Advising professors

It is a privilege and an honour to advise many leading professors from Montréal's great educational institutions. Once you have a university pension, you will accumulate significant wealth, and our specialized services will help you manage it tax-effectively.

We will ensure that you:

Are wisely guided in terms of your portfolio holdings, insurance solutions, everyday financial decisions such as mortgages and debt reduction, and tax-effective financial and estate planning;
Take full advantage of all the benefits offered to you by your academic institution;
Receive a written, customized investment and financial plan, with full understanding of every step and stage along the way;
Have an adequately funded retirement plan in context of your pension income;
Take advantage of all tax minimization strategies;
Minimize the tax you pay, we will incorporate the latest tax strategies and make sure you take advantage of all eligible tax credits, timing of capital gains exemption claims, and available investment planning options to improve your long-term financial situation);
Have a strategy in place to ensure your current lifestyle will continue throughout your retirement;
Protect your income, assets and family;
Understand the financial options available to you and choose the ones that best suit your life;
Borrow tax-effectively;
Take advantage of the Foreign Researcher Quebec tax credit if you are eligible;
Take advantage of dollar cost averaging, income splitting and creating RRSP contribution room to help minimize the tax you pay and maximize your investment potential;
Enjoy your choice of meeting location for our regular reviews – at your place of work, your home or our offices.

Testimonials from Professors

"With a view to our last few years of work and upcoming retirement, my wife and I were looking for a financial planner to assist and guide us. We followed up on our daughter’s suggestion that we consider Joe Bakish. We were impressed from the very first meeting: we found Joe not only a delight to work with but also someone who is rigorous and thorough and will follow-up immediately on any financial or tax-related issues arising. Now, through hard work on our part and careful guidance on the part of Joe and his excellent team at Richardson, we find ourselves in an amazingly solid financial position that was unimaginable even just a few years ago. Rather than fear financial burdens in retirement we now know that we are very well prepared not only for retirement but to enjoy to the years of work that still lie before us. We have no hesitation whatsoever to provide an enthusiastic endorsement of his work."

— L. Gregory Bloomquist, Professor at Saint Paul University and University of Ottawa & Rachel Bloomquist, St. Timothy’s Classical Academy, Ottawa

"After working with Nick and Joe for a number of years I feel confident recommending their services to anyone looking for a valuable opinion and a competent lifelong advisor. Although their knowledge and credentials of all financial planning aspects are extensive, their understanding of my specific case, along with their quick response time, is really what makes me most comfortable referring them."

— Dr. Marc Lafrance, Professor, Concordia University, Department of Sociology

"With Joe as my financial advisor, I feel that I am well-informed in the decisions I make. He takes the time to make sure everything is clear and that I am fully in control and comfortable with all decisions that I eventually make. I very much like his practical investment approach, being more concerned about building major gains from saving large amounts on taxes, rather than shaving a few percentage points on riskier investments. I very much appreciate Joe's no-pressure approach, whereby I only pay when I choose to purchase investments or insurance products. I feel this model aligns my financial progress with Joe's interests, and makes me confident in my continued relationship with him."

— Dr. Chitu Okoli, Associate Professor, Concordia University, John Molson School of Business, Decision Sciences

"With their in-depth understanding of the McGill benefits, Nick and Joe Bakish are professional, reliable and responsive. Perhaps equally important, at least for me, they are not pushy in their approach to their clients. I'd recommend working with them to anybody looking for full financial planning."

— Vedat Verter, Professor, McGill University, Desautels Faculty of Management

"Working with Nick and Joe Bakish since 2006, my wife and I have had a very smooth experience. As a well-rounded team they provide important information, are consistently available and understand financial needs specific to my profession."

— Jon Unruh, Associate Professor, McGill University

"Nick Bakish engages all clients with attention to detail, with a flexible view to the long and short term, and with a superior degree of professionalism."

— Dr. Andreas Warburton, McGill University, Department of Physics

"I have been working with Joe since 2005 and with Nick and Joe and their team since its inception. I am particularly fond of their responsiveness and of their proactive approach. Also, being able to meet at my workplace is a huge plus. The level of personal service that a small team affords was optimal."

— Dr. Justin Leroux, HEC Montreal, Associate Professor of Applied Economics

"I think very highly of the work Joe and his team put in with regards too my personal financial plan. I often hear friends and family worry about their own finances and right away I strongly suggest they sit down with Nick or Joe to ensure they understand all of their options. They respond quickly and provide a clear picture of what to do next."

— Dr. Greg Bloomquist, Professor at Saint Paul University, Ottawa

"Shortly after my arrival in Montreal the team around Nick helped me get everything up and going. Taxes, investment, short and long term planning for my finanaces. If you want to be well-informed and have everything under control you should team-up with them. A great team to work with."

— Dr. Jörg Hermann Fritz, McGill University Assistant Professor, Complex Traits Group and Department of Microbiology and Immunology

"Joseph Bakish does an admirable job of communicating complex material clearly, even to the uninitiated. As one for whom financial matters have never been a favorite subject, I find working with him a pleasure, thanks to his knowledge, availability, efficiency, good sense, and good cheer (regardless of the state of the markets!)"

— Stephanie Bolster, Concordia University, Professor, Department of English

“Nick and Joe Bakish has consistently made me feel at ease with regards to my finances and reaching my goals now and for the future, that is why it was such a pleasure to see their recent achievement being ranked # 6 in Wealth Professionals Top 50 Advisor's in Canada.”

— Pavlos Kolias, Associate Professor, McGill University

“I've worked with Nick and his team for many years. They have consistently demonstrated knowledge in their field and have helped me make important decisions with regards to my financial goals now and in the future. The entire team has a very personalized approach and I have felt at ease with them since day one.”

— Jan Ericsson Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences (CJAS), Montréal Institute of Structured Products and Derivatives (IFSID), McGill University

"As a client of Nick and Joe Bakish for a long time now, I felt each team member has an excellent understanding of the financial needs associated with my profession and family. Nick Bakish in particular In addition, both the team and personally Nick Bakish helped me plan my financial undertakings and retirement needs, from my pension transfer from Australia to any other aspects of my finances. An easy-going team that is well educated and I learned to trust."

— Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, Professor and CRC at McGill University

“Nick understands and works with behavioural biases that we all carry with us when we make investment and savings decisions. Someone who understands these biases can use them to his own benefit by structuring the investment environment in such a way that it induces them to save more. This is the lesson of the Behavioural Finance concept of "Nudge." But Nick doesn't take this approach. Instead he discusses these issues with his clients, educates them, makes them aware of them, and presents an environment in which they can make better decisions for themselves.”

— Jim Engle-Warnick, McGill University, Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies

“Nick and Joe Bakish put into place a financial strategy that I was very comfortable with while maintaining my financial goals. Since working with them I feel at ease with regards to my estate and protecting the ones I love, knowing that these matters are taken care of is a weight lifted off my shoulders.”

— George McCourt, Associate Director Undergraduate Affairs, McGill School of Environment at McGill University

“Nick and Joseph work with many professionals in my industry in addition to many of my colleagues. They understand my professional needs and are always honest with their opinion, ultimately leaving the decisions in my hands with their guidance and knowledge. I have been with their team since 2002 and I have felt taken care of and assured when it comes to my planning for the present moment and for planning in the future like my RRSP and pension.”

— Ehab Abouheif, Professor and Canada Research Chair, McGill University