Financial Planning for High-Income Professionals

Your income is in the top %. Your financial plan should be too.

As a high-income professional in Canada, you've reached a level of success that few achieve. But with that success comes a unique set of financial complexities. Earning over $250,000 annually places you in the highest marginal tax brackets, where more than 50% of your next dollar earned can be lost to taxes. Standard financial advice no longer applies.

Your career is a powerful income-generating engine. Our job is to build a sophisticated wealth management architecture around it - one that minimizes tax drag, maximizes growth, and protects your wealth for generations to come.

We specialize in providing comprehensive financial planning for Canada's most successful incorporated professionals, including:

Physicians, Surgeons & Medical Specialists
Dentists, Orthodontists & Dental Surgeons
Lawyers & Partners in Law Firms
Engineers, Architects & Consultants
Accountants & IT Professionals
Self-Employed Business Owners

The High-Income Professional's Dilemma

High-income earners face challenges that require more than just a standard RRSP and TFSA. Your financial reality involves navigating a complex web of corporate structures, investment options, and tax regulations.

Common pitfalls we help professionals avoid:

Inefficient Corporate Structure: Paying too much tax by not optimizing your salary-dividend mix or retaining earnings effectively.
Missed Tax-Reduction Opportunities: Failing to leverage powerful tools like Individual Pension Plans (IPPs), family trusts, or prescribed rate loans.
High Investment Tax Drag: Holding the wrong assets in the wrong accounts, leading to unnecessary tax on investment growth.
Ignoring the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT): Facing a surprise tax bill due to large capital gains or deductions.
Lack of a Cohesive Plan: Juggling advice from different professionals without a single, unified strategy that aligns your corporate and personal finances.

A Unified Strategy for Your Financial Life

At SG Wealth, we act as your personal CFO, integrating every aspect of your financial life into a single, cohesive strategy designed to provide clarity, protection, and sustainable growth.

Advanced Corporate & Personal Tax Integration

We start by optimizing your corporate structure to minimize your overall tax burden. This involves a deep analysis of your compensation, corporate investments, and opportunities for income splitting.

Salary vs. Dividend Optimization: We determine the ideal mix to fund your lifestyle, maximize RRSP contributions, and minimize taxes.
Corporate Surplus Management: We implement strategies to invest retained earnings tax-efficiently within your corporation, using tools like corporate-class ETFs and managing passive income to avoid the small business deduction grind.
Income Splitting: We explore legitimate strategies to shift income to family members in lower tax brackets, including prescribed rate loans and family trusts, while navigating the complex Tax on Split Income (TOSI) rules.

Sophisticated Investment & Retirement Architecture

Your investment strategy must be as sophisticated as your career. We design and manage portfolios built for tax-efficient growth aligned with your long-term goals.

Individual Pension Plans (IPPs): For incorporated professionals over 40, an IPP can allow for significantly larger tax-deductible contributions than an RRSP.
Tax-Efficient Investing: We structure your portfolio to prioritize capital gains and eligible Canadian dividends, and strategically use leveraged investing where appropriate.
Retirement Income Planning: We design a sustainable withdrawal strategy that draws from your corporation, RRSP/RRIF, TFSA, and non-registered accounts in the most tax-efficient order, minimizing OAS clawbacks. Learn more about our retirement planning approach.

Comprehensive Risk Management & Estate Planning

Protecting your high-earning potential and ensuring your wealth transfers efficiently is a critical component of your financial plan. We build comprehensive insurance planning in Canada for professionals that protects income, business interests, and long-term wealth.

Risk Management: We ensure your income and family are protected with robust disability insurance for incorporated professionals and corporate owned life insurance for incorporated professionals, often held within your corporation for tax advantages.
Wealth Transfer & Estate Freezes: We work with your legal counsel to implement strategies like an estate freeze to cap your tax liability at death, ensuring your wealth passes to the next generation.
Strategic Philanthropy: For those looking to create a legacy, we help you implement tax-efficient charitable giving strategies, such as donating securities in-kind or establishing a Donor-Advised Fund.

Your Financial Future, Simplified

Your time is your most valuable asset. Our process is designed to be efficient, transparent, and require minimal effort from you. We coordinate with your accountant and lawyer to ensure your entire professional team is working from the same playbook - your playbook.