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New ‘fee-only’ financial planning firm opens downtown

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Patrick Hayton

Ryan Parton

Special to The Record

Patrick Hayton believes people deserve to have more say in the way they manage their finances – even when working with a financial planner. That’s why the longtime Valley resident opened TidySum Financial Planning in downtown Courtenay earlier this month.

“This is the only business in the Comox Valley dedicated to providing ‘fee-only’ financial planning under the guidance of an unbiased, independent financial planner,” explains Hayton. “I don’t sell products or get paid commissions to refer people to someone who does. Instead, I offer trustworthy and unbiased financial advice to help people retire, manage their cash flow and eliminate debt.”

Fee-only financial advising is relatively new in Canada. Fee-only advisors are not licensed to sell investments or recommend specific mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or individual stocks. What they can do, however, is review a portfolio and analyze its asset allocation, risk and fees, and then measure its performance against a comparable benchmark or index.

“I’m completely independent,” says Hayton. “I work with each client to create and implement a financial plan based on their specific short- and long-term goals, with as few fees as possible.”

Hayton has been a financial planner since 2000, specializing in comprehensive financial and retirement planning, money coaching, portfolio reviews, budgeting and decision consultation.

After attending post-secondary school and working for a time in the Lower Mainland, he says he was happy to return to Courtenay – his childhood home – in 2001. And he’s thrilled to have made this recent move to start his own business.

“I want to empower people so that they’re not intimidated by the bank salespeople when it comes time to renew mortgages or open a discount brokerage account,” he says. “While I’m always available to check in with clients and make sure they’re on track, my goal is to teach them to manage their finances so they don’t have to rely on me going forward.”

For a free consultation, contact Patrick by email at patrick@tidysum.ca, by phone at 250-218-0750 or by visiting www.tidysumlocal.ca.

TidySum Financial Planning is located in The Hub at C-357 Fourth Street in Courtenay.