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2005 CIFPs National Conference
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2005 Conference >Speaker Biographies
David Wm. Brown is a Certified Financial Planner, Chartered Life Underwriter, Registered Health Underwriter, and a Chartered Financial Consultant. He has been involved in the life insurance and financial planning industry since 1974. He has been awarded the National Quality Award on a consistent basis from 1975 to the present. David’s accomplishments have earned him a place among the top one-half percent of life insurance professionals worldwide. He has been a member of the Million Dollar Round Table’s Top of The Table consistently for the past fourteen years. David is a member of the Canadian Tax Foundation, the Conference of Advanced Life Underwriters, and is on the National Board of the Canadian Association of Gift Planners. He has written and spoken extensively on employee benefits, practice management, charitable giving insurance, succession, financial and retirement planning. He has published articles in CCH, Federated Press, The Canadian Institute, and is on the editorial advisory board and is a regular columnist for the Advisor’s Edge Magazine. David is a partner, together with his sister, Golda, and father, Al G. Brown in the firm of Al G. Brown & Associates. Al G. Brown & Associates is an independent financial and estate planning firm, which was founded in 1943. Al G. Brown & Associates provides its clients and their advisors with professional consulting services in the fields of life insurance, employee benefits plans, retirement planning, and charitable giving techniques. David has been instrumental in developing and implementing charitable giving plans resulting in millions of dollars. He has consulted to the University of Toronto Foundation, Canadian Friends of Hebrew University and Bar Ilan University, UJA Federations across Canada, The United Way, Baycrest Hospital Foundation and several other national and international charitable organizations. David was awarded the Toronto Jewish Congress leadership Development Award in 1990. He is past Ontario Chairman of State of Israel Bonds and Canadian President of The Sanz Medical Centre in Netanya, Israel. David is past Chairman of the Professional Advisory Council of the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto. David is currently Vice-President of Associated Hebrew Day Schools. David lives in Toronto with his wife, Helen and daughters, Sarah Edite and Pnina Devorah.
Sandy Cardy is Vice President of Tax and Estate Planning at Mackenzie Financial. Her mandate is to provide tax and estate planning support to advisors and planners to assist
them in protecting and growing their clients' wealth in the years ahead. In addition, the Tax and Estate Planning area will provide support to Mackenzie's new product initiatives in the area of tax efficiency. Prior to joining Mackenzie, Sandy spent four years in her own consultancy practice, providing financial and estate planning for high net worth individuals as well as conducting numerous tax and estate planning seminars. Sandy has accumulated a wealth of strategies for financial advisors and clients to help taxpayers make the most of their individual tax and estate planning situations. Sandy is the author of two highly regarded tax and estate books, her most recent titled "The Cottage, the Spider Brooch and the Second Wife. Told in the format of an engaging, highly readable novel, this book assists the wave of aging baby boomers and their parents understand the ever-increasing importance of estate planning on the transfer of wealth. Sandy has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Western Ontario and a Bachelor of commerce from the University of Windsor. She obtained her C.A. designation in 1986 and CFP in 1998.
Daryl Diamond, CFP, CLU, ChFC, started in the financial services industry in 1978 upon graduating from the University of Regina. His practice is now based in Winnipeg. The creation of Diamond Retirement Planning Ltd., in 1993, focused his work around pre-retirement and retirement clients and the income structures, investment strategies and estate conservation issues that are unique to that group. In addition to building his own client base, Daryl works on a joint basis with other producers by providing retirement planning services to their individual and group clients. His involvement in planning and client education has led to his creating two formal seminar programs, Prime Approach and Plansmart which he uses in building his business. These same seminar programs are currently used by 34 other Financial Advisors across Canada in building their practices. In a strategic alliance with Mackenzie Financial Corporation, Daryl has produced The SMART series of educational modules used by advisors working with Mackenzie’s group retirement programs. He has served numerous times on the faculty of CAIFA marketing schools and professional development conferences. His book, The Structure Of Retirement Income for CCH publications, is specifically dedicated to assisting advisors in creating comprehensive retirement income plans for their clients. In April of 2003 his book Buying Time was published by John Wiley and Sons. This book focuses on helping retirees and those about to retire to better plan the use of their money and time by working more closely with their advisor. He serves as the “Retirement Income Lifecycle Coach” as an associate with Evelyn Jacks Productions Inc and the Knowledge Bureau. Daryl lives in Winnipeg and is married to Karen, who is a CFP RFP, and has two children, Geoff 21 and Kelly 18.
Roxanne Eszes of Cleartech Documentation and Training (Guelph, ON) is a technical writer and trainer, specializing in the financial services field. She obtained her CFP designation in 1998 and became a CIFPs member when it the organization first launched in 2003. Roxanne has been writing course materials for aspiring CFP candidates since 1996, and has written extensively for the CIFP’s CFP program of study, including materials on income tax planning, retirement planning, investment planning, risk management and estate planning. Apart from her work with the CIFP, she has helped develop and deliver study aids and exam preparation courses for CFP candidates across the country. Roxanne has contributed to numerous continuing education courses for CFP licensees, including many of those distributed by the CIFPs. She is the author of the new Financial Planning Practitioner’s Guide, as well as the 2005 Current Issues continuing education course that will be released at this year’s conference.
Janet Freedman, B.Sc, CFP., RFP, is president of Finance Matters Ltd., a fee-only financial consulting business. Through her financial planning company, Janet Freedman provides unbiased
advice and a complete range of financial planning services including tax preparation to a client base which varies widely in age, income and net worth. Janet graduated from the University of London, England with a B.Sc. Janet's professional background included counselling, public relations, environmental consulting, research and teaching, prior to entering the Financial Planning profession in 1984. She graduated from the Chartered Financial Planner course with honours (C.F.P.), and holds the Registered Financial Planner designation (RFP) from the Canadian Association of Financial Planners. She holds the Certified Financial Planner designation (CFP) from the Financial Planners Standards Council of Canada. She is a member of the Institute of Advanced Financial Planners (IAFP) and the Canadian Institute of Financial Planners (CIFPS). She is also on the Board of Pueblito, and is a member of the Social Investment Organization and a consultant on ethical investing. Janet's down-to-earth advice has been regularly quoted in The Financial Post magazine, Report on Business magazine, IE Money, The Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Sun. She was a regular columnist on CBC radio's Later the Same Day, and regularly appears on television.
Gavin Graham is Vice President, Director of Investments at Guardian Group of Funds Ltd. (GGOF) having joined GGOF in 1999 to supervise the company’s investment managers and ensure consistency of performance and compliance, while having responsibility for the overall range of investment products. Prior to joining GGOF, he was a limited partner and principal in a San Francisco based Asian specialist mutual fund management company for 3 years. Before moving to San Francisco, he was based in Hong Kong for eight years, serving as Chief Investment Officer for Citibank Global Asset Management, Investment Director for Connaught Investment Ltd. and a Senior Fund Manager and Director for Thornton Management (Asia) Ltd., a subsidiary of Dresdner RCM Global Investors. He began his career in the UK, initially with Baring Brother Ltd., and subsequently as a Manager of International Equities with Phillips & Drew Investment Services. His qualifications include an MA in Modern History and membership of the Hong Kong Institute of Investment Analysts. He appears regularly on ROB-TV's "Marketcall".
Tracy Heath began her financial career at Richardson Greenshields. Through mergers and acquisitions, she had the opportunity of working with other major brokerage firms, such as Merrill Lynch where she spent several years as an investment advisor and instructor of financial planning courses. By 2000, Tracy had joined Stone & Co, becoming the new Regional Sales Manager for South Western Ontario. This position allowed her to establish many sales partnerships, as well as take on an active role in community service and fundraising events. As the new Ethical Funds Sales Manager for Ontario and Atlantic Canada, Tracy promotes sustainable investing ideals and the strength of the Ethical Funds line-up.
As the result of a challenging 14 year caregiving experience, Karen Henderson founded Caregiver Network and How to Care, Canada’s leading on and off-line resource centre for aging and eldercare. Her web sites, seminar series, quarterly newsletter, TV/video series and Personal Care Binder are internationally recognized as key aging and long term care educational tools. Karen is now a well-known speaker, writer, media commentator, publisher and educator in the field of aging and long term care who has been published in leading geriatric journals in Canada. Because Karen understands the long term care marketing and education requirements of financial service organizations and their clients, numerous professional services companies including UnumProvident Canada, Advocis, Phillips, Hager & North and Clarica have asked Karen to create and deliver presentations to help them understand and market to Canadians who might benefit from living benefit products. Karen is also a content advisor and member of the teaching faculty for the new EPC or Elder Planning Counselor designation, a course designed to educate financial and insurance professionals who interact with seniors and their families. She is a member of many associations, advisory boards and networks concerned with seniors’ mental health, caregiver well-being, dementia and end - of – life care for Canadians.
Marie Howes, B.A., CFP, RFP, is a fee-only personal financial consultant and trainer. She holds a B.A. in History and Political Science from the University of Victoria, B.C., and continued her business education at Carleton University, Ryerson and the University of Toronto. She is a graduate of the Canadian Institute of Financial Planning with a Chartered Financial Planner (C.F.P.) designation; and also holds the designations of Registered Financial Planner (RFP) and Certified Financial Planner (CFP). She founded her own firm, MoneySmart Inc., in 1982, and a related firm, Howes & Associates. She has had previous experience in the life and health insurance fields, in the general insurance, mutual funds, trust and stock brokerage industries and in financial counselling for executives and professionals. Prior to entering the personal financial planning field, Ms. Howes was a public relations practitioner. Her PR experience includes writing and general public relations at the CBC and in the hotel industry. In her capacity as a consultant, Ms. Howes counsels individuals in personal money management. As a trainer, she designs and delivers seminars and workshops for group sessions dealing with personal money management for employee development programs and for rightsizing and pre-retirement planning. She also provides financial counselling for EAP clients. Ms. Howes has written about personal money management for the Toronto Sun, for The Financial Post Magazine; and the Toronto Star. She has often been interviewed on radio and TV and by newspapers and magazines. Marie was the founding editor of "The Canadian Financial Planner", the first professional journal of the Canadian Association of Financial Planners. She has also instructed financial planning courses at Erindale Campus, University of Toronto; Sheridan College, Oakville and Brampton. She is a member of the Institute of Advanced Financial Planners (IAFP), the Canadian Society for Training and Development (CSTD), the Canadian Association of Pre-Retirement Planners (CAPP), the Canadian Institute of Financial Planners (CIFPS) and the Independent Financial Brokers (as an Associate Member).
Jason Laidler, B.Sc. (Honours), CFP, CSA, TEP, is currently in his seventh year at Investors Group where, for the past few years, he has co-managed a large book of business. Jason graduated from the University of Guelph in 1995 with an Honours B.Sc. in biological science and has since obtained his Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Certified Senior Advisor (CSA), and Trust and Estate
Practitioner (TEP) designations. Mr. Laidler plays the bagpipes and
loves all things Scottish including haggis! This has led him to develop his "Piping Planner" persona which he uses when presenting to seniors clubs, church groups, and the like -- complete with the kilt and pipe tunes to keep people from dozing off. Jason is a director for the Canadian Institute of Financial Planners (CIFPs) and has recently served as the chair for the committee that
created the Financial Planners Practice Guide (FPPG). He is serving his fifth term as the treasurer of a branch of the Royal Canadian Legion and is the current chair of the Environmental Advisory Committee for the town of East Gwillimbury. Jason has been married for almost 5 years and has one sweet little girl named Abigail (naturally, it is after all a historical Scottish name) who celebrated her first birthday this past January.
Barry LaValley is a twenty-five year veteran of the Canadian Financial Services Industry. In that time he has been a speaker, writer, investment advisor, senior mutual funds executive and educator. Barry is a founding member of the Canadian Initiative for Elder Planning Studies and is on their faculty. In addition, he is an instructor in the American Institute for Elder Planning Studies across the border. Recently, he was a member of the financial life planning committee of the National Endowment for Financial Education in the U.S. Barry is President of the Retirement Lifestyle Center, a research and education company focusing on the issues associated with today’s retirement. He is also a partner in the LifeFirst Approach, a communications and marketing company providing tools for North American financial advisors on the life planning approach to financial planning.
Michael Lem firmly believes that all investors are unique and require special attention in a portfolio that is tailor-made and designed for their specific needs. The only true path to investing, lies in a solid understanding of a clients' present and future desired financial states. And this can only be achieved through properly executed financial planning. Michael understands that both quality service and portfolio performance are important to his clients. He believes in capital preservation and long term growth. Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Michael Lem received his Honours Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Toronto. In 1995, Michael attained professional accounting status as a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and in 2003, in recognition of his contributions to the field of accounting, he was awarded a Fellow of the Society of Management Accountants of Canada (FCMA). Michael's financial planning qualifications include having earned the internationally recognized Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation from the Financial Planning Standards Council of Canada. On the securities side, Mr. Lem holds his Canadian Securities, Conduct and Practices and Options Licenses. He also has both his Life Insurance and Accidents & Sickness Insurance Licenses (Level II). Mr. Lem teaches and writes articles on investment strategies, and financial, retirement and estate planning. He has been a columnist for the York Business News, the Voice of the Farmer and has been a regular contributor to the Toronto Sun. Mr. Lem has, and continues to lecture extensively in Canada and around the world, on the topic of financial planning. Mr. Lem is the past President of the Erindale College Alumni Association, University of Toronto at Mississauga. Michael Lem has completed both the Series 63 (United States Uniform Securities Agent State Law Examination) as well as the Series 38 (United States General Securities Registered Representative Examination - Canada Module). Michael is the past Chairman of the Board of the Financial Planners Standards Council -the national body that grants the internationally recognized Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation. Mr. Lem has been with BMO Nesbitt Burns since 1991. From 1987 to 1990, Mr. Lem was an Investment Advisor with Yorkton Securities Ltd.
Peter Mansbridge is the Chief Correspondent of CBC Television News. In that role he anchors CBC's flagship nightly news program, The National, and all CBC News Specials. He is also the host of Mansbridge: One on One on CBC Newsworld, and writes a weekly column for Maclean's magazine. Occasionally a news anchor reaches a level of public respect and visibility that they become more than a broadcaster. They become the daily voice of a nation, chronicling its hopes and fears, celebrating its achievements, and grieving its disappointments and tragedies. In Canada, Peter Mansbridge has become that national voice. Now in his fourth decade with CBC News, Mansbridge has provided comprehensive coverage of some of the most significant stories of our time, and is our most respected source for comprehensive coverage of the key developments in Canada and around the world. Nationally, he has anchored live coverage of every major political event of the past decade, national crises such as the 1997 floods in Manitoba, and the Quebec and Ontario ice storms of 1998, and seminal moments in the national psyche such as the six emotional days that marked the death and state funeral of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, and, more recently, the retirement of Jean Chrétien. Mansbridge has also anchored in-studio coverage of such international events as the funeral of Pope John Paul II, the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the events surrounding September 11, 2001. His on the scene coverage of such stories as the fall of the Berlin Wall, numerous royal and papal visits, and the 50th anniversary of D-Day have set the standard by which other journalists are judged. Mansbridge's accomplishments have been recognized by both his peers and the wider community. He has received 11 Gemini Awards for excellence in broadcast journalism, including nine Geminis for Best Anchor. He has also won the Gemini for Best Overall Broadcast Journalist - the prestigious Gordon Sinclair Award - twice, and was recently presented the 2004 Canadian Club of New York's Arts and Letters Award. Peter was awarded the gold medal for Best News Anchor at the 2000 New York Festival in a competition of television networks around the world. Mansbridge has also been honoured by a number of institutes of higher learning, receiving honorary degrees from Mount Royal College, the University of Manitoba, Lakehead University, and Mount Allison University. He was named the 1998 Arnold Wolfers' Fellow at Yale University, and in 2001 he was invited to lecture at Oxford University as part of that institution's distinguished speakers series.
Charles Marcus, originally from England, spent over 20 years in a sales and service industry winning international awards for sales achievement. In one eighteen month period he increased sales in his territory by 346%. He later became a corporate leader with a major corporation and finally an award- winning entrepreneur. Today he runs his own successful professional speaking business. What is truly remarkable is knowing where Charles came from. For many years Charles could not do what most of us take for granted —– speak. For 25 years, he lived with a severe stuttering disability, suffering much ridicule and rejection. He sometimes went for long periods not being able to speak at all, living in a world of silence and dreaming of one day speaking fluently in public. Charles realized his dream after making an important decision: to take full responsibility for his life and to confront his challenges and fears head on. His powerful story of refusing to give up in the face of adversity, overcoming obstacles and winning against the odds, has been featured in the international press and media. Since 1999 Charles has been delivering customized motivational and inspirational keynote presentations and seminar programs on peak performance, success, change, relationship selling, leadership and customer service, to corporations, organizations and associations throughout Canada, the United States and Europe. Some of his recent clients have included American Express, Bank of Montreal, Equinox Financial Group, Special Olympics, North American Association of Asian Professionals, Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, Vidal Sassoon Salons and Education Centers, Clarica Insurance, Solis Corporation (Europe) T.D. Canada Trust and the International Association of Administrative Professionals. Using illustrations from his own personal and professional experiences, Charles connects with his audience in a way that empowers them to face the challenges and change in their own life with renewed confidence and determination to succeed. Charles’ message and presentation will leave a lasting impression and benefit on his audience long after the event is over.
Amin Mawani is an Associate Professor of Taxation at the Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto. His research and teaching interests are in the field of taxation from perspectives of finance, law, accounting and economics. Amin Mawani earned his Ph.D in Taxation from the University of Waterloo, his LL.M in Taxation from Osgoode Hall Law School at York, and his MA in Economics from the University of Toronto. Amin is also a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). Professor Mawani has published widely in the field of taxation, including educational materials for the Canadian Securities Institute and the Institute of Canadian Bankers. His articles have been published in Canadian Tax Journal, Contemporary Accounting Research, CA Magazine, and CMA Management, as well in numerous edited books. Professor Mawani has done consulting work on the taxation of employee stock options with the Federal Department of Finance in Ottawa, and worked on a provincial budget with the Ontario Ministry of Finance. Amin currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Financial Planners Standards Council, and has served on the Boards of CMA-BC and Canadian Crossroads International. He has been interviewed on CBC Newsworld and CBC Radio and quoted by Canadian Press on tax issues. His research has been cited in The Globe and Mail, The National Post, and The Toronto Star.
In his role as Vice President of National Sales, Pierre McLean is responsible for expanding our national sales presence and repositioning Franklin Templeton Investments as a full-service provider of investment management solutions. In this capacity, he provides strategic leadership to a team of 70 sales professionals. While he is officially based in Toronto, he also spends many hours with the sales team in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Montreal and Halifax. Pierre joined Franklin Templeton Investments in April 1999 and has over 22 years of senior, multi-industry sales management experience from various national and regional roles with Northern Telecom, Xerox, Intrawest and Global Strategy. Pierre is a graduate of McGill University with a B. Comm and received his MBA from the University of Western Ontario.
Aileen Miga, BA, CFP is a Private Wealth Consultant with Altamira Financial Services, as well as a skilled Life Coach. Trained through the Thomas Leonard Coaching School, Aileen coaches individuals, families and organizations to make a connection between their vision, values, personal fulfillment, and money. She is Canada’s first financial planner to be trained by The Sudden Money Institute in Financial Transition Planning, a holistic process effective in helping individuals through major life transitions. Aileen is a long-term member of the US-based think tank for financial planners called “The Nazrudin Project”. Here she contributes to an on-going dialogue about “Integral Finance”: the new term describing a holistic approach to financial planning, which focuses on the human and spiritual aspects of money and personal finance. Her constant search for effective ways of thinking and being with money has led Aileen, together with fellow Life Coach, Dr. Janice Hughes to write Inspired Wealth: Financial Leadership for the 21st Century (www.inspiredwealth.com). Aileen speaks passionately about the potential and inherent wisdom of financial planning as a process of continuous personal development and sustainable wealth creation. She believes that in the future financial planners will become more like “Financial Coaches”: utilizing coaching skills and principles to help people use money intentionally to attain their highest goals and achieve new levels of personal and financial freedom. To that end, Aileen is currently working with the CoachVille Schools of Coaching, the most comprehensive coach training program available to create a new Affinity Community for Financial Planners. This will be a first of its kind community designed to teach comprehensive coaching skills to Financial Planning Professionals around the world.
Mike Muise, EPC, Regional Vice President, Manulife Investments, graduated from his home-town University of Prince Edward Island with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in Finance in 1990. He spent his first seven years in Ontario working for a Toronto advertising agency as a creative copywriter. He moved to the financial industry eight years ago and has mutual fund company experience in dealer services, client services and inside sales. For the past four years he’s been working in the Golden Horseshoe region partnering with financial advisors in all channels and bringing them timely ideas and investment solutions for their business and clients from Manulife Investments. In 2004 Mike earned his Elder Planning Counselor designation and encourages advisors to do the same to enhance their value proposition with their senior clients. Mike currently lives in Mississauga with his wife, Trish and their 17-month-old daughter, Brynn.
Linda J. Murray, LL.B., CFE, has been involved in the securities industry for more than 20 years and has had broad experience in regulatory, legal and brokerage firm matters. She recently established her own consulting practice, Linda J. Murray Consulting, providing services to a range of clients in civil and regulatory matters, focusing on forensic fraud examination, regulatory/compliance matters, and litigation support. From 2002 to 2004, Linda served as the Senior Vice President Compliance and in house counsel for a medium-sized independent securities dealer, for both the Canadian parent and the affiliated US dealer. Prior to joining industry, Linda was a Manager Investigations with the BC Securities Commission, Enforcement Division, where she spent more than 10 years investigating securities breaches and market fraud issues. Linda was seconded to the Securities Fraud Office Pilot Project for three years and, as a Special Constable, was involved in the criminal investigation of securities fraud offences. Before joining the Commission, Linda was a lawyer in private practice with a focus on corporate and securities matters. Linda has held a Certified Fraud Examiner designation for more than 10 years and is currently the President of the Vancouver Chapter, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. The ACFE is a worldwide organization whose mandate is to reduce the incidence of fraud and white collar crime and to assist its members in detection and deterrence of fraud. Linda is committed to continuing education initiatives and has served on degree validation committees for forensic and fraud related courses and degrees at the Justice Institute (most recently the Securities Compliance and Supervision Training Program) and BCIT. She has been a speaker at many securities industry training sessions and individual firm continuing education training sessions. Linda has served on several securities industry committees.
Miklos Nagy, CFA, CFP, is President, founder and CEO of Quadrexx Asset Management Inc. Miklos Nagy is also Chairman, co-founder and CEO of Canadian Hedge Watch Inc., a Toronto based publishing and educational firm focusing on the Canadian hedge fund industry. Mr. Nagy is a leading authority on alternative investments and hedge funds in Canada. He is a co-author of Canada's first hedge fund book Hedge Funds for Canadians, published by John Wiley and Sons (second edition is published in June, 2005) and the new alternative professional designation course (CHAIP – Chartered Alternative Investment Planner) material. He has been interviewed and quoted extensively on national television, radio and newspapers about hedge funds. He has also been invited as a speaker to numerous international financial seminars and conferences for several organizations. Mr. Nagy studied Math and Computer Science in Hungary, graduated with a B.Sc.(Hons.) degree from the University of Toronto in Economics and Statistics and holds the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) and CFP (Certified Financial Planner) professional designations. Mr. Nagy is a founding Board Member of CIFPs, a member of AIMR (Association of Investment Management and Research), the Toronto Society of Financial Analysts and a founding member of the Hungarian Society of Investment Professionals, Budapest.
Carla Rieger is an expert on the artistry of change. She uses proven secrets from the world of artistry to help your organization become a leader of innovation. She has been a professional speaker, trainer, facilitator, coach, comedy improviser, and performance storyteller since the mid-80’s. She is the director of YES Education Systems, a creative communications and consulting firm since 1991. She has written three critically acclaimed manuals, Managing Change with a Sense of Humor, Speaking on the Funny Side of the Brain and The Heart of Presenting, in addition to many articles in trade journals and magazines. She has taught thousands to unlock the funny side of their brains, and to mine negativity both within and without for the key to innovative solutions. Her work has been featured on radio, TV and in magazines. She founded several theatre groups including Mad Cow Productions, the Vancouver Playback Theatre troupe and Mythic Café from which she wrote, produced and performed a one-woman show, Dancing Between Worlds.
Fraser Smith, B.Sc., is a financial strategist residing in Victoria, British Columbia. He has pioneered The Smith Manoeuvre, a ground-breaking, legal strategy that enables ordinary Canadian homeowners to make their mortgages tax deductible in a simple, elegant, and affordable way. He released his strategy Canada-wide in December of 2002, in his new book entitled The Smith Manoeuvre (through Trafford Publishing). For over twenty years, until his retirement in 2002, Smith provided financial planning and tax advice to individuals and families from all walks of life.
Talbot Stevens is the President of a financial education firm that specializes in teaching people how to benefit financially without sacrificing their standard of living. Whether speaking to the public, corporate staff, or the financial industry, Talbot enthusiastically integrates humour with innovative strategies that add immediate and long-term value. He is also the author of the bestseller Financial Freedom Without Sacrifice, which is in its 16th printing with over 145,000 copies sold, Talbot’s Summary of Dispelling the Myths of Borrowing to Invest, and has recently published his first pamphlet entitled Introduction to Conservative Leverage. With degrees in Engineering and Computer Science, Mr. Stevens has become recognized for his comprehensive education of advanced financial strategies, including conservative leverage. Talbot’s latest research pioneers fundamental analysis of which investment strategies produce the most after-tax retirement income, helping us understand when investments are better outside of RRSPs. Leaders in the financial industry claim this analysis revolutionizes how to choose the best investment strategy. Talbot has been a guest on numerous radio and television programs including CBC Business World, Canada AM, CTV and City TV in Toronto, as well as being quoted by many newspapers such as The Globe and Mail, The National Post, The Toronto Sun and The Toronto Star. He is currently a contributing writer for Investment Executive, and was a weekly columnist for the London Free Press. Talbot has also written for Money Digest and Canadian MoneySaver. To ensure that future generations are aware of how easy it is to achieve their own financial freedom, Talbot has started a petition to make basic financial education a mandatory part of the school system. He has also initiated a “Help a Friend” campaign to encourage everyone to share valuable ideas with those they care about. Talbot grew up on a small farm in Southwestern Ontario. He currently resides in London, Ontario with his wife Theresa and their young, tireless, endurance testers, Derek, Ryan and Kristin. For more information, visit www.TalbotStevens.com, or call (519) 663-2252.
Paul van Eeden is an independent investor, analyst and newsletter editor. Born in South Africa, Paul graduated from university with a degree in chemistry and applied chemistry with additional credits in accounting, economics, business economics, philosophy, statistics, mathematics, biochemistry and physics. Paul's first business was an African art distributorship, of which he acquired a 50% interest during his first year at university in 1985. He has experience, either as an owner, manager or director, in plastics manufacturing, food supplements and cosmetics distribution, advertising & marketing as well as the manufacturing and distribution of gas detection equipment. Paul van Eeden left South Africa in 1994. He joined Yorkton Securities in Toronto as a stock broker in 1995 and moved to Global Resource Investments in Carlsbad, California in 1996. In November 2002, Paul decided to leave the brokerage industry and joined Doug Casey as co-editor of the International Speculator (www.internationalspeculator.com) newsletter. Paul writes a weekly column that is published on Kitco (www.kitco.com) and shares his investment ideas with subscribers to his electronic investment publication. His investment approach was shaped by the ideas of Benjamin Graham and David Dodd so Paul is always on the search for tangible value that can be bought at a reasonable price. That can usually be accomplished only during the trough of a market, which is currently not the case for general US equities. Therefore Paul decided to focus on the natural resources sector, specifically gold. The period from 1996 to 2001 was a trying time - the bottom of the worst bear market in gold in twenty years - but, of course, it was also a time of opportunity. At the San Francisco Gold Show in November 1998, Paul van Eeden introduced his original thesis that the gold price in US dollars is driven by the US dollar exchange rate, and that traditional commodity style analyses would not yield predictive results when applied to gold. He showed that a dollar-only view of the gold market is inadequate: understanding the gold price requires a global view, incorporating exchange rates across many currencies. This novel line of thinking is now ubiquitously accepted. In 2003 Paul went further, showing that the price of gold in US dollars is tightly correlated to the expansion of US monetary aggregates (M3) and that an analysis of gold as money not only clarifies the gold price from 1971 to the present, it has other implications that are still unforeseen by most financial and commodity analysts today. One of these is that the gold price will soon exceed $1,000 an ounce. Another is that, aside from operational differences, not all gold mining companies will benefit equally from this increase in the gold price. Paul van Eeden not only does his own research on the fundamental drivers behind the gold market, he also takes a hands-on approach to investment analysis: interviewing management, studying exploration projects and visiting mining operations. Whilst investing in mining and exploration companies is inherently risky, value is never far from his mind and features forcefully in his selection criteria. Most of Paul's time, now, is devoted to finding investments for his own portfolio.
Dave Wahl, Director National Sales, TD Asset Management, holds a BA in Economics and MBA from the University of Western Ontario. He began his career as a broker and financial advisor before joining TD Asset Management and has a PFP designation. He has been part of TD Asset Management since 2001 and currently works with advisors and wholesalers to assist both in building their businesses
Marion Weisgerber, CFP, BCM, began her financial services career in 1974, becoming mutual fund licensed in 1992, completed the Branch Compliance Managers course in 1997 and earned her CFP designation in 2000. Marion resides in Humboldt, a rural community in central Saskatchewan. Naturally, Marion's niche market is estate and farm succession planning and her goal is to provide clients with all the information they require to enable them to make informed financial decisions which impact their lifestyle planning and assist them in achieving peace of mind. Marion is a founding director of CIFPs and currently serves as Vice Chair.
Donna Worthington, CFP, is with The Investment Planning Counsel and is a partner and co-manager of the downtown branch in Edmonton, Alberta. After 30 years of nursing, Donna changed professions and entered the financial world. Completing three years of schooling while being a busy mom and wife, Donna achieved the highest scholastic honors in the graduating class of Certified Financial Planners at Grant MacEwan College. In 2001, Donna gratefully accepted the Women of Distinction award in Health and Science for the creation and implementation of “Clean Hands Dirty Hands.” This program on health promotion and disease prevention is taught in elementary schools across Canada. Donna was President of The Canadian Association of Financial Planners - Alberta North from 2002-2003, and co-chaired the CAFP Conference in Edmonton in 2002. She has held numerous positions in industry related associations and is presently a director on the national board of The Canadian Institute of Financial Planners. Donna is very pleased to be acting as Master of Ceremonies for the 3rd CIFPs National Conference.
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