Private Wealth Management — 49th Parallel Wealth Management
Services  /  Private wealth management
Private wealth management

Your whole financial life, in one relationship.

Investments, planning, tax, retirement, and estate — coordinated into a single plan instead of scattered across advisors who never speak. Fee-only, fiduciary, and built for lives that span both countries.

The basics

What is wealth management?

Wealth management is the process of helping you grow, protect, and use your money in a way that supports the life you want. It goes beyond investing — it brings financial planning, tax strategy, retirement guidance, and ongoing support together in one place.

It isn’t a one-size-fits-all plan. It’s a strategy built around your goals, your values, and your future. For people with more complex financial lives — including those spanning more than one country — wealth management provides the structure, coordination, and clarity to make your decisions work together rather than in isolation. Done right, it helps you:

  • Understand where you stand financially
  • Make confident decisions about your money
  • Reduce taxes and avoid costly mistakes
  • Plan for retirement, education, or a major life event
  • Coordinate everything across the Canada–U.S. border
  • Protect your family and build a lasting legacy
Our core services

Everything, under one roof.

Whether you’re just starting to build wealth or planning for retirement, these are the areas we coordinate — as a single, connected plan.

Financial planning

We start with your goals and build a clear plan to reach them — from cash flow to preparing for life changes.

Investment management

A portfolio built around your needs, timeline, and comfort level — focused on long-term, steady growth.

Tax planning

Account choices, timing, and strategy to lower your taxes while staying fully compliant in both countries.

Retirement planning

How much you need, when to draw income, and how to make it last — on whichever side of the border you retire.

Insurance & risk

We review your coverage and prepare you for the unexpected. Fee-only — we don’t sell insurance products.

Education funding

A plan for college or other education goals that makes sense and supports your family’s future.

Estate planning

Organizing your assets and wishes, working with your legal team for a smooth transition to the next generation.

Business planning

Preparing for change — whether you plan to pass on, sell, or step away from the business you’ve built.

Build your wealth plan

What would your plan include?

Tell us what’s on your mind and we’ll sketch the services a coordinated plan would likely bring together — and the simplest way to get started.

What’s on your mind? (select all that apply)
Select what matters to you and we’ll outline the pieces your plan would likely include. →
Your plan would likely include

Talk through your plan

A general starting point, not advice. Financial planning is the foundation of every plan; the rest depends on your goals and situation. We’re a fee-only, fiduciary firm and offer hourly, project-based, and ongoing engagements.

Our planning approach

Good planning starts with listening.

We take time to understand your goals, values, and situation before offering any advice. Here’s how we work together.

01  We listen first

Our first conversation is all about you — what you care about, what keeps you up at night, and what a successful future looks like. This is the foundation for everything else.

02  We create a clear plan

We build a strategy that supports your life, explain your options clearly, and answer every question so you feel confident before moving forward.

03  We help you take action

We support you as you put the plan in motion — opening accounts, investing, adjusting savings — each step in the right order and at the right time.

04  We stay connected

Your life and goals change, and your plan should keep up. We check in, make adjustments, and guide you through whatever comes next.

Not sure your current setup is right for both countries?
Get a free cross-border second opinion — five questions, an instant read.
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Good to know

Wealth management questions, answered plainly.

What is wealth management and what does it include?
Wealth management is a coordinated approach to your financial life — combining investment management, financial planning, tax strategy, and ongoing advice into one relationship. Rather than working with separate advisors for each area, you get a single plan that connects all the pieces. At 49th Parallel, that coordination extends across the Canada–U.S. border when your life does.
Do I need a minimum amount of assets to work with you?
No minimum is required to get started. We work with clients at different stages — from those building their financial foundation to those managing established wealth. We offer hourly consulting, project-based financial planning, and comprehensive ongoing wealth management (AUM-based), so you can engage us in the way that fits your needs.
How are you compensated? Are you a fiduciary?
Yes, we are a fee-only, fiduciary firm. That means we are legally required to act in your best interest, and we are compensated directly by you — not through commissions or product sales. We offer three fee structures: hourly consulting, flat-fee project planning (scoped by complexity), and ongoing wealth management billed on assets under management.
Can you help with both retirement planning and tax planning?
Yes. Retirement and tax planning are deeply connected, and we address both together rather than in isolation. We build retirement income strategies that account for account types, withdrawal sequencing, and tax impact — and we coordinate with your CPA or attorney when needed to ensure everything is aligned.
What makes 49th Parallel different from other wealth management firms?
Our core specialization is cross-border financial planning for individuals and families with ties to both the U.S. and Canada — a genuinely complex area most generalist advisors aren’t equipped to handle well. We understand how the U.S. and Canadian tax systems interact, how to structure accounts across the border, and how to keep your whole financial picture coordinated. And we’re fee-only fiduciaries.
What is cross-border wealth management?
Cross-border wealth management is financial planning for individuals who have significant financial connections to both the U.S. and Canada — such as dual citizens, U.S. residents with Canadian retirement accounts, Canadians working in the U.S., or those planning to retire across the border. It requires understanding both tax systems and how accounts in each country interact.
Who typically needs cross-border wealth management services?
Our cross-border clients include Canadians who have relocated to the U.S. and hold accounts like RRSPs, TFSAs, or defined-benefit pensions; U.S. citizens living in Canada with 401(k)s or IRAs; dual citizens navigating tax obligations in both countries; and individuals planning a cross-border retirement. If you have assets, income, or tax obligations on both sides of the border, this is for you.
How does moving from Canada to the US affect my RRSP or other Canadian accounts?
Your RRSP does not need to be closed when you move to the U.S. — under Article XVIII of the Canada–U.S. Tax Treaty, you can continue to defer tax on RRSP growth while living in the U.S., provided the proper elections are filed with the IRS. A TFSA, however, does not receive the same treaty protection and is treated as a taxable foreign trust by the IRS. Managing these accounts correctly after a move matters.
What US tax reporting is required when you have Canadian financial accounts?
U.S. persons with Canadian financial accounts above certain thresholds are required to file an FBAR (FinCEN 114) annually and may also have FATCA obligations (Form 8938). Failure to file carries substantial penalties. Cross-border wealth management includes identifying these obligations, maintaining compliance, and structuring accounts to reduce complexity going forward.
How do you coordinate investment strategy across two countries?
We build portfolios that account for tax residency, account type, currency exposure, and the specific rules governing each account in each country. For example, holding certain U.S. mutual funds inside a Canadian account — or vice versa — can create unintended tax problems. We structure your investments to minimize those conflicts while keeping your plan aligned with your long-term goals and spending needs in whichever country you live in.
Let's talk

Build a plan that fits your life.

A complimentary strategy call to understand your goals and show how we’d coordinate the whole picture across the border. No obligation.