by: Jeffery A. Keill, CFP, CIM, FMA, FCSI, CEA Portfolio Manager and Senior Wealth Advisor We’ve all been there, maybe less in recent years but the daily showdown at the mailbox still happens. You grab the stack of mail, and you immediately face a fork in the road. Some of us tear open the envelope with reckless abandon- some from the end, some from the top and seldom with anything more than our pointer finger. Then there are those others- you know the ones- they always open

by: Jeffery A. Keill, CFP, CIM, FMA, FCSI, CEA Portfolio Manager and Senior Wealth Advisor Financial decisions often look like they should be guided by reason and objectivity. We seek statistical trends and compare interest rates, review charts, calculate risk, and listen to qualified experts. In rhetorical terms, this is where the Greek terms logos and ethos enter the conversation: logos appeals to logic and evidence, while ethos relies on credibility and trust. That is trul

by: Jeffery A. Keill, CFP, CIM, FMA, FCSI, CEA Portfolio Manager and Senior Wealth Advisor With all the hub-bub around tariffs once again, it made me look further into this ridiculous posturing and left me wondering why. Why!? Does no one look at history? Common sense? What am I missing? The trade relationship between Canada and the United States, one of the longest, friendliest, and mutually fruitful in history, has officially devolved into an all-out trade war. After months

by: Jeffery A. Keill, CFP, CIM, FMA, FCSI, CEA Portfolio Manager and Senior Wealth Advisor We spent a week on the wonderful island of PEI here in Canada, camping with friends and taking in the sights. PEI is a fantastic little island where life slows to allow you to bask in its scenery, food, and people—if you choose to. During our trip, we took in the Anne of Green Gables musical in Charlottetown. For many, this is a Canadian treasure and the story of a young lady named Anne

by: Jeffery A. Keill, CFP, CIM, FMA, FCSI, CEA Portfolio Manager and Senior Wealth Advisor Running as fast as you can is meaningless unless you have a destination. Purpose and destination matter. Why do you think the compass was invented long before the clock? Sitting around the pool and the dinner table with family this past weekend, I was reminded of this concept. Quiet, sunny Sundays have a funny way of doing that. Most people in Canada approach wealth the way they approac

by: Jeffery A. Keill, CFP, CIM, FMA, FCSI, CEA Portfolio Manager and Senior Wealth Advisor Have you ever heard of the parable of the Old Blacksmith? In truth, I am not actually sure if that is what it is actually called but I heard this idea again just recently. Here is the basic premise- a piece of iron lies between a hammer and an anvil. The hammer strikes the iron again and again—loud, jarring, relentless. Almost rhythmic. The iron protests the blows as best as it can but

by: Jeffery A. Keill, CFP, CIM, FMA, FCSI, CEA Portfolio Manager and Senior Wealth Advisor In recent years and especially after Covid, the modern economy is no longer a single rising tide lifting all the boats in the harbour. It’s a fork—one path rising for some and one falling for others. This has led to the K-Shaped economy. Some advance more easily it seems, while many feel left behind and ready to capitulate before adulthood gets going. For young people, this split can fe

by: Jeffery A. Keill, CFP, CIM, FMA, FCSI, CEA Portfolio Manager and Senior Wealth Advisor “Good as Gold” is a phrase we have all heard. The cliché is as old as a cliché can be. It generally means to be in a good state or well mannered. The phrase comes from the intrinsic value of gold over history and it’s ability to maintain integrity as an element and its value as an asset. With that said, we should never view gold as an investment asset (because it is NOT) but more as a

by: Jeffery A. Keill, CFP, CIM, FMA, FCSI, CEA Portfolio Manager and Senior Wealth Advisor Rerouting! How many people have heard their GPS or Google Maps say this? As many know I am on the road quite often going to uncharted places and along new unfamiliar routes. My journey generally starts with a destination in mind but along the way I frequently get lost or turned around due to detours or other miscues. I am also that stereotypical dude that never asks for directions and m

by: Jeffery A. Keill, CFP, CIM, FMA, FCSI, CEA Portfolio Manager and Senior Wealth Advisor Canada has joined a club- well sort of. This club includes the likes of Norway, Abu Dhabi, and Australia. All these countries have sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) that invest for the long term. I say sort of because these countries generally have excess funds and are not a bleeding victim of financial overspending and mismanagement. Ottawa’s newly announced Canada Strong Fund is positione

by: Jeffery A. Keill, CFP, CIM, FMA, FCSI, CEA Portfolio Manager and Senior Wealth Advisor Oh we know the look all to well. Start talking about life insurance and clients can start to squirm. It is not the topic of insurance that makes them squirm, it is the choice between the ‘Swiss-Army knife’: approach of various types of permanent Insurance vs the simplicity and less expensive term Insurance. Picking the right one is tough as they both have features and benefits that can

by: Jeffery A. Keill, CFP, CIM, FMA, FCSI, CEA Portfolio Manager and Senior Wealth Advisor Do you remember watching Elmer Fudd as a child as he hunted the wascally wabbit Bugs Bunny? The 1940 Warners Brothers production “ A Wild Hare” opens with Fudd walking slowly through the forest dressed in hunting attire. He stops and looks straight at you and whispers, “be vewy, vewy quiet.... I am hunting wabbits!” With notorious lines like, “What’s up. Doc?” like so many Lonnie Tune

by: Jeffery A. Keill, CFP, CIM, FMA, FCSI, CEA Portfolio Manager and Senior Wealth Advisor The famed baseball catcher Yogi Berra once said:” It’s déjà vu......all over again!” In my thirty plus years working to help clients build real wealth, I once again see ourselves walking through a period of conflict in the Middle East. This often triggers headlines, market volatility, and therefore raises investor anxiety. This is a time when we, as investors, need to zoom out from the

by: Jeffery A. Keill, CFP, CIM, FMA, FCSI, CEA Portfolio Manager and Senior Wealth Advisor Every spring, when the days start to warm but the nights stay cold, sap begins to flow in the maples at the Big Rack. A little-known secret- Big Rack is the name of my camp, and it is where I spend time in March creating the much-needed sweetness of life: peace. The best part of syrup season at Big Rack is the ability to slow down the speed of joy. You have no choice as you cannot rush

by: Jeffery A. Keill, CFP, CIM, FMA, FCSI, CEA Portfolio Manager and Senior Wealth Advisor Okay folks, I want to share an observation I have so often witnessed in the past several decades working with clients. Retirement is often seen as a single event, but it unfolds across a few distinct stages. Each phase brings its own joys and challenges. If we can learn to appreciate and engage this concept, I believe you can better your plan for the “golden years”. Let’s explore the jo

by Jeffery A. Keill, CFP, CIM, FMA, FCSI, CEA Keill & Associate- Senior Wealth Advisor/ Portfolio Manager For decades, the broader financial industry has sold Canadians a linear story: follow the plan, hit the milestones, stay “on track,” and everything will unfold exactly as projected. It’s tidy, predictable, and comforting—but from my viewpoint and experience as a Wealth Advisor, it’s not how real life works. At Keill & Associates, we’ve learned something different by walki

by: Jeffery A. Keill, CFP, CIM, FMA, FCSI, CEA Portfolio Manager and Senior Wealth Advisor As a child growing up in Cornwall, I had the benefit of reading Aesop’s Fables. Granted, in my youth these stories were frequently boring; however, they grew in value as I grew in age and understanding. To this day I can strangely draw on some of these time-tested lessons of life. They apply to today as much as they did 2,500 years ago. In the timeless fables of Aseop, wisdom often arri

Jeffery A. Keill, CFP, CIM, FMA, FCSI, CEA, Portfolio Manager, Senior Wealth Advisor, Keill & Associates The irony of living is that life gets in the way. Where we stand today is anything but static. We are moving forward into the future- all the time. This forward movement leads to changes and change means we frequently transition to something new. This is the “Yet”. Events that have yet to happen in our lives; often while we see it coming. This is the transformative Power

by Jeffery A. Keill, CFP, CIM, FMA, FCSI, CEA A few years ago, I was sitting with a client who was just shy of 60. He leaned back in his chair and sighed. “If only I’d started investing earlier,“ he said, swirling the last sip of coffee in his mug. I realized his words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of regret and hindsight. A powerful admission that has stuck with me over the years. It wasn’t the first time I’d heard that consideration, nor will it be the last. In fac

by Jeffery A. Keill, CFP, CIM, FMA, FCSI, CEA How Shifting Your Mindset Can Transform Your Reality.... and therefore your Life! Ever notice that our lives are bombarded with messages about what we lack? Money, happiness, resources.... It’s easy to find ourselves stuck in a cycle of scarcity fear. I would argue this mindset is deep-seated from our youth and nurtured over time to reassure us of one self-confirming ‘truth’: there’s never enough to go around. This view of the wor