Financial Planning FAQ — London, Ontario

My fee is based on a percentage of the investments I manage for you. There are no upfront planning fees — my compensation comes from managing your portfolio. The more your investments grow, the better we both do. I'm happy to walk you through exactly how it works during a free 15-minute call.

I don't charge a separate fee for financial planning. When you work with me, the financial plan is included as part of the investment management relationship. My fee is a percentage of the investments I manage for you, and that covers everything — the plan, ongoing management, tax strategies, and regular check-ins.

You absolutely can do it yourself — and some people do well on their own. But most people I work with tell me they've been meaning to 'figure out the money stuff' for years and just haven't gotten around to it. A financial advisor saves you time, helps you avoid costly mistakes, and gives you confidence that your plan actually works. If you're not sure, book a free 15-minute call and I'll tell you honestly whether I think I can add value for your situation.

A bank advisor typically works for the bank and recommends the bank's own products. As an independent financial advisor, I can recommend solutions based on what's best for you, not what a head office is pushing this quarter. I also build a comprehensive financial plan — retirement projections, tax strategies, estate planning — rather than just selling you a mutual fund. Most of my clients come to me after years with the bank because they want a second opinion and a real plan.

Look for someone who will actually build you a plan, not just sell you products. Ask them: How do you get paid? Will you show me retirement projections? Do you do tax planning? How often will we meet? A good financial advisor should be transparent about fees, proactive about tax savings, and available when you have questions. I'd suggest talking to 2-3 planners before choosing — and I'm happy to be one of them.

Bring your most recent tax return, investment statements (RRSP, TFSA, non-registered accounts), any pension statements, mortgage details, and insurance policies. If you own a business, bring your corporate financial statements too. Don't worry if you don't have everything — we can work with what you have and fill in the gaps over time.

I review your plan at least once a year, and more often if something changes — a new job, a home purchase, a child, a business change, or a market shift. You'll hear from me regularly with updates and recommendations, not just when something goes wrong. My goal is to make sure your plan stays on track as your life evolves.

Yes. I don't just build the plan and hand it to you — I manage your investments on an ongoing basis. That means I handle the buying, selling, rebalancing, and tax-efficient positioning of your portfolio. You get regular updates and can call me anytime with questions. It's a hands-off experience for you.

That's completely fine. Many of my clients came from other advisors — often at banks — because they wanted a more comprehensive approach. If you're happy with your current advisor, that's great. But if you're wondering whether you could be doing better, I'm happy to offer a free second opinion during a 15-minute call. No pressure, no pitch.

In Canada, the terms financial advisor and financial advisor are often used interchangeably, though they can refer to different designations. A financial advisor typically focuses on building comprehensive financial plans — retirement projections, tax strategies, estate planning, and insurance needs analysis. A financial advisor may focus more on investment management and product recommendations. In my practice, I do both: I build detailed financial plans and manage your investments, life insurance, and tax strategy as one integrated service. Whether you search for a financial advisor or financial advisor in London, Ontario, the key is finding someone who looks at your complete financial picture, not just one piece.

Yes. A good financial advisor in London, Ontario should be able to help with both investments and life insurance as part of your overall financial plan. I manage investment portfolios using low-cost, diversified strategies and also provide unbiased life insurance needs analysis. The advantage of working with one financial advisor for both is that your investment strategy and insurance coverage are coordinated — for example, your life insurance coverage decreases as your investment portfolio grows, and corporate-owned life insurance can be a powerful tax planning tool for business owners.

Yes. While I'm based in London, Ontario and always available for in-person meetings, many of my clients prefer virtual meetings — especially those in nearby communities like St. Thomas, Woodstock, Kitchener, or Hamilton. Virtual financial planning works exactly the same: we share screens to review your plan, projections, and portfolio in real time. Whether you meet me at my London office or on a video call, you get the same comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and ongoing support.

Three things set me apart from most financial advisors in London, Ontario. First, I'm independent — I don't work for a bank or insurance company, so I recommend what's best for you, not what pays me the highest commission. Second, I provide a truly integrated plan: your investments, life insurance, tax strategy, retirement projections, and estate plan are all coordinated in one plan, not managed in silos. Third, I use low-cost investment strategies that save my clients thousands in fees every year compared to typical bank mutual funds. Most London financial advisors focus on selling products. I focus on building plans.

I am an independent financial advisor in London, Ontario. That means I'm not employed by a bank or restricted to one company's products. My compensation is based on a percentage of assets I manage — which means my interests are aligned with yours: the better your investments do, the better we both do. I don't charge upfront planning fees, and I don't earn commissions on product sales. Everything is transparent.

It depends on your lifestyle, your home situation, and your income sources. A common rule of thumb is 70-80% of your pre-retirement income, but I've seen people need more and I've seen people need less. The real answer comes from building a detailed projection — what will your CPP, OAS, pension, and investment income actually look like year by year? That's exactly what I do for my clients. Book a free 15-minute call and I can give you a rough idea based on your numbers.

There's no one-size-fits-all answer. Taking CPP at 60 means smaller payments for life, but you get them sooner. Waiting until 65 — or even 70 — gives you larger payments. The right decision depends on your health, your other income sources, your tax bracket, and whether you need the cash flow now. I run the math for each client to find the break-even point and the optimal strategy for their specific situation.

The best time to draw from your RRSP depends on your tax situation. If you retire before 65, there's often a window where your income is lower and you can withdraw RRSP funds at a lower tax rate. This is sometimes called a 'meltdown strategy' and it can save you tens of thousands in taxes. But the timing has to be right — withdraw too early or too late and you lose the benefit. I build year-by-year projections so you know exactly when and how much to withdraw.

Old Age Security (OAS) starts to get clawed back when your net income exceeds roughly $90,000 per year. For every dollar over the threshold, you lose 15 cents of OAS. Proper planning — including TFSA maximization, pension income splitting, and strategic RRSP withdrawals — can help you keep your income below the clawback threshold and preserve your OAS payments. This is one of the key things I plan for with my retirement clients.

Your TFSA is your most flexible retirement income tool. Withdrawals are completely tax-free and do not count as income for OAS clawback purposes, GST/HST credit calculations, or age credit reductions. In retirement, use your TFSA strategically: draw from it to supplement RRSP/RRIF withdrawals without pushing yourself into a higher tax bracket, use it to manage OAS clawback thresholds, and consider holding your highest-growth investments in it since all gains are permanently tax-free. Many Ontario retirees underuse their TFSA — it should be a central part of your retirement income strategy.

There are dozens of legal strategies to reduce your Ontario taxes: maximizing your RRSP contributions, using TFSA strategically, income splitting with your spouse, optimizing your CPP timing, using the capital gains exemption if you own a business, and more. The key is proactive planning — most people only think about taxes in April, but the real savings come from planning throughout the year. I review my clients' tax situations regularly and make recommendations to keep their bills as low as legally possible.

It depends on your income now versus your expected income in retirement. If your tax rate is higher now than it will be when you withdraw, RRSP wins. If your tax rate is the same or lower now, TFSA might be better. For most people earning over $55,000 in Ontario, RRSP contributions make sense. But there are situations where TFSA is better, and many people should use both. I build a customized strategy based on your specific tax brackets and retirement timeline.

Ontario business owners have access to several powerful tax strategies: the small business deduction (lower corporate tax rate on the first $500,000 of active business income), Individual Pension Plans (IPPs) for business owners over 40, corporate-owned life insurance with tax-free Capital Dividend Account credits, salary vs. dividend optimization, and the Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption when you sell your business. Most business owners are only using one or two of these. I help them take advantage of all of them.

Pension income splitting allows you to allocate up to 50% of eligible pension income to your spouse for tax purposes. This is available starting at age 65 for RRIF withdrawals, annuity payments, and certain pension income. By splitting income, you can equalize the taxable income between spouses, keeping both in lower Ontario tax brackets. For a couple where one spouse has $100,000 in pension income and the other has $20,000, splitting can save $5,000 to $10,000 per year in taxes. This is one of the most powerful and underused retirement tax strategies I implement for my clients.

Common benchmarks suggest having 3x your annual salary saved by age 40 and 6x by age 50. So if you earn $100,000, that's $300,000 by 40 and $600,000 by 50. But these are rough guidelines — the real answer depends on when you want to retire, what lifestyle you want, your pension situation, and your tax bracket. Many London professionals who start serious investing in their late 30s or early 40s can still retire comfortably with a solid plan. The key is getting started and having a strategy. I build year-by-year projections based on your actual numbers so you know exactly where you stand.

Canada has some of the highest mutual fund fees in the world — averaging 2.2% per year. On a $500,000 portfolio, that's $11,000 annually in fees eating into your returns. The main reason is that most bank mutual funds include hidden trailing commissions that compensate the bank advisor, whether they provide advice or not. The alternative is a low-cost portfolio of index ETFs, which can reduce your investment costs to 0.1-0.3%. Combined with an independent advisor fee, your all-in cost is still well below what the banks charge for mutual funds alone — and you get comprehensive financial planning included.

I build a diversified portfolio that matches your risk tolerance, time horizon, and goals. I use low-cost, well-diversified investment solutions — no expensive niche products or flavour-of-the-month picks. Once your portfolio is set up, I monitor it continuously, rebalance when needed, and make tax-smart decisions about what to buy, sell, and hold. You get regular updates and can reach me anytime with questions.

My fee is based on a percentage of the investments I manage for you. This covers everything — the financial plan, investment management, tax strategies, and ongoing advice. There are also underlying fund fees (MERs), which I keep as low as possible by choosing efficient investment solutions. I'm transparent about all fees — you'll always know exactly what you're paying and what you're getting.

I use whichever investment vehicle makes the most sense for your situation. In many cases, that means low-cost funds that give you broad diversification without overpaying in fees. The specific product matters less than the overall strategy — proper asset allocation, tax efficiency, and keeping costs low. I'll explain exactly what I'm recommending and why.

This is one of the most common questions I get. The short answer: it depends on your mortgage rate, your expected investment returns, and your tax situation. If your mortgage rate is low and you have RRSP or TFSA room, investing often wins — especially when you factor in tax deductions and compound growth. But if carrying a mortgage causes you stress, paying it down has value too. I run the numbers for each client so you can make the decision with confidence.

An Individual Pension Plan (IPP) is a defined-benefit pension plan that a business owner sets up for themselves through their corporation. It allows significantly higher tax-deductible contributions than an RRSP — especially for business owners over 40. The contributions are a tax-deductible expense to the corporation, and the investment growth is tax-sheltered. IPPs are one of the most powerful retirement savings tools available to incorporated business owners in Ontario, and most people have never heard of them.

The right mix depends on several factors: your personal tax bracket, whether you want to create RRSP room, your CPP contribution strategy, your childcare expense deductions, and whether you're planning to use an IPP. Salary creates RRSP room and CPP benefits but comes with payroll taxes. Dividends don't create RRSP room but may result in lower overall tax in certain brackets. Most business owners benefit from a customized blend. I work with your accountant to find the optimal split.

When your corporation owns a permanent life insurance policy, the death benefit creates a credit to the corporation's Capital Dividend Account (CDA). This allows the corporation to pay out tax-free capital dividends to your beneficiaries. It's an effective way to get money out of your corporation tax-free at death. The premiums are paid with after-tax corporate dollars, but the tax savings on the back end often make it worthwhile — especially if you have significant retained earnings in your corporation.

Life insurance costs depend on your age, health, smoking status, and the amount and type of coverage. As a rough guide, a healthy 35-year-old in London can get $1 million of 20-year term life insurance for roughly $40-60 per month. Whole life insurance costs significantly more because it covers you for your entire life and builds cash value. Corporate-owned life insurance premiums vary based on the policy structure and corporate tax benefits. I provide a detailed needs analysis and quote comparison so you know exactly what you need and what it will cost — without any pressure to buy.

If no one depends on your income, you may not need life insurance right now. However, there are exceptions: if you have co-signed debts (like a mortgage with a partner), you want to leave money to family or charity, or you're a business owner with key person or buy-sell insurance needs. Also, locking in coverage while you're young and healthy can save you significantly on premiums later. During our planning process, I'll assess whether life insurance makes sense for your specific situation — and if it doesn't, I'll tell you that directly.

The right amount depends on your debts, your income, your family's living expenses, and your long-term goals. A common approach is to cover your mortgage, fund your children's education, and replace your income for 10-15 years. But if you own a business, you may also need key person insurance or a buy-sell agreement funded by insurance. I do a detailed needs analysis so you get the right amount of coverage — not too much, not too little.

Term insurance covers you for a specific period (usually 10, 20, or 30 years) and is the most affordable option. It's ideal for covering temporary needs like a mortgage or income replacement while your kids are young. Permanent insurance (whole life or universal life) covers you for your entire life and builds cash value. It costs more but can be useful for estate planning, corporate tax strategies, and ensuring a guaranteed death benefit. Many people need a mix of both.

In Ontario, probate (officially called an 'Estate Administration Tax') is charged at 1.5% on estate assets over $50,000. On a $1 million estate, that's roughly $14,500 in probate fees. Probate can also delay the distribution of your estate by months. There are legal strategies to minimize or avoid probate — including joint ownership, beneficiary designations, alter ego trusts, and multiple wills. I work with estate lawyers to help my clients reduce their probate exposure.

Absolutely. Every adult in Ontario should have an up-to-date will, a power of attorney for property, and a power of attorney for personal care. Without these documents, the Ontario government decides how your assets are distributed and who makes decisions for you if you're incapacitated. I'll help you understand what you need, and I work with trusted estate lawyers in London who can prepare the documents.

In Canada, there's no 'estate tax' per se, but there is a deemed disposition at death — meaning all your investments are treated as if they were sold, triggering capital gains tax. Your RRSP/RRIF is fully taxable in the year of death unless it rolls to a spouse. Strategies to minimize the tax hit include: maximizing TFSA (tax-free at death), using life insurance to cover the tax bill, gifting assets during your lifetime, and setting up trusts. I build an estate plan that coordinates all of these pieces.