Meet Jason Evans

My path to a career in financial planning was unconventional. Early on in life, I experienced the impact of both good and bad financial advice. These events left a lasting impression on me and led me to want to help others with sound financial planning.

The danger of biased financial advice

I first became aware of the stock market at the age of 15 when my mom told me that we could lose our house. At the recommendation of her investment advisor, she borrowed money against our house to invest. Unfortunately, the dot-com crash of 2000 began only a couple of months later. Over the next few years, her investments steadily dropped in value. One of her mutual funds fell by nearly 50%. But despite the losses, the investment loan still needed to be paid or we would lose the house. 

My mom was a widow with two kids and hardly any investment knowledge. She relied on the expertise of her advisor. However, the advisor received a large commission from the sale of the mutual funds. This created a conflict between what was best for my mom, and what was profitable for the advisor. 

Several years later there was an investigation by the Manitoba Securities Commission. They determined that the advice that my mother received was not suitable for her. A settlement payment was made to compensate for the financial losses and the advisor was reprimanded.

Sound financial planning

I've also seen the benefits of good financial advice. When my dad died at the age of 32, my mom faced the task of raising my sister and me on her own. Fortunately, he had life insurance. The mortgage was paid off and there was enough left for my mom to continue to stay at home to raise me and my sister.

Later, at the same time the Securities Commission hearing started, Mom began a battle with terminal stomach cancer. She died two years later, one week after my high school convocation. She was 48 years old. Fortunately, she too had life insurance and had also engaged in careful estate planning. This ensured that my sister and I had the necessary resources to get a good start in life.

Unbiased retirement advice

These contrasting experiences led me to a career in financial planning. They taught me about the importance of good financial advice and the value of sound planning.

I began working as an advice-only financial planner in 2014. Since then, I've created hundreds of retirement plans for Canadians across the country. I hold the Certified Financial Planner® designation and earned a B.A. in Economics from the University of Winnipeg.

I specialize in working with clients who are 55+ and less than five years away from retiring. Planning for secure retirement income poses several challenges not faced by younger Canadians. Because of this, my practice focuses specifically on clients in this stage of life.

It is important to note that I am not licensed to sell investments or insurance products. As a result, my sole offering to you is my unbiased advice.