Frequently Asked Questions
What is an independent advisory firm?
Independence is defined in the dictionary as not being swayed by bias, influence, or control of others.
Unlike company sales representatives and in-house “advisors,” our Certified Financial Planners have access to a comprehensive range of products and services from all of the major investment companies, insurance companies and banks. This includes stocks, bonds, pooled funds, ETF’s, GIC’s, and life/disability/critical illness/travel insurance from all of the major carriers.
At Insight Planning we are not obligated to or limited by a specific company’s product, or compensated based on which company we use, offering you unbiased recommendations based on our Goals-based Planning Process.
What is a “CFP”?
The letters “CFP” stand for Certified Financial Planner. The CFP marks identify individuals who are dedicated to the highest level of professionalism in providing financial planning advice.
Certified Financial Planner® certification is the most widely recognized financial planning designation in Canada and throughout the world and is considered the ‘gold standard’ for the profession. CFP professionals have demonstrated the knowledge, skills, experience, and ethics to examine their clients’ entire financial picture, at the highest level of complexity required of the profession, and work with their clients to build a financial plan so that they can Live Life Confidently™.
Verify the status of our Certified Financial Planners here: Find a Planner
How do I verify if an advisor is in good standing with regulators?
While the vast majority of investment advisors, insurance advisors and financial planners are honest and reputable, it pays to remember that just like any other profession, there are those individuals and firms who are not.
Check if your advisor and firm are registered with IIROC by searching here: Looking up an Investment Advisor or Firm | IIROC
Check if your advisor is a Certified Financial Planner in good standing here: Find a Planner (fpcanada.ca)
Other regulatory organizations have their own services that let you search for registration status and disciplinary records here: Search Outside IIROC | IIROC
Are my investments protected with Insight Planning?
Insight Planning Group is an independent full-service boutique planning firm licensed with IPC Securities.
IPC Securities is majority owned by IGM Financial Inc., a member of the Power Financial group of companies. As part of the Power Financial network, you benefit from our affiliation with a large, well respected, Canadian-based firm with access to advanced information systems, a broad technology platform and extensive compliance services.
IPC Securities is a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund. We also offer term deposits covered by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation (CDIC) and the Credit Union Deposit Insurance Corporation (CUDIC).
Are you taking on new clients?
We are continuously assessing our capacity and client experience and an important part of our process is determining who our services are best suited for. We typically only accept new clients who are introduced to us, and it needs to be a good fit for everyone.
Before engaging in our goals-based planning process we’ll meet to discuss potential alignment of interests. We’d like to learn more about your situation and aspirations and give you an opportunity to ask about practice and process, ultimately helping us determine if we might be a good fit to work together.
No decisions or commitments are made at this time, and there’s no expectation go any further at this point.
Can I transfer my investments from another firm?
If you have an investment account at another firm and are considering a change, you may have more options than you realize.
In some cases you can transfer your investment account “in-kind” so the investment doesn’t need to be redeemed. If the investment remains in-tact it may help avoid tax implications or costly redemption fees that are used at some firms. Account closure fees and transfer fees charged by the relinquishing institution may also be reimbursed to you in some cases.
Prior to initiating the transfer we will conduct a comprehensive assessment to determine the impact of transferring your account and provide a detailed recommendation to ensure you will not be charged unnecessary fees or taxes.
Can I refer a family member or friend to Insight Planning?
If there are people in your life that are important to you, know that they are important to us.
As part of our process, and as an added service for our best clients, we make ourselves available to act as a sounding board to your friends and family members.
There’s no expectation for them to become a client – it’s part of our process – and a complimentary service we provide to our best clients at no cost.