Lucas Wennersten, CFA, CFP® | Cross-Border Financial Advisor

Lucas
Wennersten, CFA, CFP® — Dually Licensed Cross-Border Financial Advisor

Cross-Border Financial
Advisor, Canada & United States   Scottsdale, AZ & Vancouver, BC

Lucas Wennersten is a dually licensed financial advisor registered in both the United States and Canada — one of a small number of advisors in North America who holds that status. He is the founder of 49th Parallel Wealth Management, a fee-only, fiduciary cross-border wealth management firm based in Scottsdale, Arizona, with a presence in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Lucas holds both the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and the Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) in both the U.S. and Canada. He has been building cross-border financial plans for Canadians and Americans since 2014 — and he is the author of Crossing the 49th Parallel: A Retirement Planning Guide for Moving Across the Canada-U.S. Border.

His work has been cited in Bloomberg and NerdWallet. His clients include Canadian snowbirds with U.S. property, Canadians retiring to the United States, Americans with Canadian financial ties, and dual citizens managing assets in both countries.

Lucas began his career in financial planning in 2014 in Arizona, where he focused on U.S.-Canada cross-border wealth management from the start. In 2019, he relocated to Toronto, Canada, where he worked as a Portfolio Manager and Management Consultant, advising clients with financial ties to both countries. He subsequently returned to the United States, completing a professional journey that mirrors the experience of the cross-border clients he serves.

That firsthand experience — living, working, and moving across the border — is not a marketing point. It is the foundation of how he approaches planning. Understanding what it means to exit Canada as a deemed disposition event, to navigate RRSP treatment under U.S. tax law, or to coordinate a Canadian pension with U.S. Social Security comes partly from technical training and partly from having done it.

Lucas has been practicing in this niche for over a decade, which means he has guided clients through the Canada-U.S. Tax Treaty as it applies to retirement income, through the PFIC rules that catch many Canadian investors off guard, and through estate plans that need to be legally valid and tax-efficient under two different legal systems simultaneously.

49th Parallel Wealth Management is a purpose-built cross-border practice. Lucas does not offer general financial planning with a cross-border component added on — the firm is structured specifically for clients whose financial lives span Canada and the United States.

Cross-border retirement planning. Coordinating income from RRSPs, RRIFs, IRAs, 401(k)s, Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security, and U.S. Social Security in a way that minimizes combined tax across both countries. Lucas models after-tax income across multiple scenarios to find the most efficient sequencing for each client’s specific situation.

Cross-border tax planning. Applying the Canada-U.S. Tax Treaty correctly to reduce withholding taxes, claim the right foreign tax credits, and structure income sources to avoid double taxation. This includes treaty elections, departure tax planning for Canadians leaving Canada, and RRSP continuation elections for U.S. residents.

Cross-border investment management. Building portfolios that comply with the investment rules of both countries — avoiding PFIC exposure, managing foreign asset reporting requirements under FBAR and Form T1135, and structuring account ownership appropriately for the client’s residency.

Cross-border estate planning coordination. Working alongside estate lawyers in both countries to ensure wills, powers of attorney, beneficiary designations, and ownership structures are legally valid and tax-efficient under both Canadian and U.S. law.

The CFA designation is awarded by the CFA Institute and is widely recognized as one of the most rigorous credentials in investment management globally. Candidates must pass three levels of examination covering portfolio management, equity analysis, fixed income, derivatives, and ethics, and must accumulate at least four years of qualifying work experience.

The CFP® designation requires completion of a comprehensive financial planning curriculum, a rigorous examination, ongoing continuing education, and adherence to a fiduciary standard of care. Lucas holds the CFP® in both the United States (through CFP Board) and Canada (through FP Canada) — a combination that is uncommon and reflects the dual-jurisdiction scope of his practice.

As a fee-only, fiduciary advisor, Lucas does not earn commissions on financial products. His compensation comes directly from clients, which aligns his interests with theirs. All recommendations are made under a fiduciary standard — meaning he is legally and ethically obligated to act in each client’s best interest.

Lucas is the author of Crossing the 49th Parallel: A Retirement Planning Guide for Moving Across the Canada-U.S. Border — a practical guide to the financial, tax, and legal considerations involved in retiring across the U.S.-Canada border. The book is designed for Canadians considering retirement in the United States and for Americans planning a move to Canada, and reflects the same framework Lucas applies to client engagements.

His expertise has been recognized in national financial media. Lucas has been featured in Bloomberg and cited in NerdWallet as a cross-border financial planning expert. He contributes regularly to the 49th Parallel Wealth Management blog, where he publishes in-depth guides on cross-border tax, retirement, and estate planning topics.

For individuals and families with financial lives that span Canada and the United States, the right advisor is not simply the most experienced one in your city — it is one who is licensed, knowledgeable, and structurally equipped to manage a plan that has to work in two countries at once. That is what Lucas Wennersten has built his practice to do.

If you have cross-border financial questions — whether about retirement income, tax planning, estate documents, or investment management — a 30-minute consultation is a good place to start.

Q1 Is Lucas Wennersten licensed in both Canada and the United States?

Yes. Lucas Wennersten is a dually registered financial advisor, licensed and regulated in both Canada and the United States. This dual registration allows him to legally provide investment advice and financial planning to clients on both sides of the border while remaining fully compliant with the regulatory standards of each country.

Q2 What designations does Lucas Wennersten hold?

Lucas holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) designation in both the United States and Canada. The CFA is widely recognized as one of the most rigorous investment management credentials globally. The CFP® in both countries reflects his ability to provide comprehensive financial planning advice to clients in either jurisdiction.

Q3 What types of clients does Lucas Wennersten work with?

Lucas specializes in serving Canadians living in or moving to the United States, Americans with Canadian financial ties, dual citizens, cross-border retirees, snowbirds with U.S. property, and high-net-worth individuals managing assets in both countries. His practice focuses on situations where a single-country advisor would be unable to address the full picture.

Q4 Has Lucas Wennersten written about cross-border financial planning?

Yes. Lucas is the author of Crossing the 49th Parallel: A Retirement Planning Guide for Moving Across the Canada-U.S. Border. He has also been featured in Bloomberg and NerdWallet as a cross-border financial planning expert.

Q5 Where is 49th Parallel Wealth Management based?

49th Parallel Wealth Management is based in Scottsdale, Arizona, with a presence in Vancouver, British Columbia. The firm serves clients across both countries, including cross-border retirees, snowbirds, expatriates, and dual citizens navigating life and finances between Canada and the United States.