Full-Service & Comprehensive Planning
We are a full-service wealth planning firm that offers a sophisticated combination of diligent financial planning and multifaceted portfolio management, providing high-net worth individuals with the comprehensive financial services and absolute after-tax returns they seek.
Our more sophisticated approach means we work closely with your other advisors, including your accountant and lawyer, to co-ordinate and ensure that everyone is on the same page, working together to help you achieve your financial goals.
Financial Advisor Report Card
| Search Criteria | Investment Brokerage Firms | Private Banking Firms | Independent Advisor | Nicola Wealth Management |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Is comprehensive, integrated financial planning offered? | No Not usually, but some brokers offer planning services | Maybe In some cases, but not standardized | Maybe It depends on the individual advisor; many independent advisors focus mainly on money management and do not look at the broader financial picture. | Yes We complete an initial comprehensive written financial plan which is updated annually or sooner. |
| Is integrated tax planning offered? | No No | Maybe Not internally, but they may refer clients to outside specialists | Maybe Not usually, but some advisors will offer this or refer some of their clients to outside specialists | Yes This is a significant focus of our planning report and is integrated with outside specialists |
| Is compensation for financial planning and investment advice unbiased? | Maybe Most brokerage firms are transaction and commission based, which is a biased system; some advisors and brokerage firms may use fee-based or wrap account products which might be unbiased | Maybe Generally fee-based, but investments may lean towards the bank's own product offering, so this is biased | Maybe Depends if the advisor is compensated through selling product (biased) or if they are fee-based | Yes We are 100% fee-based advisory firm; any embedded commisions from 3rd-party investment product manufacturers are rebated to clients to reduce fees |
| Is direct real estate investing offered? | No Direct ownership real estate investing is not offered | No Direct ownership real estate investing is not offered | No Occasionally, the odd independent advisor who is involved in real estate may offer direct real estate investing to clients, but through a commission | Yes Direct ownership of commercial-grade real estate (such as shopping centers) is offered to clients; the investment is fee based, so the fee is the same as any other investment |
| Is there access to private investment opportunities not available to the general public? | Maybe They are generally limited to IPOs which are mostly publicly available anyway | No No | No At times, some advisors may offer clients private investment opportunities by introducing them to promoters, but tends to be the extent; comprehensive due diligence would likely not be carried out on the investment | Yes We source private investment opportunities for our clients where we carry out our own comprehensive due diligence; like all our investments, these private offering are fee base as well |
| Is creative & innovative insurance planning offered? | Maybe Some investment brokers may offer insurance planning, but the creativity of this planning will be limited if they are not doing fully integrated financial planning for their clients | Maybe While virtually all private banking firms will do insurance planning, the extent of the creativity will depend on whether or not the financial planning being done is fully integrated and comprehensive | Maybe Independent advisors who focus on money management may not concentrate much on insurance planning; advisors who do comprehensive planning work for their clients should be able to utilize innovative and creative insurance planning | Yes Creative and innovative insurance planning is how we reduce the insurance costs for our clients while also using insurance as a tool to dramatically increase after-tax portfolio returns |
Our wealth management services include:
- Retirement Planning
- Investment Strategy
- Portfolio Management
- Tax Planning
- Estate Planning
- Risk Management
- Insurance Planning
- Business Planning
- Liquidity Event Planning
- Charitable Giving
