How is your September going? Over at Spring, we are all back at our desks after a summer filled with holidays exploring our local communities. With team members spread from coast to coast, we have been able to share our explorations with each other, which is almost (but not quite) like travelling ourselves. If you follow us on social media (links at the bottom of this newsletter), you’ll be able to see some of what those explorations have looked like. 

Many of our team members, like many of our clients, have children who have been getting into pre, elementary, secondary, and post-secondary school. This year has, of course, brought its own significant challenges and difficult decisions in this arena. While we all try to navigate new systems built to keep our children and families safe, we are also continuing to navigate the financial decisions that arrive this time of year. 

Karen thought she would make this part just a bit easier for you, with her Top Reads article, focused on money smart kids. Full of resources for teenagers, young adults ready to launch, and parents determined to make the best use of RESPs, you won’t want to miss this curated list of knowledge for helping your children get the most of their – and your – dollars.

We are also continuing with our 2020 theme of sharing real stories with you (with names and identifying details cleverly covered up with all the smoke and mirrors we could find) of clients who have created their own lives, well spent, with the Spring Plans team. Stories so far have included successes in managing an expensive housing market, cross border finances, spiraling debt, planning for children with disabilities, and much more. Check out our blog here to read past articles. 

This month, we’re sharing Olivia’s story. She’s a single professional who just sold her company to a larger firm – and now has taken on a significant role in that larger firm. Olivia has always managed her portfolio herself, but with an influx of new money from the sale and increased work responsibilities, she was starting to feel overwhelmed. Find out how her Portfolio Second Opinion with Darryl ended up pointing her in the right direction.

You can get a little of Darryl’s time for *free* (our favourite price) this October 19th during his Quarterly Market Update. You’ll get a summary overview of what’s been happening and the opportunity to ask all of your questions – please have them ready!

We’re also excited to share with you this latest update on the evolution of financial planning in Canada, which specifically highlights the work of the Financial Planning Association of Canada (FPAC), an organization to which we’ve contributed founding members and board directors, Sandi and Julia. 

We hope you enjoy this month’s roundup of articles and information. Next month will include more great reads, a book review and another story about the amazing clients we are honoured to work with. See you then!

Spring in the News:

Julia will be part of a virtual panel on Wednesday, September 30th as part of the 2020 Wealth Professional Awards. Julia and all the other finalists for the Female Trailblazer of the Year award will be providing career advice to up and comers in the financial services industry at 12:45 pm ET. Register free here.

Darryl was featured in Riskmetrics’ Advisor Spotlight Series, talking about Spring, our structure, and his unique role at our firm.  

Sandi chatted with the Globe and Mail about RESPs and the three important facts you may not know. Read all about it here.

Julia’s article on Shareholder Agreements, “Good Fences Make Good Neighbours,” is featured on page 8 of Canadian Money Saver Magazine. 

Practice Notes:

We are sad to announce that our Associate Planner, Karen, has accepted a position outside of Spring Plans. We have been absolutely delighted to have Karen on our team and are very sad to let her go. She’s chosen to give us a lot of notice and will be spending her time between now and October 16th, coordinating clients and planners so that our promise of continuity of care is maintained even through this change. Please join us in wishing Karen the very best in the next stage of her career! 

The Spring Plans team will be taking Thanksgiving, Monday, October 12th to express some gratitude, so we will all be away from our computers and telephones throughout the day. We are otherwise “all hands on deck” throughout the month. 

“Free” Fridays remain booked permanently in our calendars (even though Sandi’s are on Wednesdays!). These days are free to us at Spring in the sense that they are our opportunity to work on becoming better planners, whether through collaboration and discussion, education, research, or even a little downtime. It’s been a regular practice since the summer of 2017, and we will continue to set aside the time to become better versions of ourselves every week. Even 1% better is solidly worth it because we know that will be reflected in the work we do for you.

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