Family Office Services

Darren specializes in tax and estate planning for high net worth families.

Prior to joining RBC, Darren was a tax partner with a national accounting and advisory firm where he focused on providing tax planning services to high net worth families and shareholders of privately held businesses. Darren guided clients through many of the complex personal and corporate issues faced by high net worth families and business owners by developing strategies for wealth preservation and tax minimization, the transfer of wealth to the next generation, and estate and succession planning.

Darren, together with your primary RBC advisor, helps you explore succession, tax, retirement and estate planning issues you face as a high net worth client. Darren specializes in tax and estate planning for business owners and high net worth families.

Darren is a Chartered Professional Accountant, Chartered Accountant and has completed the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants In-Depth Tax Course, the Corporate Reorganization Course and the Tax Planning for the Owner Manager Course. Darren is a TEP designated member of STEP (The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) and is a member of the Canadian Tax Foundation. Darren is a graduate of the University of British Columbia and the British Columbia Institute of Technology.

Sara specializes in international estate planning, art collection and digital legacy planning for UHNW families in developing their wealth and legacy plans. Her guidance supports clients in their relationships with their external professional advisors, with whom she frequently interacts.

Sara has two decades of professional experience in complex estate and trust administration and planning; business succession; cross-border tax planning (STEP Advanced Certificate in Cross-Border Estates); family governance (STEP Advanced Certificate on family enterprise advising); art collection management and art estates planning (“Art as Global Business” Certificate, the Sotheby’s Institute of Art and European Institute of Sustainability, “Art Disruption,” NFTs and tokenization of Art, legal and tax planning); as well as, Digital Assets Inventory and estate management. She is a graduate of Masters in US Law at George Mason University and was called to the California State Bar in 2021. Sara achieved her Ph.D. in International Management (Behavioural Finance and Law) at the International School of Management in France, as well as completed the Federation of Law Societies of Canada, National Committee on Accreditation at UBC Peter A. Allard School of Law.

Sara is an active member of the following groups and institutions:

American Bar Association (ABA) in Chicago, US
California Lawyers Association CLA Trust and Estate, and IP Chapters in Los Angeles, US
Beverley Hills Bar Association in Los Angeles, US
International Bar Association (IBA) in London, UK; Technology Law Committee, Art, Cultural and Heritage Committee, IP and Entertainment Committee
Fellow of the European Law Institute in Vienna, Austria; Model Rules on Succession of Digital assets SIG; Access to Digital Assets SIG, and Model Rules on Algorithmic Contracts SIG
STEP Canada; the STEP Cross-Border Estates SIG
The Institute of Art and Law in London, UK
Art Lawyers Association (ALA) in London, UK
Professional Advisors to the International Art Market (PAIAM) in New York City, US
Alumnus of the of Harvard Law School, HarvardX, Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society
Third Space Life Charity in the Okanagan
She lectures the fall/winter seminars on International Business Law, Business Succession, Trust, International Arbitration and
M&A at ISEG, MBA course in Paris, France. She is also a visiting lecturer of Blockchain and NFTs at UCLA Law school. Sara is fluent in Italian and English and has working knowledge of French and Spanish.

Sara works closely with your RBC advisor to identify strategies and solutions on structuring your affairs in a manner that addresses your overall wealth planning needs, which you would then discuss and implement with your accountant or lawyer.

Edward obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from Simon Fraser University in 2013 and earned his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom in 2015. He completed his Master of Laws at Peter A. Allard

School of Law in 2016 and was called to the bar in British Columbia in 2018.

Prior to joining RBC Family Office Services, Edward advised for a national trust company exclusive to physicians and their families, on fostering wealth and legacy transfer through estate planning and trust administration. Edward practiced estates and trust law in a boutique law firm in downtown Vancouver, assisting clients with estate and incapacity planning, including

the preparation of Wills, powers of attorney, representation agreements, as well as complex trusts. In addition, Edward advised executors, trustees and beneficiaries on estate and trust administration duties and responsibilities, including preparing applications for representative grants and administering complex asset structures.

Edward is a designated Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) with the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and serves as an executive for the Canadian Bar Association Wills and Trusts Section (Vancouver). He has also been involved in various community and volunteer initiatives throughout his

career, serving as a committee member for the Canadian Bar Association Legal Futures Initiative and director to the Global Lawyers of Canada in BC.

Edward’s diverse and practical experience in estate planning allows him to offer valuable guidance in the development of your estate plan.

What will your legacy be? Will it pass seamlessly to the people and causes you care about?

The son of an accountant and a teacher, Jesse is naturally analytical while driven towards empathetic conversations. He uses a technical and creative skillset to design plans that incorporate insurance based solutions to protect and enhance the impact of wealth across generations. He excels at turning complex planning matters into easily digestible options.

Committed to learning and growth, Jesse holds the Certified Financial Planner® and Chartered Life Underwriter® designations, is an Affiliate of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Distinction. A husband and father of two, he lives an active life and can be found Nordic ski coaching, cycling to work or paddleboarding at Cultus Lake.

Coming from one of the major global accounting firms, Yat-Sze brings a broad range of experience to her role as Vice President, Financial Planning Specialist.

In her previous role, she spent many years working with private companies, high-net-worth individuals, trusts, and partnerships. Her work included tax minimization through appropriate tax planning (corporate and personal, including estate planning) as well as corporate restructuring.

Yat-Sze is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). She completed her Bachelor of Commerce at the University of British Columbia and has completed all three levels of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants’ In-Depth Tax Course. She has also completed the Advanced Tax Course for Owner-Managed Businesses.

As a Financial Planning Specialist, Yat-Sze’s 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 and tax planning concerns you might have.

As a Senior Trust Advisor, Phylicia Rye serves clients throughout the Eastern Greater Vancouver and North Vancouver Island areas. Her focus on providing estate and trust advice and solutions to high net worth families has garnered her a strong reputation among her peers and is well known within the estate and trust industry for her ability to deal with complex issues.

Phylicia graduated from Simon Fraser University with a Bachelor of Arts (Economics). She also holds both the Personal Financial Planner (PFP) and Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designations, and the Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) designation. She has over 24 years of industry experience and has leveraged the necessary technical and business development skills to provide clients with the right solutions for their unique circumstances.

Phylicia works with individuals, families, and businesses providing 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, Phylicia can help.