QAFP is a certification through the national professional body of Financial Planners, called FP Canada. The designation shows that professionals have demonstrated the knowledge, skills, experience and ethics to provide holistic financial planning strategies and solutions for clients.

A Qualified Associate Financial Planner is equipped to provide financial planning strategies and solutions for clients who have typical, everyday financial planning needs.

A Certified Financial Planner is also a certification through FP Canada, however they have additional education and experience and are equipped to handle the most complex situations in clients. Because of this, they charge more for their services which may not be practical for individuals/couples depending on the case.

As a QAFP, it is my fiduciary duty to you as a client to let you know if your case is above my knowledge and expertise, and happily refer you to a trusted CFP professional. Examples of this might include if your plan would include a business/corporation, a disabled dependant, complex estate planning needs, etc. 

No one works for free. If your financial advisor is not charging upfront fees, they must be earning their income another way. Most of the time it comes in the form of commissions, where they get compensated for selling you investment/insurance products. Financial planning is often provided as a free add-on, and is likely overly focused around the purchase of an investment or insurance product.

You also get what you pay for. Your “free” advice is often a very simplified look at your finances, sometimes by someone with little or no education. Keep in mind, the titles “financial planner” and “financial advisor” are not yet regulated in some parts of Canada, so anybody can call themselves that.

If you do decide to get advice from a financial advisor at a bank or investment firm, make sure to confirm their education/designation, how they are compensated, and that it’s someone you have confidence in. Do you trust them to tell you there is a better option for you, even if it means less commission for them?

No. To maintain my position as a fee-only planner and to ensure my advice is strictly unbiased, I do not directly sell investment or insurance products. When I make a recommendation I always provide information on how to implement it, however I certainly am not an investment/insurance broker, accountant, or lawyer.

While I will use your overall financial picture to provide the best strategies to meet your estate planning goals, you will still need a lawyer to prepare any documents. While I will fully review your investments to ensure you have the proper setup, you will need an investment broker to buy the actual products.

I analyze how each part of your finances affects the other and put this together to come up with an overall, actionable plan, something these other professionals do not provide.

First of all, a free 15-minute introductory phone call is offered for potential clients to get more information about my services, fees, or just to answer any questions they have about the financial planning process.

From that point on it depends what services you need, but for the most part it consists of a discovery meeting in which we will talk about your goals and start to gather some information. There are then at least one, sometimes two more meetings that go over the financial plan I put together and how to implement the recommendations.

It’s important to understand that you, the client, will have some responsibilities during the process as well. While I will be the one crunching the numbers and putting together your recommendations, it will be up to you to put together a list of expenses, gather all of your banking/investing statements, and help make sure I have access to all the information I need. We will be in contact via email in between meetings to ask questions or clarify details as needed.

My business is completely virtual. Any meetings we have will be conducted either via phone or video call using Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, whichever the client prefers. If you’ve never used any of these full instructions will be provided.

The internet has completely changed the way business is done in the world, in my opinion, for the better. Virtual meetings have become extremely popular due to their efficiency. They are easier to schedule and saves both time and money as there is no travelling involved. It also means there is no need for me to pay for an office, which means lower costs passed onto my clients.

All documents will be sent safely online through encrypted channels, signatures will be obtained electronically, and I can share my screen with you when it’s time to go over your financial plan or any other visual information.