Tailored planning for your cross-border journey.
49th Parallel Wealth Management is your trusted partner in cross-border financial planning — helping individuals, families, trusts, and businesses manage their finances seamlessly between Canada and the United States.
Cross-border is all we do.
We specialize in helping people who live, work, invest, or retire across the 49th parallel — providing tailored strategies for wealth management, tax optimization, retirement planning, and estate structuring that hold up on both sides of the border.
Whether you reside in Canada, the U.S., or navigate life between both, we take the time to understand your unique goals and challenges, then build a strategy that’s integrated across both jurisdictions rather than split between advisors who never speak to each other. As a fee-only, fiduciary firm, we work exclusively for you — never for commissions or referral fees — and we draw on a trusted network of cross-border professionals to support every part of your financial life.
You are more than your finances.
We believe people come before profits — and that true wealth reaches far beyond money.
You are a person with a story, values, relationships, and purpose. True wealth includes dignity, well-being, and the ability to live each day with meaning. Before we discuss a single number, we take the time to understand the life those numbers are meant to serve.
Financial planning should support the life you’re living today, prepare you for the transitions ahead, and protect the legacy you hope to leave behind. While numbers matter, they aren’t the whole story — fulfillment, peace of mind, and happiness weigh as heavily as performance. At every stage of life, and in every place you call home, thoughtful planning should honor the person first.
This is more than a phrase — it’s our practice. We listen before we advise. We build plans around your whole life, not just your portfolio. And because we practice on both sides of the border, we help you move between two countries’ systems — tax, retirement, healthcare, and estate — without ever losing sight of what you want your money to actually do.
Meet Lucas Wennersten.
He didn’t learn cross-border planning from a distance — he lived it.
Lucas brings deep expertise in cross-border financial planning — specializing in wealth management, tax optimization, and retirement strategies for people navigating finances between Canada and the U.S. He began his career in Arizona in 2014 and went on to serve as a Director of Finance, before moving to Toronto in 2019 as a management consultant — building first-hand expertise across both countries’ financial systems while working with some of the most respected firms in the cross-border space.
Having personally lived the complexities of relocating across the border, Lucas understands the challenges his clients face intimately. That experience — paired with his expertise in investment management and estate planning — is what ultimately led him to step away from the large-firm world and build something different: a fee-only, fiduciary practice where he could create real change and support clients in a genuine, personal way.
Having crossed the 49th parallel himself, Lucas knows a move is never just logistical — it touches identity, belonging, and the work of building something new while honoring what was left behind. That lived experience gives him a deep respect for what clients carry with them, and the ability to see a situation through more than one lens — recognizing nuance where others see only rules. Alongside a dedicated and experienced team, he meets people where they are, whether they’re navigating change, seeking clarity, or building confidence in an unfamiliar place.
Today he leads 49th Parallel Wealth Management with a simple belief — that people moving between two countries deserve advice that sees the whole picture, on both sides of the line.
The book on crossing the 49th.
Crossing the 49th Parallel
A Retirement Planning Guide for Moving Across the Canada–U.S. Border. Lucas wrote the guide he wished every client had on day one — a clear, practical roadmap through the retirement, tax, and savings decisions that come with a life lived between two countries.
Keeping every detail running smoothly.
Shakorah oversees firm operations and leads brand strategy, marketing, and communications — ensuring a cohesive, client-centered experience at every step. With a background in UX design and a degree in Marketing & Communications, she brings a user-focused approach to how the firm serves Canada–U.S. cross-border families: with clarity and care.
Expert guidance for a seamless cross-border experience.™
We bridge the financial gap between Canada and the U.S. with in-depth expertise in both markets — assessing your goals, analyzing the factors that matter, and delivering strategies tailored to your situation.
Cross-border financial planning
One coordinated plan tying your goals, cash flow, and decisions together across both countries.
Investment management
Portfolios structured for tax residency, currency, and the rules that govern each account.
Tax optimization
Using the Canada–U.S. treaty and foreign tax credits to keep more of what you earn.
Retirement planning
Turning CPP, OAS, Social Security, and accounts in both countries into steady income.
Estate planning
Wills, beneficiaries, and assets structured to pass on cleanly in both countries.
Risk mitigation
Protecting your income, savings, and family from the unexpected — on both sides of the line.
Education planning
RESPs, 529s, and a plan for school costs — wherever your family ends up studying.
Private wealth management
Your whole financial life in one fee-only, fiduciary relationship that spans the border.
Tailored to your situation.
Financial needs vary widely from one life to the next. These are some of the cross-border situations we navigate most often.
Cross-border real estate
A second home, rental, or investment property across the border brings tax, cash-flow, and estate complexity. We help you optimize and protect it while supporting the lifestyle you want.
Professionals relocating
Moving countries means leaving trusted advisors behind. We guide the financial transition and connect you with vetted professionals in your new country — fee-only, so our interests stay aligned with yours.
Tech professionals
Entrepreneurs, executives, and employees with stock options and RSUs face differing tax rules in each country. We help minimize tax, optimize equity compensation, and integrate it into your plan.
Healthcare professionals
Canadian provincial care and the U.S. private/Medicare system differ sharply. For those moving across the 49th parallel™, we plan around benefits, taxes, and security in both systems.
Get your questions answered today.
A complimentary, no-obligation conversation about your cross-border situation. You can also reach us anytime at info@49thparallelwealthmanagement.com.
Scottsdale, AZ · 480-520-7770 • Vancouver, BC · 647-670-1203