Stepping Back to Move Forward

As we mentioned last month, summer is an amazing season for thinking, thinking, and more thinking. Here at Spring Planning, we’ve been thinking too, and asking ourselves the same question over and over again:

How can we continue to improve our services to support you?

If you own a business, lead an organization, or help steward family wealth, you’ll know that growth doesn’t always mean getting bigger. Sometimes it means staying just how you are. In either case, it’s vital to keep testing new ideas, reviewing the outcomes, learning from them, and making intentional decisions about what comes next.

Throughout the first half of 2026, that is exactly what we’ve been doing.

Earlier this year, we shared that we were exploring a strategic collaboration with Prime Quadrant. Over the past several months, that experience gave us the opportunity to exchange ideas, challenge our thinking, and refine many of the processes that support the work we do with you, every day.

As we move into the second half of the year, we’re excited to share that Spring Planning is continuing forward as the fully independent, advice-only firm we’ve always been.

We hope that you have experienced little to no change through this testing period. Going forward, that lack of change continues – and that’s exactly the point.

Our purpose has always been to provide objective, thoughtful financial planning built around your life, your family, your business, and your goals. Remaining independent allows us to continue acting as your advocate, collaborating with your investment managers, accountants, lawyers, and other trusted professionals without being tied to any one institution or product.

This experience strongly reinforced something we often discuss with you: every system (including your plans) should periodically evaluate whether its structure still supports where it’s trying to go.

Whether you’re reviewing the future of your corporation, thinking about succession, preparing the next generation, contemplating retirement, considering a new business opportunity, or simply asking whether your current systems are still serving you well, creating space to reflect is never wasted effort. Even when the destination doesn’t change, the journey often becomes clearer.

That’s certainly been true for us.

The first half of 2026 reinforced many of the things we’ve believed for years, while also helping us improve how we work behind the scenes. We’ve refined internal processes, strengthened our planning approach, and continue to invest in systems that allow us to serve you more effectively.

You’ve already seen one example of this with the addition of Ria Stroppa to our planning team earlier this year. As an Associate Planner, Ria is helping us build greater capacity, continuity, and long-term succession within Spring so that we’re well positioned to support you for many years to come.

We’ve developed valuable relationships through this experience. We’ll continue collaborating with Prime Quadrant and other specialist firms whenever it benefits your unique circumstances, while remaining your independent planning partner. Growth can mean a lot of different things. For Spring, it means building strength while holding true to our purpose.

As you move through your summer, and hopefully take a break from being super productive, you may find that you have a little more bandwidth to think strategically, just as we did. Maybe even test a few things out, if you find you have the time.

Not sure how to get started? Here are some questions that might be on your mind already, or worth contemplating:

• Does your corporate structure serve the “you” that you are today, even if it was built for the “you” that existed 5 years ago? What has changed since then?
• Are your income, lifestyle, and savings for the future built for today, or for yesterday?
• Has your retirement timeline changed?
• Are the people around you prepared if something unexpected happens? Do they know where to find all your documents and who your key contacts are? When was the last time you updated them?
• If you were to design your life now… what would be different?

These aren’t questions that need immediate answers, but they are worth asking before another busy fall arrives, so you have time to create an action plan.

Our team will be spending July and August doing much the same. We’ll be refining workflows, enhancing our technology, creating new educational resources, and preparing for another busy Income Planning season.

Great planning doesn’t happen by accident. Whether it’s for your camping trip, your family finances, your corporate and trust structure, your estate, or your business, great planning means taking the time to pause, reflect, and intentionally prepare for what comes next.

Thank you, as always, for trusting us to be part of your journey. We look forward to reconnecting soon…throughout and after a delightful summer.

Your Spring Planning Team

Practice Notes:

Julia will be on holiday starting July 25 and will be returning on August 11. Ashlee will be on holiday between July 29 and August 7, and Ria will be taking holidays a bit more haphazardly throughout the summer and will definitely enjoy the August 3rd and September 7th statutory holidays with the rest of the team.

We hope you are also taking a lot of holiday time! Stay hydrated and sun protected!

Have more questions? Drop us a note at info@springplans.ca.

Spring in the News:

We were too busy working and preparing for holidays to be in the news this month, but you can find any media you missed and any you might want to revisit right here.

Planning News Digest:

Before You Add a Joint Owner: Thinking about adding a child or other family member as a joint owner of your home or other assets? A recent Ontario court decision is a timely reminder that these arrangements can have unintended legal and estate planning consequences. Explore the full article here.

When Your Charitable Gift Can’t Be Made: What happens if the charity you’ve named in your Will no longer exists when you pass away? This article explores how charitable gifts can be affected by changing circumstances and why it’s important to review your estate plan regularly. Learn more here.

Ideas to Reflect On: Looking for some fascinating conversation starters? Scott Barry Kaufman shares a collection of thought-provoking research and insights on psychology, creativity, and human behaviour in his latest research roundup. Check out the full July Research Roundup.

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