*Not offered through A&Q Associates Mutual Fund Dealership.

     

 

Your personal financial plan will ensure that you achieve your personal goals by implementing the best strategies in the areas of tax, investment, retirement, insurance & estate planning. A financial plan will:

• Clarify your current personal and financial situation;
• Identify your short-term and long-term objectives;
• Recommend strategies to assist you in reaching your objectives as easily as possible;
• Provide written recommendations to achieve your goals;
• Implement the plan;
• A financial plan is then reviewed and adjusted on a regular basis ~ as your life changes, so should your plan.

A plan encompasses investments for your savings using cash, open & registered plans, and may also include insurance products.

Not ready for a financial plan? Find yourself in debt?

Budget counseling & guidance can be conducted at Gillian’s offices at a rate of $50/hour – if you can get out of debt, stop those spending leaks and form some new & better financial habits, then you can eventually start to save.

So What’s Next?

1. Establish Definite Financial Objectives – People do not plan to fail … they fail to plan!
   
2. Review Retirement Strategies – What kind of retirement do you want? How much will it cost? Will your pension income be adequate? How will you provide for yourself for 20 or more years after you retire?
   
3. Own the right investments for the right reasons – Haphazard RRSP investments to get a tax refund without considering the long term implications of the purchase can be dangerous. Putting large amounts of long term savings into short term vehicles (GICs, CSBs, Money Market funds) may dramatically reduce your return.
   
4. Don't underestimate the impact of inflation – The biggest enemy to your financial independence is inflation. Protect yourself. Seemingly sure investments are eroded from the bottom by inflation. The purchasing power of $100,000 in 10 years with a 3% inflation rate will be $73,742; in 20 years it will be further reduced to $44,570! The danger is not in living to be a ripe old age - - - the danger is in outliving your money!
5. Develop a clear understanding of tax laws – Tax laws change all the time. You can save money when you understand the implications of tax rules. Effective tax planning with an accountant and a financial advisor could reduce income tax payable. Let us educate you!
6. Diversify your investment portfolio – As determined by your risk profile and financial objectives, we can help you build a portfolio with appropriate exposure to all asset classes chosen from over 10,000 mutual funds.
7. Appreciate the time value of money – Did you know that you can double your money in 7.2 years with an average return of 10%? Don't neglect compound interest. An investment of $100/month maintained over 25 years at 10% will grow to $132,683.
8. Ensure adequate protection against unforeseen losses – Your lifetime earnings are your greatest asset. Don't let illness, disability or premature death diminish your family's standard of living. We will show you how to protect your family against these unforeseen and potentially catastrophic losses.
9. Control family spending – Discipline and control of spending habits are crucial to any savings plan. Overuse of credit, spontaneous buying, and not accounting for expenditures can be disastrous.
10. Set realistic expectations – Set reasonable investment objectives. Through regular systematic investments you can become financially independent.

     

 

To maintain the licences (mutual funds & insurance) on an annual basis, the regulatory authorities require Advisors to obtain 30 Continuing Education (CE) credits each and every year as a minimum. This enables Advisors to keep pace with changes in the industry, regulatory changes, as well as further their knowledge in a variety of different areas.

In 2008, Gillian became a member of Advocis and over the next year or so will be studying three more topics to obtain advanced training in several areas.

In 2003, Gillian furthered her education with in-depth courses on financial issues pertaining to divorce. Please note that you still require a lawyer to obtain legal advice in this area.

In 2001, Gillian completed the six required courses and the final exam to achieve the professional designation of Certified Financial Planner, licensed by the FPSC.

1998 to 2000 – Gillian entered the financial industry in January 1998, spending one year with Investors Group before deciding that her people and entrepreneurial skills were better suited for an independent position. She joined Armstrong & Quaile Associates Inc. in August 1999.

     

 

Commissions are paid via the Mutual Fund companies at the time of sale and on an ongoing basis through trailing fees on assets held at the fund company under the client's name.

It has been Gillian’s experience that some clients prefer to have services provided without the obligation of moving their assets to a new Advisor. Please contact Gillian for a free consultation so you can meet her, tell her what you need, and she'll suggest what can be provided and what the cost might be. There are bundled services available to make your choices easier and also hourly rates for very short events. Please request a brochure.

     

 

Why Do I Need Insurance?

There are many reasons for buying life insurance. If you’re the primary breadwinner in the family, life insurance is a good way to help provide your family with a stable financial future. If you are the secondary earner or stay-at-home spouse, then it’s important to have insurance to help cover the financial burden of childcare, funeral expenses, and other unforeseen costs.

While it’s difficult to face our own mortality, planning for it can ease the burden our loved ones will face later. Purchasing life insurance can help make a difficult situation easier by providing death benefits for:

• Unpaid medical bills,
• Income replacement for survivors,
• Final expenses like burial costs, accountant, lawyer
• Unplanned or emergency expenses,
• Pay off your mortgage,
• Fund future education for your children.

But insurance products can also be used for:

• Establishing an estate plan, e.g., leave money for your heirs
• As a component to your savings strategy
• For retirement income, such as an annuity
• To pay some estate taxes.

Every person has a different idea of what financial security means. If something should happen to you, how much money would your family need? You should consider:

• Your current debts
• Daily expenses of living without your salary
• Your spouse being able to take time off work to grieve & look after the children at this fragile time in their lives
• Daycare while your spouse gets re-educated to earn a higher salary to support the family alone now

A general rule of thumb to calculate life insurance needs is to multiply your gross annual salary by seven.

And there are other types of insurance:

1. Mortgage Insurance – Don’t leave your family out on the street because they can’t pay the mortgage (Go to www.cbc.ca/marketplace/in_denial to view/listen to this informative segment).
2. Critical Illness – if you get cancer, for example, 67% of your expenses are not covered by OHIP;
3. Disability Insurance – if you become disabled through an injury on the job or while skiing and cannot work, how will you pay the bills?
4. Long Term Care Insurance – to help defray costs of the elderly while attempting to remain in their own home, or to defray some hospital costs.
5. Key Person Insurance – you cannot manage without your Assistant/Manager/ Partner; what if they become ill and you have to replace them? Your business could falter – this money would help to hire someone else to take their place temporarily, like a Consultant.
6. Buy/Sell Insurance – Company partner dies, the surviving partner buys out the deceased partners share of the company with the life insurance proceeds, which in turn gives the widow an income.

Estate Planning Kit

Designed to help you put all your “ducks in a row” and make sure everything is taken care of, but most importantly, listing everything for easy access for your survivors by having everything in one place. When one is grieving, rifling through someone’s filing cabinet trying to find certain documents to close up their estate is not the best thing.

The Estate Planning Kit comes in two packages:

1. The complete kit of all pages, 3 sheet protector pages for your Will or
   insurance policy, and a 1” binder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $18
2. The complete kit as above, but with no binder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $15

One dollar ($1.00) from each Kit sold will go to North Grenville Accessible Transportation (NGAT), a registered charity that provides similar services to Para Transpo.

Please contact me if you are interested in ordering one of these Estate Planning Kits.

     

 

“Gillian has provided us with the information necessary to adapt our financial plans to changes in our lives. Her personal attention is a welcome change from past experiences with large firms and bank representatives. She is very professional and exhibits the hands on approach that I need and the hands off approach my wife requires.” Nicole & Steven McStravick, Stittsville.

"Gillian is very professional in her approach and knowledge of the investment market. She is a woman of integrity and honesty which I feel is very important in the financial investment profession. I have recommended Gillian to my friends whom I felt would benefit from her expertise." Wendy Stringfield, Nepean.

“Gillian takes the time to explain funds/markets/tax advantages in a way that makes sense to me and helps me decide which route is best for me. She keeps me informed of what is going on with the market via newsletters yet I am not overloaded with information. I always feel confident that she is doing what is best for me.” R. Beaulieu, Ottawa.

 

Investor Privacy Notice

As an organization that collects, uses and discloses personal information, Armstrong & Quaile Associates Inc. is subject to the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Document Act (or by similar laws in the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec), effective January 1st, 2004. In complying with these laws, it is important that Armstrong & Quaile Associates Inc. provide you with information so that you may fully understand the purposes for which your personal information is collected. Over the course of your relationship with Armstrong & Quaile Associates Inc. and your investment funds advisor, personal information will be collected in order to administer your mutual fund account. This information typically includes but is not limited to your financial information and investment objectives, in addition to your current investments, banking information and your social insurance number. This information allows for but is not limited to the buying and selling of mutual funds on your behalf, in addition to providing you with reporting and administering your account in a compliant manner to meet all regulatory requirements. At times, Armstrong & Quaile Associates Inc. may be required to provide this information to mutual fund companies in which you invest, self-regulatory organizations, securities regulators, law enforcement agencies and to companies that perform services on our behalf. These organizations, like Armstrong & Quaile Associates Inc. are bound and must comply with the same federal/provincial privacy act(s). Armstrong & Quaile Associates Inc. does not disclose your information to any other organization(s) to use for their own purposes and in particular will never sell or trade your personal information. The purposes for which we collect, use and disclose your personal information are central to our being able to provide you with our services. Should you have objections to the collection and disclosure of your personal information, as listed in the foregoing, Armstrong & Quaile Associates Inc. will no longer be in a position to provide you with these services. Therefore, by maintaining your account with Armstrong & Quaile Associates Inc. we will consider that you have consented to our collecting, using and disclosing your personal information. In representing Armstrong & Quaile Associates Inc. your investment funds advisor is acting on behalf of the mutual fund dealer, Armstrong & Quaile Associates Inc. Your investment funds advisor may also be licensed to sell other products and, therefore may wish to provide you with advice and services in that other capacity. Should they do so, your investment funds advisor will communicate with you directly regarding any additional use or disclosure of your personal information. If you wish to review or make changes to your personal information you may do so by making a written request to Privacy Officer, Armstrong & Quaile Associates Inc., 279 Weber Street North, Waterloo, ON, N2J 3H8. Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the use of your personal information we encourage you to speak with your investment funds advisor. Alternatively, you may contact the designated Privacy Officer for Armstrong & Quaile Associates Inc., 279 Weber Street North, Waterloo, ON, N2J 3H8., via fax to 519-576-2686 or via email at heatherap@a-q.com.

Website Disclaimer

Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with mutual fund investments. Please read the simplified prospectus before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed and are not covered by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation or by any other government deposit insurer. There can be no assurances that the fund will be able to maintain its net asset value per security at a constant amount or that the full amount of your investment in the fund will be returned to you. Fund values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated.

Labour Sponsored Investment Funds (“LSIF”) have tax credits that are subject to certain conditions and are generally subject to recapture, if shares are redeemed within eight years. Please note that Mutual Fund Representatives in Alberta are not permitted to sell LSIF.

An investor proposing to borrow for the purchase of securities should be aware that a purchase with borrowed monies involves greater risk than a purchase using cash resources only. The extent of that risk is a determination to be made by each purchaser and will vary depending on the circumstances of the purchaser and the securities purchased.

Discuss the risks associated with leveraged mutual fund purchases with an investment funds advisor before investing. Purchases are subject to suitability requirements. Using borrowed money to finance the purchase of securities involves greater risk than a purchase using cash resources only. If you borrow money to purchase securities, your responsibility to repay the loan and pay interest as required by its terms remains the same if the value of the securities purchased declines.

Investors should educate themselves regarding securities, taxation or exchange control legislation, which may affect them personally. This web site is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific personalized advice including, without limitation, investment, financial, legal, accounting or tax advice. Please consult an appropriate professional regarding your particular circumstance.

This Internet Website does not constitute an offer or solicitation in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is not authorized or to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation.

Representatives who operate using a Trade Name act in the capacity of investment funds advisors and may be licensed for the sale of life insurance. Representatives of a Trade Name are registered through separate organizations for each purpose and as such, you may be dealing with more than one entity depending on the products purchased. Representatives of a Trade Name will provide the name of the entity being represented when insurance business is conducted. The sale of insurance products is not the business of or under the supervision of Armstrong & Quaile Associates Inc. Armstrong & Quaile Associates Inc. will not be liable or responsible for such activities.

All non-mutual fund related business conducted by Representatives of a Trade Name are not in the capacity of an employee or agent of Armstrong & Quaile Associates Inc. Non-mutual fund related business includes, without limitation, advising in or selling any type of insurance product, advising in or selling any type of mortgage service, estate and tax planning or tax return preparation. Accordingly, Armstrong & Quaile Associates Inc. is not liable and/or responsible for any non-mutual fund related business conducted by Representatives of a Trade Name. Such non-mutual fund related business is the responsibility of Representatives of the Trade Name alone.

References in this Internet Website to third party goods or services should not be regarded as an endorsement of these goods or services. By accessing any of the links provided you will be leaving the Armstrong & Quaile Associates Inc. web site and or the website for the Representative with the Trade Name. Neither Armstrong & Quaile Associates Inc. nor the Representative with the Trade Name is responsible for the information contained on these websites.

The information contained on this Internet Website is for general information purposes only and is the opinion of the owners and writers. This information is not intended to provide specific personalized advice including, without limitation, investment, financial, legal, accounting or tax advice.

This web site is intended for Canadian residents only and the information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The owner and publisher of this Internet Website are not liable for any inaccuracies in the information provided.