About Us
Who We Are
"An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest"
Meet your adviser
Allan Dolan
- Investment Adviser
- CFP CIM FCSI CEA
I am an Independent Financial Adviser with over 2 decades of experience in the financial services industry. I am proud that over this time I have helped 100’s of families and professionals in the community to achieve their financial goals.
My mission is to have a positive financial impact on my clients’ lives. To be of service and to help is what my parents instilled in me and I will continue to do that for as long as I can.
I continually keep up to date academically with the ever changing financial landscape and I believe this acquired knowledge with my experience is at the core of my advice.
Proudly Serving
The Burlington Community
Born and raised in Burlington, this is the city I am proud to call home. I do my best to get involved in the community whenever I can with various charitable and fundraising events.
I do enjoy golfing and socializing at the Burlington Golf and Country Club, spending time with my ever expanding family and continue to travel the world as much as I can to discover places and people I have yet to meet.
As a way of paying it forward and supporting our community, I also teach financial literacy to students at our local high school.
Meet Your Business Development Manager
Jen Kelly
Business Development Manager
With over 20 years in the financial services industry including 9 years at Aligned Capital Partners Inc, Jenn has the experience and technical skills needed to administer the tasks efficiently on behalf of our clients.
Jenn is happily married with 2 children and lives in Dundas, Ontario and enjoys spending time with family, along with daily hikes with her dog.
Check out our services to learn more about what we do and how we can help you work towards your financial goals.
Aligned Capital Partners inc.
Trusted Adviser
Investment products are provided through Dolan Investments of Aligned Capital Partners Inc.
Want to know more?
FAQs
What is financial planning and why do I need a financial plan?
Financial planning is a written road map to achieve your goals. A full financial plan would include Retirement, Investment, Tax and Estate planning, and sometimes Education planning. It will assess where you currently are and then give recommendations to achieve these goals. It has been proven that people that work with a Financial Planner have a far better chance of achieving their goals than those who don’t work with one. Initially, a lot of what I do is organize your assets into the correct accounts, as to achieve the best returns, tax minimizations and estate planning.
How much does it cost, and do you offer free consultation?
I provide a fee for service platform where there is one fee for all of my services and it is transparent on your statements. The fee depends on the amounts you invest, and to achieve a lower fee we combine families into one household. The more you invest as a household, the lower the cost. The annual costs start at 1.5% for under $250,000 and then 1.25% from $250,000-$500,000, 1.0% from $500,000 to $1M and then .75% over $1M. This fee can be deducted from income of your tax return in non-registered accounts.
I do offer free consultations, and there is no obligation or pressure to invest, so the initial meetings are at no cost to you.
Do you have minimum amounts in order to invest?
No. At the initial meeting we make sure the fit is right for both of us.
Isn’t investing risky? and what type of returns can we expect?
The risk is up to you and together we will determine that. From there, I find the best-in-class products for the risk you state. Investing is a matter of your risk tolerance and time horizons, meaning the longer you invest, the higher average rate of return you can expect over time for the given risk. Risk is often associated with volatility, meaning the higher or lower the risk, the higher or lower the volatility. There is no guarantee of rates of returns.
How often do we meet?
We will determine this together and there is always more work at the beginning. At least one formal annual meeting at your home, our corporate boardroom, on video, or phone. I am always available by phone for updates, questions and/or concerns.
What experience and qualifications do you have?
I have been investing professionally for over 2 decades and personally all of my adult life. I have obtained my CFP, Certified Financial Planner to create and implement financial plans. CIM, Chartered Investment Manager to build Portfolios. FCSI, Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute, is the highest honor in Canadian Financial Services. CEA, Certified Executer Adviser for Estate Planning. There is a requirement every year to study a minimum number of hours to keep up with the ever-changing financial industry.
What is your investment philosophy?
The best portfolios I have seen and built over the years invest in common shares of equites, as well as exchange traded funds and mutual funds, and then generally increasing or decreasing the safety in the portfolio depending on your risk and time horizons, as well as the state of the economy at any given time. I also believe in adding alternative investments to achieve diversification and build portfolios with Capital Preservation in mind first, along with Capital Growth and Income depending on your current needs.
I also follow the capital asset allocations of the largest pension funds in the world.
How can I monitor my investments?
At any time, you can log in to my website to see your investments in real time. You can choose to have hard copy statements sent to your home or to your email inbox on a quarterly time frame. You can also invest lump sums into your accounts at any time.
How does the relationship with Dolan Investments, Aligned Capital Partners Inc and National Bank work?
Aligned Capital Partners Inc is my dealer that supports my independent business as Dolan Investments with reporting, compliance and technology, as well as sourcing best in class investments. Being independent is important as I have the freedom to invest in any financial product available.
National Bank, is a Tier One Capital Canadian bank and is the custodian of your funds.
Both are members of CIFP which provides limited protection for property held by a member firm on behalf of an eligible client.
What is financial planning and why do I need a financial planner?
Of course, we’ll start with the million-dollar question. Many people don’t even understand the world of financial planning or what a financial planner does. Therefore, you’ll want to take the time to explain it to them. You don’t have to publish a novel here, but provide an overview of the solutions that you do offer and make sure that you educate people on what this industry is as well as how it can benefit them. Then you can encourage them to reach out to you for more information or to see if you can assist them in their financial matters.
Make sure that you ask “why” and not just “do I” when posing this question. Giving them the option to say no is not going to do any good. When you pose the question as a why, their brains interpret that they do need your services. Now you just have to explain what you have to offer. Talk about all the things that you can do, how much easier you can make financial management, and how working with a trained professional can help people make smarter investments.
You can cover a lot of ground here, and then you can invite people to reach out to you to discuss what you can do for them specifically, giving you a great place for a call-to-action (CTA), too.
How much does financial planning cost? Do you offer a free consultation? What are my all-in costs?
Some people assume that financial planners have set rates or can estimate the cost of their services. While you might be able to do this to a certain extent, the odds are good that you can’t give every potential client an exact cost just from a simple Q&A. There’s more to it than that. However, this is your space to advise people on how you charge and what types of rates you have for services, as well as what is included. Plus, you can explain that not having a financial planner could cost far more in the long run when the money isn’t handled in the best ways.
You should, if you don’t, and you should always answer this question on your FAQ page. Then, link people to a contact form or another way to reach you to set up their consultation. Today, people like to know that they can get what they need from companies before they make a commitment. If you make people pay for a consult, they’re going to expect that you will always be more worried about the price of your services than helping them out, and that’s not a good reputation to create.
Offer a free consult, encourage people to reach out, and use this question to link to contact pages, social media, or other places where people can connect with you.
How does our relationship work? How often will we meet? Are you available outisde of scheduled appointments?
Put another way: How much access will you have to the advisor? You want to know how often you’ll meet and whether she’s available for phone calls or emails outside of scheduled appointments. (Learn more about what financial advisors do and what you can expect from the relationship.)
What type of experience and training do you have? Are you licensed and registered to work as a financial advisor? What is a Registered Investment Advisor?
Make sure that you explain to people what your background and training are in the finance industry. Financial planners could have degrees in that field specifically, but some also come from accounting or other backgrounds. Spell this out for your audience and make sure that you cover the details of your own training. This will give everyone peace of mind and reassure them that you are the financial planner that they need to work with.
Here’s another chance to explain your expertise and professional credentials in this field. There are certain licensing and registration demands for different financial planning services and service providers (including the specific RIA question next), and people need to know that you have covered the ones that are relevant to your business and/or area of expertise. List your credentials and licensing here and explain what each means to help people better understand what you bring to the table.
An RIA, or Registered Investment Advisor, as you know, is someone who is properly certified and registered to advise on investments and help people with them directly. This kind of certification is something that consumers and businesses should look for when working with a financial planner so that they can trust that they’re getting a reputable source. Explain all of this, and then take the opportunity to reiterate your certifications, experience and training, and any other relevant details to showcase your own expertise for your audience.
Is financial planning the same as retirement planning?
Along with the other millions of things people don’t know about financial planning is how it’s different than the specific area of retirement planning. Planning for retirement is included in the general realm of financial planning, but there’s more to it than that. This is a general term that refers to planning one’s finances (either in business or personally) for everything from savings and investing to spending, budgeting, and more. Financial planners cover a lot of stages of life and retirement planning is only part of the discussion.
Why do I need to diversify my portfolio? What does that even mean?
This is a big topic for a lot of people who don’t really understand the world of financial planning. They hear a lot of talk about having a diversified portfolio when it comes to investing, but they may not even be aware of what that means. Take the time to explain a little to them about diversification and why it’s important and then invite them to contact you for a portfolio review to see what you can do to make improvements and help them diversify further.
You’re educating people, but also promoting your services at the same time. If you’re good at the educational part, they’ll convert a lot faster than if you just try to sell them something.
How will you track my investment performance?
Ask your financial advisor what success looks like when it comes to your specific financial goals. The answer will help you learn what they value. Then consider if their values align with yours.
In your day-to-day life, your financial advisor should be tracking your investment performance according to how it works toward achieving your long-term goals. Of course, while it’s important to stay on top of market trends and periods of volatility, they should also weigh any short-term movement against your long-term strategy.
Check that your potential financial advisor understands the value of having a diversified portfolio. And make sure they’ll work with you to rebalance your portfolio when you need it, so you can stay on track toward your long-term goals. Diverse portfolios help promote steady and sustainable investment growth.
How will you take into account my assets you aren't directly managing?
A good financial advisor knows that your net worth may not exist only in the assets invested with their firm. You could have a Group RRSP through work, or you may have some rental properties. It’s important you’re transparent with them about all assets you may have and keep them updated, so they can make sure all your assets are working toward your overall goals.
Do you work with accountants or lawyers?
If you’re a business owner or have other complex financial circumstances, or you’re looking to create a strategy for your estate, chances are other professionals will need to coordinate with your financial advisor. Will the financial advisor you’re considering work with professionals already on your team? Will they provide referrals if you need these services?
What resources will I have when working with you?
Depending on the financial advisor, they may work independently or as part of an investment organization. This may be important to your values as an investor, especially as your financial needs become more complex over time.
You may want to see what resources your financial advisor has that could help you feel more confident, informed and in control of your financial picture. Will you have access to online tools to monitor your portfolio? Does your financial advisor have technology to meet with you if you can’t meet in person? Does your financial advisor have access to up-to-date market news and financial education resources they can share with you?
If you have any other questions or concerns not answered here, please contact us.
What Our Clients Are Saying
"Allan takes the time to get to know you and your financial goals, and makes complicated financial information easy to understand. After a few sessions with him, our financial lives were better organized, and our path forward very clear. We’ve been able to achieve what we needed with his analysis, financial planning and guidance. I’ve recommended him to several friends."
"Allan’s passion for his job is evident and his knowledge of the financial industry is impressive. I know he cares about our family and is motivated to help us achieve our retirement goals."
"I have worked with Allan for over twenty years and find him open, friendly and totally professional. The integrity, attention to detail and follow up gives me the confidence and comfort I need in my finances."
"Thank you for helping me with my finances for all of these years and truly understanding my financial situation. I can sleep at night knowing my retirement plan is on track."
Want to know more?
Get In Touch
While every conversation is different, you should expect to cover some general information and get a sense of what it’s like to collaborate with me.