Rhona Stanislaus, CPA, CGA, MBA
ITI Financial
New Chamber member ITI Financial enables business owners and individuals to gain financial freedom through building creative solutions for any investment, tax or insurance need. The company provides a wide range of financial solutions and a team of professionals that work to set up a financial plan suited especially for you. This week we spoke to Financial Security Advisor Rhona Stanislaus about her experience both as a client, and as an Advisor with the company.
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What is something you wish you knew when you first began?
I wish I knew that being underserved from a financial advisory perspective was not unique to northern and remote areas. I spent 22 years in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories and as a long-time northerner I became accustomed to being underserved in many areas. As I work across Western Canada, I’ve discovered every region including the Kelowna and Okanagan Valley are not immune to this issue.
Before joining the ITI Financial team, I was a client. I immediately recognized a superior level of knowledge and expertise as well as a more relational approach. This experience, combined with a personal loss that redefined my world, put me on a path to relocate to the Okanagan. Clients I work with throughout BC, AB and the NT often experience the same challenges around accessing quality financial, tax strategy and wealth management advice. It can be difficult for clients to identify the specific financial advice they require or are lacking, if they don’t know what they are missing.
What is something people might not know about your company?
Many people are unaware that there is no direct cost to meet with me. I am compensated through some of the solutions implemented, and so clients will never receive an invoice from me like they would from their other professionals. This gives me plenty of time to get to know clients, their needs and goals without the client having to worry about cost. My preference is to collaborate with our client’s other professionals where applicable so that we can work collectively to help the client in achieving their goals.
Many advisory firms focus on paper investments first (i.e. RRSPs, Stocks, Tax Free Savings Accounts, etc.). The focus at ITI Financial is unique, we believe ‘you’ are your greatest asset and so we prioritize mitigating risk by protecting client’s income (business and personal), and implement strategies to reduce tax, not just defer it. Tax is most people’s greatest expense. If we can work with clients to implement tax planning strategies, we can then redirect tax savings elsewhere in their planning. Our services and solutions include, but are not limited to, business strategies, retirement and estate planning, portfolio management, risk management, tax planning, etc.
What are you looking forward to in the future?
Originally from BC, my family relocated from Yellowknife to Kelowna in 2018 and have appreciated such a friendly and welcoming community. I am excited to explore and rediscover all the great things the Okanagan and the province have to offer. I look forward to continuing to expand my professional network and working with more clients across a variety of innovative sectors. While we’ve all had to pivot toward more virtual interactions, I love meeting new people and look forward to connecting more in person again!