Our services

Capital preservation and proactive leadership

Our advisory service style can be described as conservative-opportunist. Capital preservation is our utmost priority, but we are always seeking quantified, well-researched opportunities for growth potential. We never try to outsmart the market: it’s smarter than all of us. Drawing from the award-winning research of Macquarie Private Wealth and third party independents, we collect extensive research analysis that helps shape our investment choices.

Paying attention to the science of demographics, we strive to understand social trends and how they will impact our economy. For example, when insurance companies first started going public, most investors were wary of the new, unknown offerings. Recognizing this, and understanding that insurance firms are extremely well funded, conservative and solid, Donna Johnson was among the first to buy their shares and our investors benefited tremendously as a result.

Customized services

Our financial planning services encompass retirement, education, insurance†, and estate planning as well as investment leadership. You can expect a high degree of customization from us at all times. Rather than following a cookie cutter approach, we provide you with financial solutions that fit your individual needs. Comprehensive interviews help us to understand your wealth structure, time horizon, risk tolerance, and short- and long-term goals. After implementing your investment plan, we meet with you formally on an annual basis and keep in touch in case any changes may occur. Our ideal client is one who recognizes the value of a long-standing relationship with a trusted Investment Advisor.

Wise investment leadership

Depending on your needs, we can provide investment advisory services to you through two different modes.

Managed Money. Many clients prefer to have their assets handled by leading money managers from around the world. The Macquarie Integrated Managed Account (IMA) is an exceptional managed money platform that provides you with access to top tier portfolio managers who would traditionally be available only to institutions and very high net worth families. IMA also provides us with the "open architecture" freedom necessary to create a portfolio of money managers that is truly customized to meet your financial needs and goals. In addition, IMA provides manager selection and monitoring assistance so when one manager is underperforming in a certain area, we can swiftly replace him or her with a better performing manager in that same area.

Alternatively, some clients have long-term wealth management platforms based upon our own combinations of the very best mutual funds, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) or hedge funds. We select the finest managers with the best track records of yielding good returns and combine them in a way that ensures their investment styles will complement each other.

Stock Selection. You may prefer to follow a traditional transactional model through which we perform stock selection services and invest in mutual funds, fixed income products, managed products, structured products, trust units, and more to construct a balanced portfolio designed to weather any market climate.

High potential positions, managed correctly and in the appropriate balance with managed funds, can give your portfolio desirable growth momentum. Before investing, we track the management teams at local companies very closely, maintain a close relationship with their people, get to understand their business intimately, and determine whether they have a unique and proprietary offering that will give them an edge in the marketplace.

Minimizing tax

There are many programs and strategies we can employ to minimize the amount of tax you pay. Being informed about your situation, we can advise you on which assets you should hold in a registered plan such as an RRSP or an RRIF versus which should be held outside registered plans. The timing of your RRSP contributions can be managed to coincide with income increases to minimize tax obligations. We are also highly experienced with flow-through shares and stock option strategies that can help you preserve your capital.

Insurance considerations

Fully licensed to provide insurance solutions^†, Donna Johnson can dovetail them with your investment portfolio to complement your total financial plan. Insurance can protect your income, your business, or provide for healthcare expenses. It can also be a powerful tool for tax-efficient investing.