For Family Professionals

Dealing with family finances after a matrimonial breakdown is secondary to addressing primary issues such as child custody and loss of trust.  That said, many couples (or individuals) can benefit from consulting with a knowledgeable, independent financial advisor. Utilizing a neutral advisor to address financial issues can help to reduce conflict and facilitate couples in moving on with their separate lives.

As a family professional trusted by the spouses you are assisting, you are probably asked for financial advisor referrals from time to time.  We hope that you will consider working with us and referring your clients to us.  Some aspects of our practice for your consideration:

Mark is trained in the Collaborative and mediation approaches.  Working in these approaches, concentrating on interests and needs based negotiation, develops skills that are useful even in traditional, adversarial divorce cases.

We understand that conflict manifesting itself in financial matters can be driven by other underlying issues that are best dealt with by family professionals.  We are sensitive to issues such as power imbalances that need to be compensated for in negotiations.

We are experienced in working directly with clients, and endeavour to explain to them – in “non-accounting” terms – the financial issues.  Educating clients about the issues empowers them and allows them to take charge of their financial future.  Often clients are not familiar with budgeting and planning.  We can walk them through the process and equip them to do it on their own.

Our practice model is to work closely with a limited number of lawyers and family professionals and develop relationships of trust.  Our practice is limited to matrimonial matters only.  We feel that this degree of specialization is necessary to allow us to provide the best possible client service.

We are independent and do not sell any financial products.  We are not investment advisors.  Mark is bound by the ethical codes of the Ontario Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Canadian Institute of Chartered Business Valuators.