Bilyk Financial stands out because they’ve been in the game for over five decades, helping families, individuals, and organizations all across Canada. We think it’s impressive how they’ve stuck around and kept supporting folks with their thoughtful planning and customized portfolio strategies. 

Bilyk Financial offers a top-tier investment management approach tailored precisely to your needs.

Unlike most advisors, they start by evaluating various strategies based on returns, volatility, and correlations, then build a portfolio to meet your goals.

They focus on alternative investments alongside traditional ones, ideal for generating income today.

Portfolios include a mix of public equities, private equities, fixed-income, real estate, infrastructure, credit, and commodities. Their aim? Above-average, long-term returns while managing risk.

Plus, they regularly visit clients in different cities to ensure personalized service.

Here’s the scoop on DLD Financial Group: they specialize in helping professionals and business owners. Plus, they offer additional services like giving a second opinion on existing financial plans or providing technical reviews on specific products in your current plan—think investments, insurance, and more.

We also learned that they have their process called The Strategic Planning Approach. It’s like their secret sauce for creating a tailored financial plan that matches each client’s unique goals. 

That said, they take the time to grasp and document your financial objectives, including your existing assets like real estate, and even crunch the numbers on your after-tax cash flow. Once they’ve got the picture, they use a mix of financial products to help you achieve those goals.

From our surveys, this approach is highly effective and well-received by their clients. Interestingly, some have switched to DLD after trying their second opinion service and finding a better solution for their financial needs.

We also love that they’ve got various fee structures to match the complexity or simplicity of your advice needs. For example, they have options like hourly rates, fee offset arrangements, and commission-only structures.

Finally, hats off to them for keeping up regular communication with their clients, all without making it feel like you’re talking to a robot. Just a heads up, you might want to keep an eye on their open hours—they’re not around on weekends.

For over 40 years, Ocean 6 Wealth Advisory Inc. has been a trusted partner for business owners seeking financial planning and advice. They truly understand their clients’ biggest goals, delving into every aspect of their finances and providing a clear roadmap to achieve them.

Another thing that caught our eye is their knack for building long-term relationships with clients—even for over 12 years. Some clients have mentioned how Ocean 6 consistently delivers professional, personalized, and high-value advice with their personal and business financial planning.

We also love that they’re a fee-for-service financial planning firm. It’s a breath of fresh air, knowing that clients can count on transparent and unbiased service. 

They’re all about focusing solely on what you want to achieve without ulterior motives like pushing products for incentives or commissions, which is a plus in our books.

On the flip side, it’s worth noting that their focus is mainly on working with business owners. So, if you’re an individual client who isn’t a business owner, Ocean 6 is a no-go and not an ideal starting point for finding a financial planner.

Nevertheless, we can’t ignore Ocean 6’s expertise in managing the finances of business owners, including their personal finances. And we’ve discovered that they’re highly responsive and accommodating to their clients, which is one of the reasons why clients stick with them for years.

Next on our list is Engrace Financial Solutions. From what we’ve seen, they’re all about teaming up with individuals and small business owners to tackle their financial goals and needs head-on. 

We noted that they’re experts in various areas, from creating wealth and safeguarding it for generations to helping with retirement planning, investments, insurance, and tax strategies.

From our surveys, we noted that they’ve been working wonders with startups and family-owned shops, helping them cut costs and ramp up their income. This is a good sign that they’re affordable, making them a good choice for small business owners looking for reasonable financial guidance.

What also caught our eye is their tax planning services, which are highly useful, especially for business owners who aren’t tax-savvy. It allows businesses to avoid overpaying taxes, snag tax refunds, and even discover legal loopholes to minimize taxes as much as possible. 

However, we’re a bit concerned about their capacity to accept clients or schedule meetings since they’re a small team primarily managed by one financial planner. While this setup strengthens the client relationship, it does limit their ability to keep up with demand.

Regardless, we believe Engrace Financial Solutions is a solid choice for financial planning, especially for small business owners operating on a tight budget.

Nicola Wealth is all about tailoring wealth management and asset services to affluent individuals, families, and institutions throughout Canada and the U.S. We think it’s worth highlighting that they’re experts at handling the ins and outs of legacy building, wealth and asset management.

On the downside, this also means they don’t prioritize working with clients with low to average net worth, which we think is quite a bummer.

Despite that, we have to give them credit for the expertise they bring to the table for their clients. In addition, they even offer extra services like cross-border services, donor-advised philanthropy, and institutional real estate services. 

To give you an idea of their scope, we discovered that they manage $15.3 billion in assets. That’s quite substantial, and we’re impressed by the complexities involved in managing such a large sum for various clients.

We also admire the strong relationships they build with their clients, showing their consistent ability to meet their needs and demands. And we believe Nicola Wealth’s impressive 99% client retention rate speaks volumes about their dedication and service quality.

Overall, we think Nicola Wealth Management is a strong pick for those with large assets and would like to maximize and secure them as much as possible.