Most Canadians receive financial advice from someone who earns a commission when they sell you something. There is another way. When you choose to engage in Advice-Only Planning, the only thing I'm paid for is my time and expertise. There are no product sales, trailer fees, or referral kickbacks. That means every recommendation I make exists solely because it's right for your situation. Whether you're a couple in your mid 50’s and see the finish line, or a confident dual-income couple with no kids, do-it-yourselfers who simply want a second set of eyes on your plan, advice-only planning gives you a professional opinion without the conflict of interest.
For those who want investment management, I also offer comprehensive financial services, including ongoing investment management and risk management. You choose the level of support that fits your life. Some clients come for a one-time retirement readiness review and leave with the confidence to manage things themselves. Others prefer to hand off their portfolio entirely and focus on what they do best. Either way, the advice you receive is always independent, transparent, and built around your goals.
Sutherland Planning
Ottawa's Advice-Only, Flat-Fee Retirement Planner
What's Included in Every Sutherland Financial Plan
Every financial plan I deliver covers the five components that FP Canada's professional standards require and the five questions Canadians actually want answered. Whether you're a pre-retiree asking "do we have enough?" or a dual-income, no kids couple optimising for an early retirement, your plan will be built on this foundation.
1. Financial Management Where You Are Today
A complete and honest picture of your current position: net worth (assets minus liabilities), monthly cash flow, debt schedule, and emergency fund adequacy. Without an accurate baseline, every projection is guesswork. This is where the real work begins, and it's the foundation FP Canada's Practice Standards require before any recommendation can be made.
2. Retirement Planning When and How You Stop Working
A year-by-year retirement income projection that answers the two questions that keep my clients up at night: do we have enough, and how do we draw it down without a punishing tax bill? Your plan covers CPP and OAS timing, employer pension decisions, RRSP-to-RRIF conversion strategy, withdrawal sequencing across all accounts, and longevity stress-testing using the 2026 FP Canada Projection Assumption Guidelines — 2.1% inflation, 6.3% Canadian equity returns, and mortality tables updated for 2026.
3. Tax Planning The Biggest Controllable Cost
Tax is the single biggest expense most retirees will face — bigger than housing, bigger than healthcare. Your plan identifies and uses every legal tool to keep your tax bill as low as possible: RRSP, TFSA, and FHSA optimisation; capital gains and dividend tax efficiency; pension income splitting at 65; OAS clawback avoidance; and the right withdrawal sequence across non-registered, RRSP/RRIF, and TFSA accounts. Done well, tax planning alone can mean a six-figure difference over a 25-year retirement.
4. Risk Management & Insurance What Happens If Things Go Wrong
A plan that ignores risk isn't a plan — it's a forecast that assumes everything goes right. Your plan reviews life, disability, and critical illness coverage; identifies long-term care funding needs (especially important if you don't have adult children to lean on); and confirms your emergency reserves are sized for your reality. The goal is honest: enough coverage, not more, and never sold.
5. Estate Planning What Happens When You're Gone
Estate planning is the area Canadians most often ignore until it's too late. Your plan reviews your will and powers of attorney, confirms every beneficiary designation across registered accounts and insurance, addresses executor selection (a particularly complex decision for childless couples), and structures any charitable legacy you want to leave. For dual-income, no kids couples especially, the default rules in Ontario rarely match what you'd actually want, so we make the choices deliberately.
Built to FP Canada Standards
These five components align with the seven planning areas defined in FP Canada's Definitions, Standards & Competencies, the framework every CFP® professional in Canada is required to follow. Investment planning is integrated into your retirement strategy where it belongs, and legal considerations are addressed within estate planning.
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