in the business? What certifications, education and/or designations do they have? Do they have strong understanding of financial planning for both small businesses and personal planning? Do they focus on all aspects of wealth management, such as tax, accounting, succession and insurance-related issues, with easy access to a team of experts in those fields? Is their fee structure transparent?

  • What information will you need from me to create my comprehensive financial plan?

    We will start by discussing your current and future goals, followed by any initial concerns you may have. Next, to ensure we can provide a comprehensive plan, we will need current investment and bank account statements, insurance policies, and details on outstanding debts and monies owed, your most recent tax returns, a household budget (if you have prepared one) and plans for travel, large purchases, or helping children with education, home ownership or other pursuits.

  • What distinguishes a financial planner from a financial advisor or financial consultant?

    Titles in Canadian wealth management are used freely, and the distinction is consequential. A financial advisor or financial consultant typically counsels on a particular product or discipline. A financial planner, and a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional in particular, takes responsibility for the whole: investments, tax, insurance, estate and retirement, and the way each decision bears upon the others. At a certain level of wealth, outcomes are shaped less by any single recommendation than by how deliberately every element is orchestrated. That's the discipline we practise.  

  • Why work a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional in Calgary?

    The CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® designation is Canada's pre-eminent financial planning credential. It's earned through advanced study, rigorous examination and supervised experience, and it's sustained by the ethical and continuing-education standards of FP Canada. For our clients, it means counsel held to a professional standard across every dimension of their affairs, not merely their portfolio. Our principles come from a family of CFP® professionals, and that standard has defined our practice for nearly two decades.  

  • How does tax planning preserve wealth for business owners and incorporated professionals such as dentists?

    For business owners, medical professionals and other types of incorporated professionals, taxation is frequently the single largest lifetime expense, and much of it is within their control. Working alongside your accountant, we address the decisions that carry the greatest consequence:

    • the optimal balance of salary and dividends
    • the investment of surplus capital held within your corporation
    • income splitting with family members, within current legislation
    • family trusts and holding company structures
    • the timing of income across the years surrounding retirement  

  • Why is estate planning essential, even when a will is already in place?

    A will determines who inherits. An estate plan determines how much they receive, and when. On death, Canada taxes accrued capital gains as though every asset had been sold, which can impose a substantial liability on a family cottage, an investment portfolio or private company shares at the least opportune moment. A complete estate plan unites:
    • wills and powers of attorney
    • beneficiary designations
    • trusts
    • corporate structures
    • insurance to fund the eventual tax liability


     

  • What role does life insurance play in a high-net-worth family's wealth planning?

    At significant levels of wealth, life insurance is no longer income replacement; it's an instrument of wealth planning. Death benefits paid to named beneficiaries are generally received tax-free, which allows a well-structured policy to:
    • settle the estate's tax liability without the forced sale of family assets or businesses
    • equalize inheritances between heirs who assume the business and those who don't
    • endow a lasting charitable legacy
    When held within a corporation, proceeds can often flow to the family with exceptional tax efficiency through the Capital Dividend Account. For many business owners, it's among the most effective means of transferring wealth.


     

  • Why do accomplished professionals need critical illness insurance and disability insurance?

    For most high earners, the capacity to earn remains their most valuable asset, and a serious illness or injury can interrupt it without warning. Group coverage through an association or employer is frequently capped well below a high earner's income, and it may not follow you through a change of role. Disability insurance sustains your income should you be unable to work. Critical illness insurance provides a lump sum on diagnosis of a covered condition, so your attention can remain on recovery rather than finances. Personally owned and properly structured, either benefit is generally received tax-free.
     

  • When should retirement planning begin, and how does it differ at higher levels of wealth?

    Ideally a decade or more before you intend to step back. For affluent Canadians, the question is seldom whether there's enough; it's how to draw upon it with the greatest efficiency. Retirement planning at this level determines the sequence of withdrawals from RRSPs, TFSAs, corporate and non-registered accounts, and addresses:
    • the timing of CPP and OAS, and mitigation of the OAS clawback
    • pension income splitting between spouses
    • the management of RRIF withdrawals
    • protection against adverse markets in the early years of retirement
    The result is an income designed to endure, and a larger legacy for the people and causes you hold dear.

  • How can charitable giving be structured for both greater impact and tax efficiency?

    Thoughtfully structured, charitable giving can amplify what reaches the causes you support while materially reducing your tax. Donating publicly traded securities in kind, rather than cash, eliminates the capital gains tax on those shares. A donor-advised fund or private foundation establishes a philanthropic presence that endures across generations. And life insurance can fund a legacy gift far exceeding what current giving would allow. We help families shape a philanthropic strategy that reflects their values and strengthens their broader tax plan.
     

  • How can a Calgary financial planner prepare my business for succession or sale?

    For many business owners, the enterprise represents the greater part of their net worth, and its transition is the most consequential financial event of their lives. Preparation ideally begins three to five years in advance, well before a buyer or successor is identified. A financial planner works alongside your accountant, legal counsel and valuation professionals to address:
    • the structure of the sale or transfer, and the tax consequences of each alternative
    • access to the lifetime capital gains exemption, including for family members where appropriate
    • estate freezes and family trusts that shift future growth to the next generation
    • the reinvestment of sale proceeds to sustain your lifestyle for decades
    • continuity for the business and alignment within the family