I realize everyone has a personal journey, I also know that no two advisors are the same. It is important that you find someone you can relate to in a meaningful way. Communication with your advisor is the key to getting closer to the financial goals you set for your family, regardless of what makes your household unique. Activities that provide joy and pleasure to you are integral to our discussions of where you want your money to go.

The relationship between client and advisor is also different from one home to another because it isn’t just the structural differences that determine your choices.  Along with your household dynamics, your personality plays a part in the level of service you want from an advisor.  I could provide many services or only a few components of a comprehensive process.

The list is of what I can help you with is extensive but the process is determined between you and me.  Financial advice can include cash flow projections, investment advice, probate and estate planning, insurance recommendations, group medical dental plans, education savings for children, tax efficient investing, mortgage insurance, travel insurance.

I understand that while you want to enjoy your life as much as possible, you want to be prepared for whatever comes your way.  I know this because I have lived through “it won’t happen to me” a few times.  It is these life experiences that have given me the insight in how to better help you approach your finances so that you can move through a life altering event while minimizing the financial impact that comes along with them.

There was a time when I was part of the sandwiched generation with an elderly parent needing care and a young child at home.  My particular situation was a bit more complicated by the fact that my son had health considerations that kept him out of school for most of grade 9.  At the same time my mother was in the hospital recovering from a stroke.  For several months I was living in my vehicle going between doctor offices, hospital rooms and client meetings.  Today my mom lives in a nursing home and my son has his health back. 

Soon after the crisis, my son and I went on vacation to Mexico and we had so much fun.  He knows I’m a bit leery of high places
but somehow he got me to do a zip line as well as try parasailing.  It was one of the best experiences we’ve shared.  Although going to Disney when he was younger is still high on my list of happy moments as a mother.  Remember to play is important to your wellbeing.

There were times I thought we would never get through the teenage years.  Looking back, however, those times were easy. The perseverance he has shown in the last couple of years has inspired me.  He totaled his car while driving in the rain and lost a year of university.  14 months later he was assaulted and needed surgery, forcing him to miss a semester of school.  The fact that he got back to school as quickly as possible after both misfortunes is a testament to his determination.  I am so proud of him. 

I hope none of my clients have to experience any of the “it won’t happen to me” events but in retrospect, I think they have made me a better advisor.  I understand challenges of loss income because you need to be at a bedside.  Emotions run high.  Physical demands are increased.  Finances are strained.  Yet you have to push through … dig deep and carry on when all you want to do is run for cover.

The planned events are always the best experiences.  Vacations, graduations, weddings, birth of a child, a promotion at work or enduring a divorce or a job loss are the situations we never want to experience but when they happen, we have to figure out how family celebrations are the moments in our lives that we sit back and smile about.  The unexpected are the ones wrought with challenges.  Walking the hospital corridors while your loved one is having surgery, saying good-bye to a family member,  

I've had my share of what life tosses at us.  I want to help mitigate the financial impact when you find you're catching a curve ball of life!  A good advisor can help you be prepared while enjoying life – I hope the advisor for you is me! Whether planning for the best or living through the worst, consideration for both is required when it comes to finances.  I have the education and the experience, both professionally and personally, to assist you, to get through them.