Sheldon knew early on in his career that his purpose was to help women achieve personal and professional financial security. As a young adult, Sheldon observed his mother’s dedication and strength as she juggled two jobs to support the family after her husband passed away without life insurance protection. This influential role model laid the foundation as Sheldon noticed that women, in addition to working full-time, often ‘wear many hats’ in the family - raising children, operating businesses, managing households, caring for elderly parents, and giving back to the community. He knew that since women business owners are so busy they have little time to devote to financial planning and investing. With this in mind, Sheldon creates innovative personal plans which are simple to understand and easy to follow. His focus is on growing your investments so you can focus on growing your business.
Since becoming a Chartered Investment Manager (CIM) in 1994, Sheldon has earned a reputation for quality service, careful financial management, and the ability to consistently listen and respond to the needs of his clients. In 1997, he qualified to be a Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute (FCSI), a premier industry designation requiring the highest levels of professional competence and ethical conduct. He rounded out his qualifications in 2001 with the Professional Financial Planning Course (PFP). Sheldon believes it is important to make access to financial planning easy for his clients. With this in mind, he completed the Disability and Life Insurance Program and is now licensed to provide his clients with a broad range of financial planning solutions.
In 2020, Sheldon completed the Certified Executor Advisors certification program. The Certified Executor Advisor (CEA) designation provides the knowledge required to engage with executors and those responsible for successful estate settlement.
Sheldon has made it his team’s focus to build a financial planning practice with the purpose of supporting women business owners in their financial planning and day-to-day financial decision making. His team realizes that money and investments are not gender specific; however, the realities of financial planning often are. For example, according to Statistics Canada, women outlive men by an average of 7 years; also, as business owners, women do not receive maternity benefits, although it is often the woman who takes time from her career to raise the children. Sheldon and his team make it their focus to understand the realities of women business owners, and help them achieve their goals.
In addition to the traditional areas of financial and retirement planning, wealth management, minimizing taxes, income protection and estate planning, Sheldon encourages his clients to call him when they face any large financial decision -- whether they are buying or selling a business, settling a family estate, leasing or buying a car, or buying or selling investment property. Sheldon is known for helping his clients evaluate their options, and he directs them to other professionals and experts if necessary. This allows women business owners to make the healthiest decision, spend less time worrying about how to design a secure financial future, and spend more time on developing their businesses and doing other things that are important to them. Things like spending time with family and friends or giving back to the community.
Sheldon has been a member of the Project North Board of Directors, a member of the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health Inspiration Awards Gala Committee; he was Treasurer and “Crayons & Cravats Gala” Chair for the Canadian Institute of Child Health (CICH); past Treasurer and Program Champion for the Ottawa Chapter of Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance’s Women in Technology (WIT); past Chair of Volunteers for Capital Talk’s Capital Night Fever (raising money for the Élisabeth Bruyère Health Centre); a member of the Ambassadors Circle for the Community Foundation of Ottawa’s ENGAGE!; member of the Pasión Gala Committee hosted by the Embassy of Argentina in support of the Queensway Carleton Hospital’s “Care Grows West” $35 million hospital expansion campaign; and he is an annual sponsor for the Women’s Business Network (WBN). In 2005 and 2006, he was title sponsor for St Joe’s Women’s Centre Quality of Life Awards.
A strong believer in giving back to the community, Sheldon is currently a member of the following:
- The Women Business Owners Ideas Exchange (IDEX)
In addition, he has taught financial courses at local high schools, Women and Wealth Seminars at Algonquin College & Carleton University and Early Retirement Seminars for Carleton University.
Sheldon has stayed involved in the business community through memberships in the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce where he was a member of the Ambassadors Core (2005, 2006 and 2007), the Canadian Club of Ottawa, Women of Influence and the Ottawa Whisky Lovers Society (Single Malt Whisky tasting and dinner club). He is past president of the Manotick and District Kinsmen, and past Treasurer of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers Ottawa Chapter (CAPS).
Sheldon loves traveling, camping, reading books on personal & professional development and entertaining at his home in Crystal Bay in Ottawa’s beautiful west-end.
The Chartered Investment Manager® (CIM®) Designation builds the skills and experience we need to serve a more sophisticated financial client or institution. Financial professionals who hold the CIM® designation are eligible for registration as a Portfolio Manager in Canada. They have expertise in providing money management services to high-net-worth and institutional clients, and they understand the application of portfolio management in the context of Canadian markets and regulatory requirements
What do these designations mean for you? They mean that when you work with an investment consultant who has taken the time to complete these designations, you’re working with someone who is well-versed in modern concepts of investment advice, is educated enough to understand how your individual investments are being managed and how they work together – no matter how complex it may be. These skills, along with a commitment to advanced education, enable them to provide you with the kind of service that you not only want, but deserve.
The Fellow of CSI (FCSI®) is the pinnacle financial services credential and the highest honour in Canadian financial services. It is reserved for an exclusive group of financial professionals who demonstrate unparalleled leadership, integrity, commitment and dedication to their clients and industry.