• 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.

  • How can a Sherwood Park financial advisor help me make more of the wealth I’ve built?

    A Sherwood Park financial advisor can help connect the decisions that shape your wealth over decades, not just from one year to the next. At Simonson Team Private Wealth Management, we look at investments, retirement income, tax planning, estate planning, insurance and charitable giving together, helping you make decisions that support your life today and the legacy you want to leave behind.


     

  • Why is it important to work with a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®?

    A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional, or CFP® professional, brings advanced education, professional standards and broad financial planning expertise to the relationship. That perspective can be especially valuable when your investments, tax planning, retirement income, estate, insurance and charitable goals all need to work together as part of one long-term plan.


     

  • How can donor-advised funds make charitable giving more intentional?

    Donor-advised funds can give you a structured way to make charitable giving part of your long-term financial plan. They can help you organize donations, plan giving over several years and involve family members in decisions about the causes you support. We also consider how the timing and structure of your giving may interact with your tax and estate plans, helping generosity become both meaningful and sustainable.


     

  • How can philanthropic advisory services help my family give with more purpose?

    Philanthropic advisory services can help you move beyond simply deciding how much to give and think more carefully about the impact you want your wealth to have. That may include choosing causes, involving children or grandchildren, creating a family tradition of giving and connecting philanthropy to your tax, estate and legacy plans. At Simonson Team Private Wealth Management, charitable planning is treated as an important part of the broader wealth conversation.


     

  • How can charitable giving turn part of my future tax bill into a meaningful legacy?

    For some families, thoughtful charitable planning can create more choice around where wealth ultimately goes. Depending on your circumstances, donor-advised funds, legacy gifts, family charitable structures and other strategies may allow you to support causes you care about while also improving tax efficiency. We help you explore those opportunities as part of a larger plan for your family, estate and legacy.


     

  • What does private wealth management look like for families with more complex financial lives?

    Private wealth management brings the different parts of your financial life into one coordinated strategy. For affluent families and business owners, that may include investments, corporate assets, retirement planning, tax strategy, estate planning, insurance, succession and philanthropy. The focus is on making sure each decision supports the others rather than managing each area separately.


     

  • How is high-net-worth financial planning different from more traditional financial planning?

    High-net-worth financial planning often involves more layers, including corporations, significant investment assets, estate tax exposure, business interests and multi-generational wealth. It also creates more opportunities to think strategically about tax, charitable giving and wealth transfer. We use long-term modelling to help clients understand how these decisions may play out over their lifetime and what they could mean for the next generation.


     

  • How can tax planning help me keep more of my wealth over my lifetime?

    Tax planning becomes more powerful when you look beyond this year’s tax return. We model how retirement withdrawals, corporate income, investments, capital gains, estate taxes and charitable giving may affect your lifetime tax picture. That allows us to make thoughtful decisions earlier, when there is often more opportunity to improve the eventual outcome.


     

  • What should retirement planning help me understand before I start drawing income?

    Retirement planning should help you understand how much you can comfortably spend, which accounts to draw from first and how those decisions may affect tax over the years ahead. We look at RRSPs, RRIFs, pensions, TFSAs, corporate assets and non-registered investments together, then build an income strategy designed to support both your lifestyle and your long-term financial security.