Conversations on wealth

Conversations on Wealth is a podcast series dedicated to helping Canadians navigate the complexities of wealth through a multi-dimensional approach to planning and wealth management.

Host Sarah Widmeyer, Director of Wealth Strategies at Richardson Wealth, talks candidly with various experts, in-house and externally, asking key questions that draw useful insights on wealth-planning issues. Subjects range from multi-generational family issues to investment-related topics. These topics are intended to educate and inspire you to kickstart your own conversations with those close to you. We also encourage you to reach out to us with any questions.

Conversations on Wealth is available wherever you get your podcasts.

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Centres of Influence Referrals

Centres of Influence referrals, or COIs, are incredibly important in generating clients who are a good fit for an advisor's business and client base.

In our latest episode of Conversations on Wealth hosted by Sarah Widmeyer, Christina Clement, VP, Growth and Execution at Richardson Wealth explains what advisors need to do to get the referral strategy right, including:

- Take a systematic approach

- Explain your business model and how you’re different

- Understand that the process takes time, consistency, and commitment

 

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How to introduce children to wealth

It’s difficult for many families to have frank discussions about money; talking about passing on wealth can be especially tricky. In the latest episode of our Conversations on Wealth podcast hosted by Sarah Widmeyer, we address the importance of discussing wealth with children early, with Sascha Isaacs Portfolio Manager at Richardson Wealth Private Family Office. Sascha shares that:

– Children develop money habits by the age of 7

– Establishing wealth objectives and philanthropic goals as a family can help cultivate a wealth stewardship mentality

– There are many tax-efficient ways for people to pass on wealth – a financial advisor can help

 

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Investing versus trading: navigating the emotional rollercoaster of cyclical markets

Featuring An Nguyen, Vice President, Investment Services, listen to our latest podcast episode of Conversations on Wealth as we address why navigating the emotional roller coaster of investing is easier said than done.

We dive into why it’s so important to stay invested, what that looks like, and how an advisor can help work through these market cycles.

 

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Maximizing the impact of your charitable giving

In our latest episode of Conversations on Wealth, host Sarah Widmeyer, SVP, Head of Wealth Strategies talks philanthropy and the importance of strategic giving with Sylvia Azoulay, VP, Tax & Estate Planning.

We talk about:

  • Getting started on a personal or family giving strategy
  • How donating a life insurance policy works
  • The difference between donor advised funds and private foundations

 

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Tax considerations and strategies when moving out of Canada

Sarah Widmeyer speaks with Sean Hsu about tax considerations and strategies when moving out of Canada.

We talk about residency and tax obligations and understanding how to use Canadian registered accounts as part of your tax strategies for maximum benefit.

 

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Tax strategies

We’re revisiting one of our most popular episodes of Conversations of Wealth, where Sean Hsu answers the question to “why should we care about tax management as part of a holistic wealth plan?”

“It’s not just limited to March and April when you have to file your returns, and it’s not limited to just a month of December, where you usually see a sporadic rise of people doing last minute planning. And the reason why it’s important to think about taxes, because simply put, it’s a cost of wealth at all stages.”

 

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Wealth management includes insurance

Many clients have had a less than favorable experience with insurance. Sarah Widmeyer chats with Jeff Fray, VP, Insurance Services, on how to make sure clients are set up appropriately, with insurance solutions as part of their overall wealth plan.

 

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Transitioning a business

In this episode of ‘Conversations on Wealth’, podcast host Sarah Widmeyer chats with Jason Middleton, Estate & Insurance Advisor about how an advisor can make sure clients are set up appropriately with insurance products as part of their overall wealth plan.

“With permanent insurance, as you’re building up equity or value, kind of like building up equity value in your home: it’s accessible, like a non-registered account you’d have at Richardson Wealth, it just happens to be housed inside the insurance policy. That’s what gives it its tax exempt nature.”

 

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Insurance and your wealth

In this episode of ‘Conversations on Wealth’, podcast host Sarah Widmeyer chats with Jason Middleton, Estate & Insurance Advisor about how an advisor can make sure clients are set up appropriately with insurance products as part of their overall wealth plan.

"With permanent insurance, as you're building up equity or value, kind of like building up equity value in your home: it's accessible, like a non-registered account you'd have at Richardson Wealth, it just happens to be housed inside the insurance policy. That's what gives it its tax exempt nature."

 

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Digital strategy at Richardson Wealth

Our goal is to offer the best experience and tools to our advisors and their clients through innovation and service excellence. That means reducing the administrative burden for advisors and their teams, and continuing the innovation journey ahead.

 

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Life transitions for caregivers

Despite the perks, the transition to retirement living isn’t always easy, especially when loved ones are resistant to the change. In this episode of ‘Conversations on Wealth’, host Sarah Widmeyer speaks with Matt Del Vecchio, founder of Lianas, and a life-transition specialist about the best approach to move your loved one to a retirement residence.

 

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Cybersecurity in an increasingly online world

In this episode of ‘Conversations on Wealth’, host Sarah Widmeyer speaks with Scott Stennett, SVP & Chief Operating Officer at Richardson Wealth about cybersecurity and the importance of taking significant security measures to protect your finances from cyber threats as our lives move more and more online.

 

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Life transitioning a loved one to a retirement residence

In this episode of ‘Conversations on Wealth’, host Sarah Widmeyer speaks with Matt Del Vecchio, founder of Lianas, and a life-transition specialist about the challenges adult children face when helping their aging parents transition from their home to a retirement residence.

 

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Retirement Reimagined

In this episode of Conversations on Wealth, host Sarah Widmeyer speaks with author and social worker Dr. Amy D'Aprix, who has been providing practical and professionally informed guidance on life transitions to individuals for over 30 years. Dr. Amy frames retirement as a multi-chapter journey and suggests thinking about what gives your life purpose, meaning and connection now, while looking ahead.

 

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You’ve Built An Amazing Business - Now What?

In this episode, Sarah Widmeyer speaks with John Warrillow, founder of the Value Builder System and author of a trilogy of books for business owners, about successful entrepreneurs and the factors that can lead to a smooth and lucrative exit.

 

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Willing Wisdom

In this episode of ‘Conversations on Wealth’, host Sarah Widmeyer speaks with Tom Deans, an intergenerational wealth expert, about the importance of completing a will and engaging with your family in the process to take the fear out of writing it.
 

 

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Women And Brain Wealth

In this episode of ‘Conversations on Wealth’, host Sarah Widmeyer speaks with Dr. Nasreen Khatri about the importance of brain health particularly during a pandemic, and how brain health is directly connected to brain wealth.

 

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Illiquidity Premium And Private Asset Classes

In this episode of ‘Conversations on Wealth’, host Sarah Widmeyer speaks with Richardson Wealth's Romain Marguet, VP, Alternative Investments about how investing in alternative asset classes such as real estate, private debt and private equity can provide illiquidity premium opportunities and add value to your portfolio.

 

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Financial Goal Setting

In this episode of ‘Conversations on Wealth’, host Sarah Widmeyer speaks with two members of the Richardson Wealth Tax & Estate Planning team; Maureen Glenn and Pascal Alonzo about the importance of financial goal setting. To prepare for retirement, it's crucial to understand how to meet your financial goals.

 

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Benefits Of Working With A Portfolio Manager

In this episode of ‘Conversations on Wealth’, host Sarah Widmeyer speaks with three Richardson Wealth Advisors; Valerie Wowryk, Marc Dalpé, and Rob Panes about the benefits of working with a portfolio manager. This is a great opportunity to understand why it's paramount to understand your client and have a strategy that fulfills their current and future goals.

 

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Tax Strategies For Snowbirds

In this episode of ‘Conversations on Wealth’, host Sarah Widmeyer speaks with Sean Hsu, Senior Tax Specialist at Richardson Wealth about Canadian snowbirds and their U.S. tax obligations. Sean shares that if you spend extended periods of time living in the United States, it’s important to keep track of your days there. That’s because over a certain number of days, you will be required to pay U.S. taxes, even if you’re not an American citizen. But there are several ways that you can overcome your deemed residency under what’s called the Substantial Presence Test.

 

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Empowering people through life's transitions

In this episode of Conversations on Wealth, host Sarah Widmeyer speaks with Dr. Amy Dupree, author of “Empowering people through life's transitions”. Dr. Amy explains how planning for both financial and life milestones can help us create resilience and prevent crisis during life transitions. To transition smoothly and thrive, we must be proactive and build our resiliency muscle. Listen here. 

 

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Transitioning a family business 

In this episode, Sarah Widmeyer speaks with Tom Dean, author of “Every Family’s Business”. Tom stresses that it is impossible to separate family and business and addresses the importance of talking openly and honestly about when and to whom the business will be sold. Whether you plan to transition it to the next generation, to a key employee or a competitor, it’s important to build your business with the end in mind and talk openly and honestly with your family about your plans. 

 

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Drive the value of your company 

As a business leader, emphasizing and adding value to your company is key to its strength, profitability and ultimate success. Building and strengthening your value drivers will keep your business from becoming stagnant. In this episode, Sarah Widmeyer speaks with John Warrillow, founder of the Value Builder System and author of a trilogy of books for business owners, about the key drivers to build, accelerate and harvest the value of your company. 

 

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Women redefining wealth management 

The conversation around wealth for women has prompted many Richardson Wealth Advisors to adapt to changing goals and expectations. Overall, more women are demanding a greater involvement in these conversations and can benefit from a partnership with an Advisor that can better support their needs. In this episode, Sarah Widmeyer hosts a panel discussion about how women are redefining wealth with three incredible Richardson Wealth Investment Advisors: Alexandra Horwood, Ida Khajadourian and Kathy McMillan. 

 

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Mental health, the echo pandemic 

In this episode of Conversations on Wealth, host Sarah Widmeyer, Director of Wealth Strategies at Richardson Wealth, sits down with Dr. Nasreen Khatri, an award-winning registered clinical psychologist, gerontologist, neuroscientist and educator to talk about how the pandemic has heightened and exacerbated concerns around mental health. They also discuss ways to optimize brain health and well-being now and into the future. 

 

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Investing in the 2020s 

The 2020s have started off unlike any other decade. With that in mind, what should you as an investor focus on to ensure long-term success?

In the first episode of season 2, host Sarah Widmeyer, Director, Wealth Strategies sits down with Craig Basinger, Chief Investment Officer at Richardson Wealth to discuss how key shifts in investment landscape could impact your portfolio for the decade ahead.
 

 

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Cybersecurity

As Richardson Wealth Advisors and Clients increasingly embrace digital resources, the need for foolproof defenses against cyber threats remains a top priority. Listen to Sarah Widmeyer, Director, Wealth Strategies, and Scott Stennett, COO & Director, Operations & IT, discuss how Richardson Wealth keeps clients safe from online risks, and what precautions clients can take.
 

 

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The value of wealth advice

The value of trustworthy wealth advice has become even more important as uncertainty and volatility continue to dominate the landscape. But how do you know if you’re getting the best advice available?

In this episode, Sarah Widmeyer, Director of Wealth Strategies talks to Mike Ankers, Richardson Wealth’s Director of National Sales, who shares personal stories and outlines the importance of clients making their expectations known, asking lots of questions and demanding accountability.
 

 

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Tax planning

Thinking about taxes? Effective tax planning should be an ongoing process, rather than a last-minute response at select periods of the year.

In this episode, host Sarah Widmeyer and Sean Hsu, a Senior Tax Specialist at Richardson Wealth, make the case for comprehensive planning, active management and regular reviews of your tax strategy. Listen here for helpful insight that can help you avoid a potentially large depletion of your wealth.
 

 

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Changing how we think about retirement

What does retirement mean to you? For some, it’s travelling or spending more time with family, while others believe semi-retirement, or a gradual transition from work, best suits them.

In this episode, host Sarah Widmeyer speaks with Maureen Glenn, Vice President of Tax & Estate Planning, highlighting strategies to ensure you maintain adequate sources of income during retirement. It’s vital to be prepared for this phase – financially and otherwise – so that you continue to enjoy your life, no matter what your definition of retirement is.
 

 

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The investment philosophy

Investing involves more than the often complicated math used to measure outcomes. It all starts with your unique goals – both personal and financial, according to Jamie Price, Director, Capital Markets and Investment Products at Richardson Wealth. In our latest episode, Jamie and host Sarah Widmeyer break down financial jargon to discuss the “investment pyramid,” which lays the groundwork for building a portfolio based on your objectives. Listen now to learn how this tool can help you reach your goals.
 

 

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Insurance: Trust the process

Are you aware of the role that insurance can play in your wealth plan? In this episode of Conversations on Wealth, Sarah Widmeyer, Director, Wealth Strategies, and Jeff Fray, Vice President of Insurance at Richardson Wealth, discuss how Insurance can be used as a tool for creating wealth, transferring assets and developing cost effective, tax-efficient solutions to support business owners, professionals throughout their career, and philanthropic initiatives.
 

 

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Purposeful planning

Do your financial goals and objectives reflect your values? Purposeful planning allows you to incorporate these core beliefs into your wealth-planning decisions.

In this episode, host Sarah Widmeyer, who leads Richardson Wealth’s Wealth Strategies, sits down with Sylvia Azoulay, Vice President of the Richardson Wealth Family Office to discuss proper legacy planning and effective intergenerational wealth transfer strategies.
 

 

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Change: A constant in the markets

In this episode of Conversations on Wealth, Chief Investment Officer Craig Basinger identifies three areas of the markets that have changed significantly over time: technology; availability; and investor behaviour. Host Sarah Widmeyer and Craig explore how these themes have evolved and what these changes mean for you as an investor.
 

 

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Alternative investments

Alternative investments provide the potential for investors to diversify their portfolio, thereby reducing overall risk.

In this episode, Sarah Widmeyer sits down with Romain Marguet, Vice President of Alternative Investing at Richardson Wealth to debunk common myths about alternatives, discuss opportunities around impact investing, as the segment continues to grow, and highlight some considerations for investors who are interested in adding alternatives to their portfolio.
 

 

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Widowhood

Those experiencing widowhood are often faced with a difficult balancing act: the need to be independent, to be social, and to surround yourself with trusted individuals.

In this episode of Conversations on Wealth, Sarah Widmeyer talks with Maureen Glenn, Vice President of Tax & Estate Planning at Richardson Wealth, about the importance of gaining independence in your financial situation to prepare for all eventualities as you age, including widowhood. They offer some ideas and strategies to prepare for the unexpected, so those initial urgent decisions don’t get lost in the fog.
 

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Behavioural Finance

Investing is a highly emotional endeavor given it relates to our future wellbeing. The question is, can you recognize when your biases are negatively impacting your investment judgement?

In this episode of Conversations on Wealth, Sarah Widmeyer speaks with Chief Investment Officer Craig Basinger to learn about some common investment biases, what to be aware of when investing and, most importantly, what kinds of decision-making processes to avoid as an investor.
 

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Perspectives on aging – Part 2

Sarah Widmeyer is joined once more by Matt Del Vecchio, a Certified Professional Consultant on aging and a life-transition specialist who founded the company Lianas. Continuing their discussion on aging Canadians, Sarah and Matt emphasize the connection between health and wealth, and the importance of making key decisions earlier when you’re considering transitioning from your current home.
 

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Perspectives on aging – Part 1

Sarah Widmeyer sits down with guest Matt Del Vecchio, a Certified Professional Consultant on Aging and a life-transition specialist who founded the company Lianas.

Sarah and Matt discuss challenges faced by adult children, in particular, some of the cognitive and physical warning signs that adult children should consider, as well as the harsh reality of caregiver stress. Listen to their tips and strategies on navigating the transition of aging parents from a family home.
 

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