Find Your Advisor

Despite looking so young, David has been in the business for over 30 years. Specializing in life and disability insurance for individuals, group benefits for law firms and investment planning for all, his approach is to first determine his client’s needs and then customize a protection and wealth plan.  An avid cyclist, David has been to the Tour de France (as a spectator) and hopes to visit Italy during the Giro D’Italia.

Ryan has been in the insurance industry since 2005 focusing on life, disability, and critical illness insurance for both groups and individuals, as well as designing, implementing, and managing customized employee benefit plans for companies of all sizes. Ryan genuinely enjoys working with clients to create a plan that meets their individual and corporate goals. In his spare time Ryan loves to play video games with his son, and spend time with, and cook for, his family.
 
 

Located in beautiful Kelowna, BC, Dustin has been providing insurance, investment, succession planning and business advisory services for over twelve years.  Using a `Dashboard Process’, Dustin is able to assess a client’s financial needs, provide actionable recommendations and measure progress.  When not helping lawyers with their insurance and investment needs, Dustin spends time enjoying the bucket list item he has already achieved – being a dad!

Meghan is located in the Okanagan Valley, best known for Canada’s wine country. In the industry, her area of focus is insurance planning. Meghan and the rest of the Serviss Wealth Management team focus on using insurance to manage their clients risks while keeping in mind that lifestyle and life stages need to be the focal point of our planning. As a cancer survivor and Critical Illness Insurance claimer Meghan believes in the power of insurance planning but more so the power of connecting with people. She wants to go along for the ride with her clients and work with them through the pains and gains of life. 

Outside of work Meghan is often found hitting up a spin or yoga class, strolling the Kelowna Market, and sipping some Okanagan wine. Her favorite way to spend time is surrounded by her family, friends and English Bulldog Gus. 

Kyle has 25 years experience in the financial services business, providing comprehensive wealth management and estate planning advice to private business owners and professionals.  Kyle is passionate about helping his clients implement tax efficient and effective solutions, minimizing their financial stress with current, relevant, and practical advice regarding investing, retiring, and estate planning.

Jim has more than 10 years of experience providing risk management solutions to clients and has been serving the financial needs of lawyers, their families and employees since 2013.  Jim’s passion for creating strategic life, disability and critical illness insurance planning solutions enables his clients to protect their families, and build wealth on a stable and predictable platform.  In his spare time, Jim enjoys relaxing with his wife and daughter spending quality time at the family cabin.

Jim began his career in Saskatoon Saskatchewan, developed a strong financial practice in Western Canada and sold it in 2000. In 2005, Jim returned to personal practice so he could do what he loves the most – helping people realize their goals and dreams with sound financial planning.  Jim has authored two books and has been a nominee for Wealth Professional Awards in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019. 

With 25 years’ experience using a needs-based approach to helping clients with their insurance and investment needs, Gord is committed to providing the legal community in Manitoba with personalized service and excellent advice.  Believing that you need a plan in order to meet your objectives, Gord works with lawyers, their families and staff to determine the approach best suited for each individual.

Peter has been working with business owners, professionals and executives for over 20 years, helping them with their insurance and investment planning needs.  A specialist in living benefits such as disability and critical illness insurance, as well as providing innovative ideas for using life insurance as a tax-savings vehicle, Peter works with lawyers, their families and staff to develop strategies for maximizing and protecting wealth.   A life-long sports enthusiast, Peter was the quarterback for the Queen’s University football team (many moons ago) and now enjoys coaching children’s baseball and basketball.

Let Wayne’s 35+ years of experience in providing sound insurance and investment advice help you to build and protect your wealth.  Specializing in life, health, disability, critical illness insurance as well as employee health benefits, Wayne strives to understand each client`s needs and concerns and to then make suitable recommendations for their best interests. Wayne has an active travel bucket list, hoping to tour Africa, Australia and Thailand.  Perhaps the fact that he has earned his pilot`s license will help him to visit these faraway places. 

For over 30 years, John has been helping clients with their life, health, disability and group benefits needs. His approach is to listen more than he speaks, ensuring that he fully understands his clients’ needs and then building a plan specific for them to reach their financial goals.  The best piece of advice that John has been given is to save at least 12 per cent of your earnings and to live like you make 75 per cent of your actual income.  John stays active across all seasons with sailing, skiing and snowmobiling.

With over 15 years experience in insurance, investment and employee benefits, David offers only the advice and counsel he commits to himself – full financial protection, disciplined savings, and wealth efficiency strategies. His passion for income and lifestyle protection makes David well-qualified to assist lawyers, their families and staff.  Protection and retirement planning is serious business, but David's friendly approach makes it easy and enjoyable.  David’s bucket list includes completing a marathon <check!> and being the very best father to his children … he works hard at this every day!

Specializing in group benefits, life and health insurance and financial services for the past 30 years, Michael takes a needs-based planning approach with his clients, developing a plan as unique as their situation and goals. A true believer in starting to invest young to take advantage of dollar-cost-averaging, Michael did that himself, having his first pension at age ten!  Michael sang in commercials as a young boy which provided for an ACTRA membership pension.  While not being paid to sing these days, he does enjoy playing the trombone and a mean air guitar!

Having helped small business owners and independent professionals with their employee benefits and personal insurance and financial needs, for over 20 years, Heather’s success is based on her strong customer engagement approach and deep product knowledge. Her favourite piece of financial advice?  Start early and pay yourself first!  In her spare time, Heather relaxes by playing the piano and planning her bucket list trip – an African safari.

David has over 30 years’ experience as a financial consultant helping clients with their life and health insurance needs, and building and managing retirement plans. He believes in obtaining insurance early recognizing future needs and to start investing for retirement early and regularly.  A proponent of both financial and physical health, David has completed six marathons including the Boston Marathon and has also competed in a number of triathlons, including an Ironman.

A financial planner who practised law for 13 years, Arthur is uniquely qualified to understand and assist lawyers with insurance and investment strategies. He has over 20 years of experience in life and health insurance, building and protecting wealth, and tax-effective charitable gifting strategies.  In his spare time, Arthur enjoys tennis, golf, travel and gardening.

Coming from a family which has been in the insurance and investment industry for over 60 years, Shari is right at home coaching lawyers, their families, and staff with their financial planning. She prides herself on building meaningful relationships with clients, by listening to their financial goals, and carefully preparing a comprehensive plan to meet their needs. Upon graduating from Business school at university, Shari opened and managed a unique women’s clothing boutique for several years before applying to teacher’s college (one of her childhood dreams). After a wonderful teaching career, she joined her husband, Arthur Standil, in his practice. Shari adores spending time with family and friends. Other favourites include cooking, running, volunteering, playing the piano and maj-hong with the girls!

With over 30 years’ experience in the Financial Services Industry and having completed the CSC as well as other insurance and investment training, Don is able to assist his clients in a variety of areas including: family, estate and business protection; investment management; and, company benefits and savings plans. He believes in starting early, staying the course and finding the right balance of protecting and building wealth based on each client’s needs and situation.  An avid golfer, he has played Pebble Beach and hopes one day to play the Old Course at St. Andrew’s, Scotland.

Newell Insurance and Investments Services Ltd. has been serving the needs of their clients since 1979. As a second-generation principal of the business, Chris helps individuals, families, business owners and professionals set and manage their risk management, wealth creation and wealth preservation strategies. He believes in core principles such as: assessing current position and spending habits; establishing a weekly or monthly amount to allocate toward building wealth and eliminating potential risks; and, reviewing and amending regularly.  In his spare time, Chris plans to achieve a bucket list item – skydiving – as soon as he overcomes his fear of heights!

For over 35 years, Wise Financial Group has focused on families. As a family-run business, they understand that knowing your family is taken care of is priority one.  Stephen has been serving the financial planning needs of the legal community in Southwestern Ontario for close to 30 years.  As the needs and number of clients grew, Steve recruited his wife Ann, daughter Laura and, son-in-law Patrick to form a full-service financial advisory team.  Together, with over 90 years of combined experience, they provide individual and group insurance solutions as well as family, retirement and estate planning to lawyers, their families and employees.

Marc leads a team of advisors in Quebec who assist members of the legal community to build and protect wealth.  With close to 20 years in the industry Marc is a firm believer in “start planning now!” and takes a broad, needs-based approach to ensure clients are reaching their financial goals.  Top of Marc’s bucket list is to obtain his helicopter pilot’s license.  He has already achieved a number of personal goals including running an ultra-marathon (70 km) without having completed a traditional marathon and he has also authored a book entitled “Going the Distance: Low-risk strategies for protecting and growing your wealth.”

Dan and his colleagues take a team approach to serving clients, providing expertise in all areas of building and protecting wealth.  Dan got some good advice years ago: “inch by inch, life’s a cinch but yard by yard, life is hard.”  While he understands that investing in a solid financial plan early in their careers may not be easy, the sooner young lawyers begin the process, the greater the benefits down the road. Dan lives with his wife, daughter and twin sons in Armdale, Nova Scotia.

With over 10 years’ experience, Mark specializes in employee benefit plan solutions that provide added value to both plan sponsors and their members.  Mark was fortunate to travel for a year after university; his favourite memory from that trip was skydiving in New Zealand. As a golf nut, Mark’s number one bucket list item would be to play a round at Augusta.

With over 14 years experience, Casey focuses on the life, health and wealth needs of his clients. His approach is simple:  discover, plan, implement, and monitor.  The best piece of financial advice he has received is two-fold: pay yourself first and, saving is a habit.  Casey is an avid fan and player of hockey. In fact, he played both Canadian university-level hockey as well as pro Inline hockey in Australia. Casey lives in Halifax with his wife and 3 sons.

For over 20 years, Patty has been helping clients with their insurance needs, with a focus on employee group benefit solutions.  Her commitment to adding value and excellent service has resulted in many long-term client relationships.  Early in her own career, a fellow advisor recommended she begin an RRSP and life insurance policy in addition to those available through her group benefits plan.  Treating the monthly premium and RRSP contribution as a bill payment was a solid idea.  That RRSP helped Patty purchase her first home and the life insurance is now paid up with a cash value.  In her spare time, Patty volunteers with many community organizations including Big Brothers & Sisters, and Golf for Kids.

Having been in the business for just over 5 years, Patrick’s advice to his clients is to “invest in yourself”.  He takes a professional, needs-based approach with the priority of taking care of both immediate and future needs through careful and thorough planning.  An avid sports fan, he plays hockey, baseball and golf.  Patrick has witnessed four golf hole-in-ones but is still patiently waiting to achieve one himself.

Born and raised in New Brunswick, Gaston has over 30 years experience helping individuals and companies with their living benefits and life insurance, investments and group benefits needs.  His approach is to protect what you can’t afford to lose while helping you create security and wealth.  An avid golfer, one of his bucket list items is to play the Cabot Cliffs and Cabot Links in the same weekend.

Focusing on life, health and employee benefits, Shayne has over 20 years’ experience working with his clients, reviewing their needs and providing updates of the ever-changing insurance and investment opportunities available through CBIA/Lawyers Financial.  Shayne’s two main interests are family and sports and he hopes to combine those one day and witness the final four basketball tournament together, with his family.  Shayne is a keen New England Patriot’s fan but we’ll try not to hold that against him!

Tim has been working in the financial industry since graduating university in 2007. He initially started with an international financial management company. Joining Connolly Group in 2012, Tim shifted focus to advising clients and specializes in individual life and living benefits, as well as group benefits. With group benefits in mind, Tim completed the highly recognized CEBS program through Dalhousie University and the International Foundation of Employee Benefits in June 2018. In his spare time he loves spending time with his young family, and getting outdoors as much as possible.

With close to 20 years experience, Hughie`s primary focus is saving his clients time, tax and money. Born and raised in Newfoundland, Hughie works with lawyers, their families and employees across the province to help them build and protect wealth.  Core to Hughie’s philosophy in helping clients comes from Carl Richards’ Behaviour Gap where he describes wealth building as: spending < income. Essentially, if you spend more than you earn, you will never create wealth. Hughie also enjoys Charles MacKay’s 1932 classic, Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds and notes that strategies within have, without fail, helped preserve and maintain clients’ wealth.  In his spare time, Hughie can be found working out at the gym with his son – motivating and encouraging each other.

Krista’s primary focus is to work with professionals and business owners to help build and maintain wealth, minimize tax and ensure a solid plan is in place to ensure future financial health. She believes that eradicating debt should be a priority when building wealth. She works with lawyers, their families and staff, providing practical insurance and investment advice and solutions.  Krista’s time is split between her work and swimming, skating and piano lessons with her ‘super cute’ 6-year-old son.  A believer in giving back, she supports a number of community organizations and is a Board member (Secretary) of Advocis (The Financial Advisors Association of Canada) – NL Chapter.