What We Think – Surround Wealth Advisors

The Surroundup

THE MARKET WAITS FOR NO ONE

Oh man… has it really only been a few months? Remember the Venezuela headlines at the start of the year? Feels like years ago. The Greenland story? Also, this year. That alone tells you everything you need to know about markets and headlines. What’s happened since my last update? If you missed it, here was...

April 28, 2026

Image showing stock prices going up and down for basic assets.

Blog

ASSANTE MARKET UPDATE – RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WAR & MARKETS

As you’ve likely seen in the news, the world unfortunately finds itself dealing with another military conflict. It’s sad — and frankly a little crazy — that in a modern world of advanced technology, artificial intelligence, space travel, and incredible innovation, humanity still struggles to resolve conflicts peacefully. Given the headlines and the recent...

March 9, 2026

Image shows a woman standing in front of a brick wall with her hand scratching her head. The wall has charts and graphs on it to signify money management.

The Surroundup

UNCERTAINTY IS THE PRICE OF ADMISSION

“The one who can tolerate the most uncertainty is the one who will eventually win.” — Sahil Bloom By the time you’re reading this, per Larry David, the statute of limitations on saying Happy New Year will likely have expired — so let me send my best wishes for 2026! Less than a month into the year,...

January 29, 2026

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The Surroundup

THE #1 QUESTION CLIENTS ASKED ME IN 2025

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and holiday break. After two weeks of my little guys being home, I think I need a break from the break. As we finish the year, I mainly just want to say thank you. The trust you place in us is something I don’t take for granted, and it...

December 30, 2025

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The Surroundup

NAVIGATING THE AGING PROCESS

As Advisors we are always looking for best practices for our client families when it comes to their financial health and wealth. A lot of the focus is on the here and now and what we can do from an investment, tax or estate perspective… proper planning goes a long way and can help paint...

November 27, 2025

Illustrated image of four sets of hands placing different kinds of money into three separate baskets.

The Surroundup

THE GOLD STANDARD OF DIVERSIFICATION

Everyone’s heard the old saying: “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” That’s the essence of diversification — protecting yourself so one event, market, asset class, or policy change doesn’t derail your entire plan. Diversification isn’t about chasing the highest return every year. It’s about survival — making sure you can withstand uncertainty and...

October 30, 2025

The Surroundup, Videos

ARE YOU PLANNING FOR A 100-YEAR LIFE? HERE’S WHY YOU SHOULD BE

I’ll be honest: I spend a lot of time—and not a small amount of money, energy and attention—trying to stay healthy. Not in an obsessive Bryan Johnson kind of way, but in a conscious, daily-practice kind of way. My supplements are personalized. My workouts are tracked. I walk 10,000 steps most days, hit my zone...

September 25, 2025

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The Surroundup

DEATH OF A SPOUSE – PENSION INCOME SPLITTING IN THE YEAR OF DEATH

We are often asked to assist in several areas for our client families after someone has passed. Many of the inquiries are estate related, and other are tax related. One question which often comes up is the ability to pension split for the year of death of a client. In Canada, we benefit from the...

August 28, 2025

Photo of two young boys wearing Canada shirts. One boy is smiling the other is sticking hi tongue out at the camera.

The Surroundup

WHAT TRADE WAR?

Here we are—already the end of July. I could’ve sworn summer just started, then I blinked and suddenly everyone’s talking about their end-of-summer plans. Where does the time go? It feels like just yesterday I was advising clients to keep their expectations in check heading into 2025… and now analysts are already looking ahead to...

July 29, 2025

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The Surroundup

B-SIDE – INSURANCE: A LIFE STORY IN 3 PARTS

Where exactly does insurance fit into a life well lived? I mean, isn’t it a bit of a third rail, morbid, snoozer of a topic after all? This kid here, does he really look like he’s worried about insurance? Heck no. Well you’ve got me. Despite being an immensely important way to protect just about...

June 27, 2025

The Surroundup, Videos

THE TRUTH ABOUT INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT FEES: WHY CHEAPEST ISN’T ALWAYS BEST

Let’s get something straight: Investment management fees are not the enemy. They’re the cost of accessing expertise, strategic guidance, and opportunities to grow your wealth in alignment with your goals. Yet, in a landscape where robo-advisors, DIY platforms, and fee-for-service models have exploded, there’s more confusion than ever about what you’re actually paying for —...

June 27, 2025

Six wooden blocks are lined up in a row. A finger from out of frame presses down on top of one that has a pause button symbol on the front face. The other blocks each have a single letter on the front face spelling out Pause.

The Surroundup

TAKE A BREAK FROM YOUR RRIF IN 2025?

The Liberals’ victory in the recent federal election in April has a few important campaign measures which will now need to be formally presented via a ways and means motion to enable the proposed changes. One of those changes is the potential to reduce mandatory RRIF Minimums for one year (2025) by 25%. The proposal...

May 29, 2025

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The Surroundup

INFORMATION OVERLOAD

“Hearing everyone’s thoughts 24/7 is the worst thing to happen to society since the mosquito.” – Michael Antonelli In an age where data is endless and our screens never sleep, the investing world has become both more accessible and more overwhelming. Economic reports, breaking financial news, algorithmic trading signals, and thousands of voices on social...

April 29, 2025

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The Surroundup

BEHIND THE MIC (NEW!)

This month Gillian appeared as a guest on The Hole Shebang, a brazen and unashamed podcast that shines a light on the gaps in our knowledge to help empower us to be healthier, wealthier and wiser. Click here to listen on Apple, and here on Spotify.

March 26, 2025

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The Surroundup

B-SIDE: UPCOMING EVENTS

Wealth Matters Webcast–April 23, 2025 Wealth Matters events are designed to provide Assante clients and their families with timely investment, wealth planning and lifestyle information. Your expert hosts Dilmini Bonas, TEP, LL.B., and John Christenson CPA, CA, TEP, CFP, from CI Assante Wealth Management as the explore Wealth Planning for recreational property. The webcast...

March 26, 2025

The Surroundup, Videos

MONEY WITH MEANING: WHY YOUR VALUES MATTER IN WEALTH BUILDING

Friends, let’s talk about money—not just earning it, but making it work for you in a way that actually aligns with who you are. Too often, financial advice comes at us like a soulless math problem: earn, save, invest, repeat. And for some people, it feels like using tools and instruments that don’t quite seem...

March 26, 2025

Yellow sign in front of a blue sky that reads Market Volatility.

Blog

ASSANTE MARKET UPDATE: MAKE VOLATILITY GREAT AGAIN

Assante Friends and Family, Over the past few weeks, I’ve had several conversations with clients, friends and family who are understandably frustrated, annoyed and nervous about the recent tariff noise and are concerned about the potential implications. These conversations almost always end with some form of “Trump is such a…” I’m not saying I disagree,...

March 11, 2025

Image of a calendar with the 30th day circled in red with the words taxes due inside. A Government of Canada document is seen in the bottom right corner.

The Surroundup

TAX TIME! LET’S GO!

It’s that time of year again! You got it… tax time! First things first… The RSP deadline is March 3, 2025 – that is the last day to make eligible contributions for the 2024 tax year. If you constantly struggle to get your RSP maxed out each year… consider moving contributions to a monthly...

February 26, 2025

Candid photo of Adil and his family celebrating a birthday.

The Surroundup

TEMPER YOUR EXPECTATIONS

Let me start by wishing you all a very Happy 2025! Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season with an opportunity to relax, unplug, and spend time with friends and family. As I write this, my birthday was a couple of days ago, so I thought I’d start by sharing a few candid photos of...

January 30, 2025

The Surroundup, Videos

BEING KIND COMES BACK TO YOU

Watch this month’s Surroundup video to learn more about who we are talking about this holiday season. Once again, this year Surround plans to honour the work we are privileged to do with and for our clients with a significant contribution to The Surround Foundation – a charitable donor advised fund we run through one...

December 19, 2024