Your assets are held separate and apart from both your Portfolio Manager and your Financial Planner, in your own name, typically at National Bank Independent Network (NBIN). NBIN is one of the leading providers of custodial services in Canada and has been operating since 1859. Your Portfolio Managers act in your best interest and are in fact legally obligated to do so – they are fiduciaries. Our unique business model, wherein your Financial Planner gets to know your goals and objectives and communicates these needs with your Portfolio Manager ensures that you are provided with customized service to meet your goals. We are independent advisors and as such, work with you and for you, without competing pressure of sales quotas, cross product sales or the like – our interests are completely aligned.

When working with a financial professional, a great deal of personal information is requested and required. We take security seriously and utilize multiple layers of protection. We use a cloud-based, rather than physical server. All our devices (our laptops, tablets, and cell phones) can be wiped remotely if lost or stolen. We use OneDrive to securely share documents with clients instead of through email. When working remotely, we use a VPN to access our internal systems. We have also moved towards a paperless office to eliminate physical files.

All of the advisors in our office are Certified Financial Planning Professionals (CFP®) the most widely recognized financial planning designation worldwide. When choosing an advisor, designations show your advisors’ commitment to advancing their education and ability to serve your complex needs. We also all hold the Chartered Investment Manager designation (CIM®). John Davis practices with a Trust and Estate Practitioner designation (TEP) and both Stephen MacDonald and Kelley Doerksen are in progress towards this designation. The TEP is another internationally recognized designation focused on the responsible stewardship of assets now and across generations. John also holds the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®), which relates to estate planning and wealth transfer.

We charge a fee for the wealth management services we provide. Your fee is calculated as a percentage of the assets we help manage for you. Our interests are aligned to protect and grow your assets. You are charged a percentage of your investible assets on a decreasing scale. The larger the account, the lower the fee. All fees are transparent, fully disclosed and reported in an Annual Summary of Fees. Your fee includes your comprehensive financial planning, ongoing advocacy with Portfolio Managers and our coordination with legal, tax and actuarial advisers.

We will determine your meeting frequency and method to meet your needs, and someone in our office will reach out to you to schedule your reviews. Typically, our clients meet with us 2-4 times per year for a regular review. Our advisors are available for video, phone and/or in-person meetings. You will also receive ongoing communication in the form of a personalized quarterly portfolio update from your advisor. You will have online access to your accounts and receive account statements regularly from your Custodian. There is an ongoing open line of communication between yourself and your advisor as well as our administrative team to ensure all your planning needs are met.

Our clients are those looking for advice to optimize their financial affairs. Many of our clients are self-employed business owners as we offer integrated services to bridge the gap between corporate, personal planning and estate planning. We service many types of successful professionals and have years of in-depth knowledge regarding various pensions, providing guidance when working through your pension options.

Our first meeting will be geared towards getting to know each other. We want to understand your needs and expectations, and we will explain our process to you. If we both determine there’s a fit and would like to proceed, we’d ask that you provide us with the data we will need to create your unique financial plan.