Extended Team

Relationships are the new wealth. From my perspective, nothing is more important in life than having strong relationships. Relationships with my family, my friends and with my business partners.

My team fosters the strongest possible professional relationships with our internal partners' clients and their respective external advisors. With that collaborative strength, great outcomes can be achieved. That's why we believe relationships are the new wealth. They are essential if we are to understand clients' dreams and deliver on our mission: to ensure that the wealth accumulated in a business or portfolio remains in the hands of the families that created it.

We bind one generation to the next through the powerful tool of tax-exempt insurance. We enhance the lives of our client families forever, by helping them have the choices that only financial security can bring.

Coming from one of the major global accounting firms, Chris brings a broad range of experience to his role as a Financial Planning Specialist. In his previous role as a senior tax manager, he spent many years working with private companies, high net worth individuals, trusts and partnerships. His work focused on tax minimization strategies and corporate reorganizations.

Chris is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. He has completed CPA Canada’s In-Depth Tax Course and In-Depth Tax Issues for the Owner-Managed Business Course. Chris now shares his knowledge and experiences as Group Study Leader and Tutorial Facilitator for the In-Depth Tax Course. He is also a member of the Canadian Tax Foundation.

Chris’ role is to work with and support your advisor in preparing and presenting your Compass Financial Plan and to identify and assess any related financial planning concerns you may have.

Ariel graduated from the University of Ottawa with a degree in Business Administration in 1992, and from the Faculty of Law in 1994 where he served on the editorial board of the Law Review.

He was called to the Ontario Bar in 1996. Prior to joining RBC, Ariel spent 5 years teaching Real Estate Law and Estate Law at La Cité Collégiale in Ottawa. For the previous 12 years, Ariel held several positions at a major trust company, culminating in the role of Trust Manager.

Ariel is a member in good standing of the Law Society of Upper Canada, and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (Canadian chapter). His significant practical experience in estate planning and administration allows him to offer valuable guidance during the creation of your estate plan.

As a Business Owner Specialist, High Net Worth Planning Services, Bobby, together with your primary RBC advisor, helps you explore succession, tax, retirement and estate planning issues you face as a business owner.

Bobby has over 15 years of experience working with owners of privately held businesses to help them develop business succession, tax and estate planning solutions tailored to their goals and objectives. Prior to joining High Net Worth Planning Services, Bobby provided tax, retirement, estate and financial planning advice to RBC advisors and their clients. He has written articles on various topics including determining the value of a business, farm succession planning, tax planning and retirement planning.

Prior to joining RBC, Bobby was a Vice President at a boutique business valuation firm in Toronto where he worked with business owners to help them determine the value of their business for divestitures, litigation, tax and estate planning purposes. He also worked with owners to help them identify the value drivers of their business.

Bobby is a Chartered Business Valuator, a Chartered Professional Accountant and has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto. He has also completed all three levels of the CPA In-Depth Tax Course.

Prashant has assisted high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth families with tax, estate and retirement issues since 1992.

His guidance supports clients in their relationships with their external professional advisors, with whom he frequently interacts.

His expertise includes tax and estate planning for executives, business owners, retirees, sports professionals and individuals with U.S. issues. He also assists individuals facing significant financial events (sale of business, financial windfall, retirement, job loss, moving to Canada, leaving Canada, etc.)

Prior to joining RBC in 1999, Prashant honed his expertise by working as a Canadian and U.S. tax specialist for two of the big four accounting firms in downtown Toronto.

Prashant is a Certified Financial Planner, Associate of the Society of Actuaries and member of both the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners and Canadian Tax Foundation.

As a Senior Trust Advisor, Karen Snowdon-Steacy is responsible for managing a complex book of accounts, and services clients throughout the Greater Toronto Area. Karen works with individuals, families and businesses to provide customized estate, trust and incapacity solutions. Whether it is helping someone to settle an estate, establishing a trust to ensure the successful transfer of family assets, or arranging to assist with the administration and responsibilities for a Power of Attorney, Karen can help. Karen also has expertise and experience in advising on Philanthropic and Charitable Giving strategies for clients who wish to leave a lasting legacy.

A graduate of Victoria University at the University of Toronto specializing in history and political science, Karen has continued to deepen her knowledge and expertise with key industry designations such as Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP). Karen is a full member of STEP.

With 25 years of experience, Karen is well known within the local Estate and Trust industry and delivers well-balanced advice by staying abreast of product, industry, investment, tax and legislative developments. With a career focused on building client relationships, she is dedicated to providing assistance in the preservation, management and transfer of wealth between generations by providing solutions to implement clients’ estate, trust and philanthropic plans.