Looking for one-on-one help?

Books and blogs are great, but who can you trust when you need one-on-one financial help?  I love helping other DIY investors manage their money more effectively, with more confidence and less mistakes.  

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Everything you need to know to effectively manage your money

Cash flow assessment + Investment Planning + Retirement Planning + Tax Planning + Insurance Needs + Debt advice + Portfolio Construction

Working together with professional planning software

Unbiased answers to big questions: When can I retire? How much can I spend? How to do minimize taxes? When to take CPP? . . . and more

From my clients:

“It’s been a pleasure working with Matt. He is very good at listening and has an ability to identify investment temperaments and goals. We appreciate that there is never any pressure or urgency in making decisions, we always feel completely in control.”

“I provided the requested information and Matt provided me with accurate detailed conclusions as to my retirement readiness. What was even more valuable was that Matt was able to perform some personal what-if scenarios for me. To me this was well worth the cost and effort.”

“Finding someone open, knowledgeable and trustworthy is key. We have found those qualities in Matt. He is genuinely interested in achieving the BEST for our particular situation and has guided us on questions relating to pensions, insurance, estate matters and investments.”

“I needed to find an independent assessment of our finances, someone who would understand the independent investor. Matt Poyner provided that service to us, he gave us many different pension scenarios and went over and above to answer our questions.”

“I found the exercise fulfilling while illuminating the path forward. There were easy-to-read, tailor-made charts with concise answers to basic retirement questions that were very helpful. The guesswork was taken out of the planning process for me.”

“Matt has offered expert and unbiased advice that has been tailored to our unique needs. In particular, we appreciate the emphasis he puts on education to guide us through the process rather than simply telling us what to do.”

Option #1: Money Mentoring

Are you looking for unbiased advice from someone you can trust?  Unfortunately,it can be difficult or impossible to access evidence-based, unbiased financial advice at a reasonable cost using the traditional financial services industry.   Many are paying tens of thousands of dollars per year in financial fees, often without realizing it. The norm in the financial services industry is for fees to be tied to the sale of products or “assets under management” rather than on the actual services offered.

I feel strongly that financial advice should be thorough, unbiased, and affordable.  If you have an interest in managing your own money, I can help you define your goals and create a complete plan that will get you there.  I call it “mentoring” because my goal is to help you grow your competence and confidence, becoming an expert in your own financial situation.

How it works: The first ~45 min consultation is completely free and carries no obligation. All meetings are via Zoom from the comfort of your own home.  If you choose to proceed, there is one flat fee, discussed at the first meeting, that covers all of the following:

        • three more one-on-one meetings (total ~6hours)
        • unlimited email support between meetings
        • cash flow assessment and plan
        • investment planning
        • debt management advice
        • insurance advice
        • retirement planning
        • tax planning
        • risk management
        • . . . and more

Not only will we create a complete financial plan together, but you will have the tools necessary to tackle short, medium, and long-term goals.  During the process, which spans four meetings over four to six months, you will have unlimited access to me for questions.  Resources like spreadsheets, books, and professional financial planning software reports are all yours to keep.

Cost: $3300 – $5600 +HST (depends on complexity)

Taking control of your financial life is a big decision.  To find out if one-on-one flat-fee financial mentorship is for you, please email me: at matt@PoynerFinancial to book your free consultation.  

Option #2: Retirement projections

If you don’t need comprehensive financial planning and advice, you will still benefit from running retirement projections using professional-grade software.   These are common questions that are very difficult to answer well using your own spreadsheets.

      • When can I retire?
      • Will I run out of money?
      • How should I withdraw from my accounts?
      • When should I take CPP?
      • How do I minimize the OAS clawback?
      • How can I minimize risk and maximize returns in retirement?

You don’t have to hire a financial advisor to get answers to these questions.  I am happy to provide this service for one flat fee so that DIY investors can remain independent. 

How it works: I send you a questionnaire to gather the necessary information.  I will analyze this data to create your first projection along with recommendations specific to your situation.  We would then meet via Zoom to go over this scenario and develop three or four additional projections.  What if you take CPP at 70?  Can you do that big trip you’ve always wanted?  What if you gift money to your children while you’re still around to see them enjoy it?  You will receive a summary of the findings so that you can fully understand your options, plus a comprehensive report on the projection of your choice.

Cost: $900-$1950 +HST (depends on complexity) includes one 1.5 hour meeting, a PDF summary of the meeting and all projections PLUS the full report for the plan of your choice (no extra charge for couples/family). 

If interested, please contact me directly: matt@PoynerFinancial

Here are a few sample charts that show how useful these projections can be:

Where will my income come from in retirement?

Will I have enough money?

Is my net worth properly diversified?

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A few more in-depth testimonials

I am actually excited now, instead of fearful, to get my financial plan in place after being mentored by Matt.
 
My goal was to find out if I could retire next year and how to have my finances in place in order to do that. In actual fact, Matt walked me step by step through all the learning required to meet my financial goals. His slides, explanations and mentoring were tailored to my level and gave me the clarity and confidence to build and manage my own portfolio. Presenting numerous scenarios, Matt was able to hone in on my particular needs and lifestyle, customizing for my personal circumstance. I was able to quickly make some very important changes to the way I view money, spending and assets.
 
Matt is pleasant, upbeat, knowledgeable and encouraging. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Matt's expertise to anyone who is overwhelmed, confounded or afraid of taking their portfolio into their own hands.

Julie P

It's been a pleasure working with Matt over the last 3 plus years. We have developed an incredible comfort level in discussing our finances and mapping out strategies with his advice. He is very good at listening and has an ability to identify investment temperaments and goals. We appreciate that there is never any pressure or urgency in making decisions, we always feel completely in control.

We recently made some major changes in life and are transitioning into retirement so spent some time discussing these changes with Matt. He then provided a very comprehensive analysis of multiple scenarios so that we can choose a plan and have a reasonable assurance of how things will play out as we look to the future.

All three of our adult sons, who have very different risk tolerances and resources, have also been very happy working with Matt on their financial plans.

We would absolutely recommend working with Matt.

Greg and Heather W

For several years I did my investing through large institutions. From time to time I would have a review to determine if I was on track to meet my retirement objectives. Every time they would look at my assets and my debts and say "you are fine just stay the course". To me, this was a conclusion based on very limited information and did not give me a lot of confidence due to the lack of detail.

I became aware of Matt's analytical method and liked what I heard. I provided the requested information and Matt provided me with accurate detailed conclusions as to my retirement readiness.

What was even more valuable was that Matt was able to perform some personal "what-if" scenarios for me such as what if my wife, myself or both of us end up in long term care at $6,000 each for a prolonged period of time. Or, what if I wanted to give each of my children some money each year. He provided detailed financial analysis as to the impact of these "what-if" scenarios in the long term.

In addition, Matt provided some financial investment advice to help ensure my financial goals are met. In the end, I have a significantly higher degree of confidence that my wife and I have the financial means to carry us through retirement. To me this was well worth the cost and effort.

Darryl P

Matt came along at the right time in our lives as we needed to put together a financial plan and were procrastinating in taking first steps.  We didn’t know where to begin and finding someone open, knowledgeable and trustworthy was key.  We have found those qualities in Matt.   

In particular, we like his unbiased approach.  He was genuinely interested in achieving the BEST for our particular situation and guided us on questions relating to pensions, insurance, estate matters and investments.  

Matt is a good listener.  He guides, without pushing, and teaches about his simple approach to saving and growing investments.  Early on in the process we quickly found out that no question is a stupid question.  This brought an immediate sense of relief and ease to our relationship.  

Although we are still working with Matt, we want others to benefit from our personal account and first-hand experience of Matt’s professionalism in Financial Planning.

Ann and Ray H

We reached out to Matt a few years ago to learn how to invest our money in the stock market. After working with our parents’ advisors and the big banks which resulted in minimal returns with high fees, we wanted to learn how to manage our investments ourselves. Matt was able to clearly walk us through the foundations of investing using simple language and always took the time to respond to our many questions. We saw the value of his program early on and our work together quickly expanded to include planning for retirement, budgeting and a short and long-term savings plan.
 
Matt has offered expert and unbiased advice that has been tailored to our unique needs. In particular, we appreciate the emphasis he puts on education to guide us through the process rather than simply telling us what to do, which is what we’ve experienced with previous financial advisors. As a result, we feel empowered and motivated to work on our financial plan to achieve our goals as we work towards buying a house in the next few years. 
 
We recommend Matt’s services to anyone who has an interest in working towards a financial goal and needs a plan for how to get there, especially young families like ours as it will undoubtedly help set them up for success. 

Lyndsey S

There are few subjects which require understanding more than retirement planning. I would highly recommend Matt Poyner's unbiased “retirement financial mentoring session” [Option #2] to beginners, experienced investors and anyone saving for retirement.   

I found the exercise fulfilling while illuminating the path forward. There were easy to read tailor-made charts with concise answers to basic retirement questions that were very helpful. The guesswork was taken out of the planning process for me. Now I have a professionally designed foundation on which to continue moving into and through the retirement phases. Peace of mind is priceless.

Geoff K

After many years of hard work and investing, my wife and I are coming to the point in our lives when we are contemplating retirement, are we ready?  How will we know if are financially prepared to support our retirement dreams, while maintaining our standard of living?

I needed to find an independent assessment of our finances, someone who would understand the independent investor. Matt Poyner provided that service to us, he gave us many different pension scenarios and went over and above to answer our questions.  Following our meeting, he shared the data needed to support the projections.   Matt provided this service and didn’t try to sell us additional products or services as many financial planners do. 

The most valuable part of the process was the independent financial assessment and the peace of mind that we are on a solid financial path.  I would recommend Matt Poyner’s financial mentoring to any self-directed investor who is looking for a non-biased assessment of their retirement financial plan.

Gord K