Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why do I need a Financial Planner?

To save valuable time, definitely and avoid costly mistakes. A qualified financial planner has gone through hundreds of hours of studying, training and gaining the requisite skills required. Working with a competent financial planner pays for itself in the long run with all the money saved and invested. You might want to do it yourself but would it be worth the time, costly mistakes and multitude of sacrifices to go through the steep learning curve?

2. Are you a fiduciary? Do you act in the best interests of your clients?

Yes. It is our foremost duty to act with integrity and in the best interests of our clients.

3. How do you manage Investments?

We have strong alliances with portfolio managers and financial institutions who have demonstrated a steady proven track record of success.

4. Do you have any account minimums?

We require no investment minimums to work with us, so whether you are just starting your journey to becoming high net worth individual or have already accumulated significant assets, we are ready to provide you quality advice specific to your needs.

5. Is my money safe?

The custodians for our client’s accounts are the same financial institutions used by major banks under the regulatory requirement of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF).

Investment protection is with the financial institutions/custodians and no cheques are made payable to Portlington Financial.

6. How do you get paid?

In the case of individual security portfolios, Portlington Financial receives a referral fee from the portfolio manager which is part of the accounts management fee charged quarterly or monthly by the respective portfolio managers. For insurance products such as segregated funds, Portlington Financial receives a service fee based on the market value of the assets held by the insurance companies.

7. Why don’t you charge as much as other financial planners?

We don’t charge as much as other financial planners because we want to be able to work with individuals in all stages of life who may not be able to afford traditional financial advice. As independent financial planners we have the autonomy to customize our compensation based on the client’s financial position.

8. What if I need help but I’m not ready for a full plan?

Our financial plans are customized and tailored to meet our client’s needs to ensure every client has receives the necessary investment advice, tax planning, estate planning and insurance assessments.