Our Mission

We believe that you need the tools to create financial success on your own terms.

Conflict-free financial planning equips you to make educated decisions about your future with the information available to you today.

Our Mission

We believe that you need the tools to create financial success on your own terms.

Conflict-free financial planning equips you to make educated decisions about your future with the information available to you today.

Julia Chung, CFP, CLU, FEA, TEP

Partner, Sr. Financial Planner

Areas of Specialty: Retirement Planning, Private/Family Business, Cross-Border Planning

Sandi Martin, CFP

Partner, Financial Planner

Areas of Specialty: Retirement Income Planning, Family Goal Planning

Kathryn Mandelcorn, FMA

Director, Cash Flow Strategies

Areas of Specialty: Money Coaching, Cash Flow Planning

Karen Richardson, FPSC Level 1®

Cash Flow & Associate Financial Planner

Areas of Specialty:
Cash Flow Planning, Retirement Planning

Meet the whole team

Connect with the team on social media

What We Do at Spring

To treat you as the unique person you are by listening, understanding what’s important, and working together to create your life, well spent.

We want our recommendations to our clients to be influenced only by what’s in your best interest, and never by the potential for referral fees or third-party compensation.

We don’t sell products , accept commissions, pay or receive referral fees, or earn affiliate income.

We sincerely believe that financial planning – done well – can benefit everyone, and are actively invested in mentoring and developing new financial planners.

We’ve been running a practice management peer-mentoring group since early 2016…it’s how we met, in fact!

Comprehensive Financial Planning
Retirement Income Planning
Cross-Border Planning
Family/Private Business Planning
Portfolio and Cash Flow Audits

Our Process

What We’re Writing

November’s Great Reads

by Sandi Martin | November 13, 2018 | Canadian Personal Finance News | 0 Comments

Halloween has passed us by, but there are still some slightly daunting things to contemplate throughout the month of November, including talking to your parents about money, what really happens when interest rates rise, and how disclosure isn’t necessarily the...

Salesman or Advisor?

by Sandi Martin | May 2, 2013 | Blog, Carnival of Wealth, Fee Only Financial Planning, Personal Finance, Retirement | 0 Comments

The point of this post: If your financial advisor is paid a commission based on what products they sell to you, instead of a straight fee for their advice, that advice is compromised by self-interest. What if I told you that your otherwise competent and experienced...

Money Matters: Take Control

by Julia Chung | May 2, 2016 | Personal Finance, PowHERHouse Magazine | 0 Comments

Julia Chung’s article in the Spring 2016 PowHerHouse magazine outlines the basics of goal setting.

How to Get the Best Discount on Your Mortgage

by Sandi Martin | April 10, 2013 | Blog, Debt Management, Inside the Bank, Mortgages, Personal Finance | 2 Comments

The point of this post: do the work to understand how the mortgage lending system works so you can save the most money. If you want to get the very best interest rate (read: lowest bottom line price) on your mortgage, you need to know how to see yourself the way the...

Book Review: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

by Julia Chung | April 23, 2019 | Accountability, Big Picture, Book Review | 0 Comments

The Power of Habit and its follow-up, Smarter, Faster, Better, by Charles Duhigg were some of the bright shining spots in my nonfiction reading over the past year. You never know what you’re getting into with any kind of reading, but at least with fiction, you know...

How (Not) to Consolidate Debt

by Sandi Martin | August 14, 2013 | Blog, debt consolidation, Debt Management, Personal Finance | 1 Comment

The point: it doesn't matter what method you use to pay off debt, or if you use any method at all. What matters is that you stop creating new debt. It's out there: the mathematically precise, strictly rational formula for paying off your three credit cards, small car...

February’s Great Reads

by Sandi Martin | February 12, 2019 | Canadian Personal Finance News | 0 Comments

Winter weather often brings blankets, fireplaces, and hot drinks. While you’re thawing your toes, you may feel inclined to dream a little, and Sandi has the reads for you to do just that. Dreams about retirement, and who you might be when you stop working, are right...

BC Real Estate Taxes

by Julia Chung | March 26, 2018 | Budgets, Mortgages, Personal Finance | 0 Comments

Owning residential real estate in British Columbia is expensive, as you well know, and thanks to recent changes on both a provincial and municipal level, it’s also a great deal more complicated. Most of the changes were brought about by BC’s 2018 Budget, but a few of...

Cynicism, The Canadian Pension Plan, And You

by Sandi Martin | September 9, 2013 | Blog, CPP, Personal Finance, Retirement Planning | 11 Comments

The point: scoff if you like, but we have a public pension system in Canada that will likely make up a good portion of your retirement income, and its existence should be factored into your plans. I hear it all the time - in banking, in financial planning, and now...

Book Review: Lynne Twist

by Kathryn Mandelcorn | May 24, 2018 | Budgets, Cash Flow, Relationships | 0 Comments

The Soul of Money by Lynne Twist is not a personal finance book. It’s a book that will have you exploring your values, how you define money and how you use money. Twist’s work stems from 4 decades of experience in fundraising to eradicate world hunger. She has...

September 2018 Update

by Sandi Martin | September 24, 2018 | Fee Only Financial Planning, Goal Planning, Monthly Spring Update | 0 Comments

Now that summer is officially over (boo! hisss!) it’s time for one of our all-time favourite activities at Spring: using what we’ve learned about ourselves to make life better - for ourselves, our families, our team, and our clients. (We swear we’re fun at...

Book Review: Mindset: The New Psychology by Carol S. Dwek

by Kathryn Mandelcorn | October 23, 2018 | contentment, Personal Financial Planning, Relationships | 0 Comments

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success is the outcome of decades of research by Stanford University psychologist, Carol S. Dwek. Her findings produced the idea of fixed mindsets and growth mindsets. Dwek describes the Fixed Mindset as belonging to those who believe...

September’s Great Reads

by Sandi Martin | September 8, 2017 | Canadian Personal Finance News | 0 Comments

In my world, September is a BIG month. Summer effectively ends on Labour Day, the kids are at school, and it’s time for a hard reset (what I privately think of as a second New Year) to prepare myself for the whirlwind of the last three months of the year. In your...

A Week in the Life of Sandi

by Sandi Martin | April 17, 2018 | Week in the Life | 0 Comments

Monday, March 26 5:00AM My alarm goes off, and I head downstairs for the best part of the day (the quiet part with hot coffee and no random Marvel movie questions because my son -- and everyone else -- is still asleep). I don’t often get up this early anymore, but I...

Because Money Podcast: An American in Paris (Ontario)

by Julia Chung | November 15, 2016 | Because Money, Personal Finance | 0 Comments

Julia joined the Because Money podcast to talk cross border planning, TFSAs and play silly money games with other money nerds.

Double the Trouble…

by Julia Chung | September 25, 2015 | BBC Capital, Personal Finance | 0 Comments

Two kids in university at the same time means double the costs. The secret to saving for – and affording – two.

April 2019 Update

by Julia Chung | April 23, 2019 | Income Tax, Personal Finance | 0 Comments

Don’t you just LOVE tax season? No? You’re not alone. Really, Sandi is the only person who loves tax season. It’s one of the many reasons we keep her around. Someone has to like it. In fact, she likes it so much that she’s been volunteering in her community tax...

A Week in the Life of Kathryn

by Kathryn Mandelcorn | May 25, 2018 | Week in the Life | 0 Comments

Monday, May 7th 6:00am I wake up without an alarm (I have been an alarm rebel for 6 years since leaving the investment industry when I had to wake up at 4:45am every day) and today was an hour earlier than usual. Thank goodness, as I have numerous emails to respond to...

Life Insurance as an Investment

by Julia Chung | May 17, 2017 | Personal Finance | 0 Comments

We get asked about this every once in a while. Life Insurance and its salespeople get a bad rap. Some of it is incredibly well-deserved, and some of it is just not. Here’s a breakdown of some life insurance basics that you should understand.

Spring’s 2019 Summer Reading List

by Spring Plans | June 21, 2019 | Personal Finance | 0 Comments

We love, love, love reading at Spring Plans. Immersing ourselves in data, research, and stories about people is how many of us spend our downtime. We vigorously wave our nerd flags, and each summer build our own individual reading lists to trundle through on our...

What I want for you in 2018

by Sandi Martin | January 3, 2018 | Big Picture, Blog, Personal Finance, Personal Financial Planning | 0 Comments

For 2018, I want you to have time. Sweet, precious, time. And understand me: I don’t want you to have more time, or productive time, or fulfilling time - all good things, don’t get me wrong, but not the kind of time I so desperately want for you. No, the kind of...

Effective Retirement Planning is About Spending, Not Saving

by Sandi Martin | June 24, 2013 | Blog, Budgets, Personal Finance, Retirement, Series: Avoiding the Useless Retirement Plan | 4 Comments

The point: planning for your retirement isn't just about your investments, although you can be forgiven for thinking it is. It involves exactly the same activities as planning for tomorrow, next week, and next month: active budgeting, debt elimination, robust savings,...

Kickin’ Chickens

by Julia Chung | May 27, 2015 | Personal Finance | 0 Comments

Whether you’re gathering eggs, building a reputation, gathering customers, or just making enough money to pay the bills, you can choose to kick chickens like everyone else, or you can stop and think of a better way.

June 2019 Update

by Julia Chung | June 24, 2019 | Personal Finance | 0 Comments

You made it! You’re halfway through 2019, and by the time this newsletter reaches you, will have already experienced the longest day of the year. Your sunshine time is shrinking now - get out there and take advantage! After all those start-of-summer, Father’s Day, and...

Introducing Karen Richardson

by Spring Plans | February 1, 2019 | Announcement, Cash Flow | 0 Comments

We are excited to announce that as of February 1, 2019 we have added a new member to our planning team: Karen Richardson, Cash Flow & Associate Financial PlannerKaren joins Spring after 7 years as an independent advice-only financial planner in Kenora, Ontario,...

How Your Advisor’s Bad Investing Behaviour Costs You

by Sandi Martin | December 8, 2015 | Blog, Investing, Management Expense Ratio, Personal Finance | 0 Comments

The point: Yes, your own bad investing behaviour costs you, but your advisor's bad investing behaviour has the potential to cost you a lot more. First off: I'm not a portfolio manager or an investment advisor (or adviser, for what it's worth). I was a registered...

Planning for Retirement: Uncertainty is Certain, so Pick Your Poison

by Sandi Martin | July 28, 2016 | Blog, Personal Finance, Retirement Planning | 0 Comments

If you're planning for retirement and make the mistake of scrolling through any finance section in a slow news week, you have to ask yourself: what kind of questions are they asking to produce breathless headlines like these? Half of Canadians don't think they'll be...

Why You Don’t Want Your Child to Be a Genius

by Julia Chung | November 18, 2015 | BBC Capital, Personal Finance | 0 Comments

“Find experts in the fields that your child is interested in,” said Julia Chung of Spring Financial Planning. “Talk to them and ask them for help and support. You’d be surprised how many people are willing to help.”

Book Review: Shannon Lee Simmons

by Sandi Martin | April 3, 2018 | Budgets, Goal Planning, Personal Finance | 0 Comments

Worry Free Money: The Guilt-Free Approach to Managing Your Money and Your Life by Shannon Lee Simmons isn’t making empty promises in the title. There’s literally no guilt in it. None. The revolutionary thing about Worry Free Money is that it doesn’t start with...

Valuation – How Much is Your Company Worth?

by Julia Chung | November 15, 2016 | Personal Finance, Spring Original | 0 Comments

Ever wondered how to do a company valuation? Mary Gamble, Chartered Business Valuator at iValue Solutions, provides answers to common questions she receives from business owners.

July’s Great Reads

by Sandi Martin | July 10, 2018 | Canadian Personal Finance News | 0 Comments

I don’t know about you, but the solid build up of backward progress (on what feels like all fronts) has left me feeling a little indifferent to reading personal finance stuff, as if nothing’s wrong with the world and all we need to worry about is our net worth or...

What’s Sandi reading?

by Julia Chung | December 7, 2016 | Personal Finance | 0 Comments

Sandi Martin reads a lot – and she tells everyone which ones were the best every month. Starting in January, we will be sending you her reading list directly (if you’ve signed up for our email newsletter). In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek:

What We Want for You in 2019

by Spring Plans | January 28, 2019 | Goal Planning, Personal Finance, Retirement Planning | 0 Comments

A wish for our readers for the year ahead is becoming a tradition for us. If you’ve been reading the Spring blog for a while, you may remember that past years included wishes for clarity, ownership, structure, and momentum. If you’re new here: welcome—and buckle up....

Free Money for School: A Guest Post for Renegade Planner

by Julia Chung | February 17, 2016 | Personal Finance | 0 Comments

Julia Chung from Spring Financial Planning is excited to provide a guest post for Renegade Planner, a “Startup Concierge” that helps businesses grow and learn. Jessica Oman, the founder of Renegade Planner, is providing tips and information to her business owner audience on personal finance, something that really does confuse everyone.

Julia’s article “Free Money For School: Yes, Even Entrepreneurs Can Save for Their Children’s Education” provides a clear outline of how to use the RESP (Registered Education Savings Plan) to maximize grants, reduce taxes, and pay for post-secondary school.

The Family Cottage

by Julia Chung | September 26, 2017 | Personal Finance | 0 Comments

One of the great joys of summer for many Canadian families is a family cottage, cabin, or camp. No matter what name you may give the place where your clan gets together to enjoy the outdoors and each other, it’s often an important part of who you are, and how your...

What I Want For You In 2016

by Sandi Martin | December 29, 2015 | Accountability, Blog, Financial Infrastructure, Goal Planning, Personal Finance | 0 Comments

Last year, what I wanted most for you was clarity, remember? How would your life be better if you were absolutely clear about what you want your life to look like, the resources you have or will have at your disposal, and the obstacles that you’ll have to get over,...

Book Review: The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff

by Sandi Martin | August 15, 2019 | Book Review | 0 Comments

You know the nagging feeling that something - even a lot of somethings - are wrong, but the language to express what that something is and why it’s wrong eludes you? Enter Shoshana Zuboff and The Age of Surveillance Capitalism. Here’s an example: loyalty rewards....

What do YOU want?

by Julia Chung | January 18, 2017 | Personal Finance, Spring Original | 0 Comments

It sounds like an easy question.

2019 Federal Budget Summary

by Julia Chung | March 25, 2019 | Budgets, Home Buyer's Plan, Income Tax, Personal Finance, Retirement | 0 Comments

Every spring, the Federal Government comes out with their budget for the year - all the ways they’ll be putting our tax dollars to use and running this national operation. They often have a news release in fall that telegraphs some of the things they’re thinking about...

June’s Great Reads

by Sandi Martin | June 12, 2018 | Canadian Personal Finance News | 0 Comments

Finally, summer is here! While I heartily encourage you to spend every possible minute outside (as I write this indoors because I’m tired of wiping pollen off my laptop screen), you may find yourself wishing for some great reads, and boy do I have some for you. If you...

Three Great Reads You Might Have Missed

by Sandi Martin | May 12, 2017 | Canadian Personal Finance News | 0 Comments

It's great to be back in the reading saddle again, and have I got some outstanding pieces for you! For those of you who are new around these parts, I'm a reader. (My friend Noel asked me the other day if I'd gotten to the last page of the internet yet. I haven't, but...

Success = Joy + Freedom

by Julia Chung | September 29, 2016 | Niche Magazine, Personal Finance | 0 Comments

Have you ever set goals and just felt kind of… “meh”? Julia’s latest article for Niche Magazine gets to the heart of why that happens, and how you can change it.

Planning for Summer… Within Reason

by Julia Chung | June 25, 2017 | Personal Finance | 0 Comments

Summer is pretty exciting for most of us here in Canada. No matter which province or territory you live in, the season is often short and spectacular. We save so many things for summer, from barbecues and weddings to vacation days and that book we always wanted to...

Book Review: Living Debt Free by Shannon Lee Simmons

by Sandi Martin | January 15, 2019 | Accountability, Book Review, Budgets, Personal Finance | 0 Comments

If you have any kind of debt at all, go read Living Debt Free, the no-shame, no-blame guide to getting rid of your debt by Shannon Lee Simmons immediately. Companion book to Worry Free Money: the guilt-free approach to managing your money and your life, Living Debt...

You’re Just Not That Interested In Cars

by Sandi Martin | April 24, 2013 | Blog, Fee Only Financial Planning, Financial Planners, Personal Finance | 0 Comments

The point of this post: It makes sense to hire a professional for an essential job you can't make time to do yourself. Do you take your car to a mechanic? You're smart. Presumably you can read. Why are you paying someone else to do work that you could - with a little...

February’s Great Reads

by Sandi Martin | February 13, 2018 | Canadian Personal Finance News | 0 Comments

Your portfolio is probably down right now, and I don’t want to minimize the worry some of you are feeling, especially those of you who are about to start, or are already relying on withdrawals from your investments for income. It’s no fun, but it’s also not something...

July’s Great Reads

by Sandi Martin | July 9, 2019 | Canadian Personal Finance News | 0 Comments

Summer is, as you know, a great time for reading. We hope you’ve been digging into our Summer Reading List and have found some gems. If you’re looking for some smaller bites, then we’ve got just the platter for you in this month’s top reads. We start with some really...

Distressingly Common Investment Advice

by Sandi Martin | August 20, 2015 | Blog, Investing, Personal Finance, Retirement Planning | 0 Comments

I was recently part of a presentation for financial advisors, put on by someone whose work I respect (and who I imagine probably would not have said this if he had had more time to think about it). Just before the end, this came out of his mouth: Words I just heard!...

Managing Uncertainty

by Julia Chung | January 22, 2018 | Accountability, Big Picture, Investing, Personal Finance, Personal Financial Planning | 0 Comments

Oh, January. The calendar New Year starts smack-dab in the middle of winter, and as much as we try to gear up and get excited about this first month, there’s something so exhausting about January. It’s cold. The bills from the holidays are rolling in. We had holidays...

August 2018 Update

by Julia Chung | August 27, 2018 | Big Picture, Debt Management, Goal Planning, Monthly Spring Update | 0 Comments

Just before you slam your nose into the grindstone that September often brings - regardless of whether you have kids in school or work full time, it can still be a thing - let’s stop and consider: What is it you want to achieve in the back half of this year? What is...

Working with Sandi was everything I hoped for. I felt like you got to know me well and very quickly. I feel like your recommendations reflected my current reality as well as my personality. That is, you didn’t recommend things that I would never commit to.

After going through this process, I feel like I have a much better understanding of my financial picture. I so wish that I would have done this years ago!! H. Bellerose

Having an impartial 3rd-party review our entire financial situation is one of the best business decisions my wife and I have made. We consider Julia our personal CFO and have incorporated her services into all aspects of our financial lives.

There’s no pressure to purchase any investment or insurance through her or any associate she has introduced us to; but rather an assessment and guidance on plans we have for the future. C. Dewar

Well, it’s been a year since we came to see you last and enacted our plan and we are writing to tell you that we are DEBT FREE on November 1ST ON SCHEDULE!!!

Coming to see you, using your services, was the best decision we ever made as a couple. We can’t thank you enough. We couldn’t have done any of it without you. Thanks, Kathryn.

K. & J. Shorrocks

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Our Mission

Our Mission

Julia Chung, CFP, CLU, FEA, TEP

Sandi Martin, CFP

Kathryn Mandelcorn, FMA

Karen Richardson, FPSC Level 1®

Connect with the team on social media

What We Do at Spring

Our Process

What We’re Writing

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