A self-professed math geek, Geoff was interested in finance from the very start. As a kid, he always served as the “bank” when playing Monopoly, carefully doling out deeds and depositing cash. Fittingly, Geoff majored in accounting for his Bachelor of Business Administration degree at Wilfred Laurier University, and his co-op at EY went on to earn him a full-time role in the cross-border tax group after graduation.
As a tax manager for EY’s multinational corporate clients, Geoff helped individuals whose work took them to other parts of the world, consulting on and completing their domestic and foreign income tax filing and planning in advance of departure, during their tenure abroad, and upon arrival back in Canada. Most of these professionals traversed North America, so Geoff quickly became very well versed in U.S. tax, in addition to his Canadian tax expertise. “Cross-border income tax planning is incredibly complex,” he says. “I got a lot of satisfaction from simplifying that for people.” But Geoff could only help to a certain point, which nagged at him. “People had a lot of questions about their broader finances, their investments, things like their RRSPs. I was part of numerous discussions with investment advisors, and none of them had the answers for their cross-border clients. Not one.”
Identifying a clear need in the market and following his natural tendency toward full service, after a decade at EY, Geoff joined RBC Dominion Securities and founded Hartley Advisory Group in 2011. As an investment advisor serving Canadians with or without ties to the United States, he acts as a personal CFO, coordinating all elements of clients’ wealth, collaborating with specialists ranging from estate planners to accountants. “So many people are uncertain about their financial situation, and that’s especially true of people whose finances are more complex than average,” he says. “I love making somebody’s life a little bit easier and simpler.” Core to Geoff’s work is an in-depth understanding of each client’s “absolute” goals, which helps guide the investment strategy he devises for them.
Outside of work, Geoff spends as much time as he can with his wife, Lianne, and their young son, Brodie, who loves building LEGO with Mom and Dad and working at his arts and crafts table. Geoff likes to cook up new creations for his family, especially on the barbecue. He also keeps active, golfing and playing ball hockey when he can, and jogs almost daily, rain or shine. The family spends several months every year in Lianne’s hometown of Glasgow, which never fails to reinforce for Geoff his already intimate understanding of the unique challenges of being a global citizen.
