George stirred his coffee idly, “This time last year I was in Florida” he said. The business owner was sitting in front of me as we concluded our lunch meeting. “I remember we were having terrible weather, rain and cold…I recall thinking ‘I gave up a week at the office for this’” I smiled and…
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I was distressed this summer by the federal government’s announced plans to change the income tax rules to eliminate the “unfair tax advantages” received by business owners. Distressed enough to write to the Minister of Finance and ask him how the government defined fairness; (I have not received a response yet). Was there a formula…
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The value of regular savings was illustrated some years ago when an elderly gentleman came into my office and told me how he turned a bad habit into a small fortune. “Harold” worked in a plant for 30 years. He retired in 1990. He quit smoking in 1960. The week he quit smoking, he went…
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For many years I have been volunteering at a program called Summer Company. This program, sponsored by the Province of Ontario and managed by the City of Niagara Falls, allows students the opportunity to run their own business for a summer. One stipulation is that the “entrepreneur” must be returning to school in September, either…
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Increasingly in client meetings, the discussion of plans for parents comes to the surface. It usually centres on how to factor needs and finances of the parents into the financial plans of the baby boomers who are now approaching retirement themselves. It’s an emotional subject and, sadly, often avoided until a crisis occurs. That is…
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There is a term in the financial planning community that is gaining attention: “Gamma” measures the impact for an individual of working with a professional financial adviser. Gamma has less focus on rates of return and more on the broader concept of financial results, it’s more personal. There is unmistakable evidence that having a professional…
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As the cabin attendant came toward our seats a thought came unbidden to me. Who is she? What is her story? What are her dreams and aspirations? I tried to picture her at home on Christmas morning, relaxed and surrounded by loved ones, instead of here at 35,000 feet efficiently looking after her passengers. I…
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Ralph and Alice sat in front of me fidgeting. Obviously, they needed to talk about something that was bothering them. “We were at a party last week,” Ralph offered, “and a friend told us he was moving all his investments to fixed income to protect his capital. What do you think?” “Well, Ralph,” I replied.…
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Intrapreneurship is the act of behaving like an entrepreneur while working within a large organization. Intrapreneurship is known as the practice of a corporate management style that integrates risk-taking and innovation approaches, as well as the reward and motivational techniques, that are more traditionally thought of as being the province of entrepreneurship. …
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I often talk to people about retiring and starting a business. A famous example is Colonel Sanders who started his finger-licking chicken business at the age of sixty five. Retirement is a great time to start a business, you have a wealth of knowledge drawn from a lifetime of experience, networks of people who can…
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At Copper Beech Company, we believe that planning for the future helps create the future you want. We help clients identify goals and we care about the results our clients achieve. Whether the goals are improving financial position, growing the business, transitioning management and ownership. Helping Clarify goals, plan the route and holding the client accountable for achieving the milestones along the way is how we bring value to the engagement.
