Estate Planning Specalist
Colin Ardill, FEA
Vice-President & Estate Planning Specialist, RBC Wealth Management Financial Services Inc.
You’re the biggest beneficiary.
Colin Ardill stays humble. Even so, he’s not shy about being a man on a mission: to overturn 150 years of misunderstanding about life insurance, one day at a time.
Most Canadians see only one dimension to life insurance: that it’s of no use to the living. But Colin sees it in three dimensions. There is the death benefit that everyone can see – but life insurance also provides tax-exempt growth, and it allows the holder to spend more money in retirement than they otherwise could. Says Colin: “The person buying the policy is going to be the biggest beneficiary.”
Colin has been in the estate planning business for over 15 years. His core purpose – the heart of everything he does – is to leave everyone he meets better off.
Will & Estate Specalist
Joanne Groer, BA, LL.B, JD
Will & Estate Consultant, Family Office Services, RBC Wealth Management
Joanne obtained her Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Victoria, Canada. She was called to the Ontario Bar and is a member of good standing with the Law Society of Ontario.
Prior to joining RBC Wealth Management, Joanne has had a rich and varied career working in both large and small firms in private practice as well as working for a number of years as in-house counsel for a large international technology company. In the last few years in private practice, Joanne specialized in the areas of will and estate planning, estate administration, trust planning, and family business succession planning.
As a Wills and Estate Consultant, Joanne provides comprehensive estate planning services to clients.
Financial Planning Specialist
Scott VanEngen, CPA, CA, CFP
Financial Planning Specialist, Family Office Services, RBC Wealth Management
Scott brings his 33 plus years of financial services experience to the clients he meets, including 18 years in public practice (six years as a Partner) with a local CA firm. He has worked with clients in the areas of tax, estate and business strategy including family business succession planning.
Prior to joining RBC Family Office Services, Scott provided services for four years to RBC clients as a Commercial Account Manager, focused on owner- managed business and agriculture clients, and four years as a Private Banker, assisting high net worth clients with personal banking, credit and financial planning needs.
Scott is member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario, and the Financial Planners Standard Council. He is a Canadian Association of Family Enterprises trained family business facilitator, a Family Business Advisor and graduate of the University of Guelph with an animal science and agriculture business degree. He is also a member of the Canadian Association of Farm Advisers and holds a CAFA designation, (Certified Agriculture Farm Advisor).
Scott will work with your advisors to prepare and present a comprehensive Compass Financial Plan specific to you.
Regional Trust Advisor
Lesley Donsky, J.D., TEP
Will and Estate Advisor, RBC Royal Trust
With a career focused on client-facing roles, Lesley Donsky is dedicated to providing her clients with a personalized service tailored to their needs. She works effectively 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, Lesley can help. Lesley is a graduate of the University of Windsor Faculty of Law with a Juris Doctor degree, and holds a Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) designation. Called to the bar in 2017, she is a member of the Law Society of Ontario, the Junior Trust and Estate Practitioners (JTEP), the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) and the Ontario Bar Association (OBA), as well as a full member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP). Prior to obtaining her law degree, Lesley earned an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Criminology from Western University, where she was awarded the Gold Medal in Criminology for her academic achievement.
Early in 2022, Lesley was nominated and shortlisted for the Young Practitioner of the Year Award through the STEP Client Awards, which recognizes excellence among practitioners who demonstrate great promise in the industry. Before joining RBC Royal Trust, Lesley worked under one of Toronto’s top will and estate planners and completed her articling term at one of Toronto’s top estate litigation firms.
With more than five years of legal experience, Lesley brings to each client the necessary skill set to offer both the technical expertise and a genuine understanding of the emotional complexities that underlie these issues, to find a solution that’s right for her clients’ needs.
Premier Banking Advisor
Cindy Reynolds
Premier Banking Advisor, RBC Royal Bank
As a Premier Banking Advisor for Central Ontario, Cindy Reynolds works as a single point of contact providing banking and credit solutions for select clients of Wealth Management and their families. Partnering with Investment Advisors and Investment Counsellors across Central Ontario, she provides personalized service and tailored advice to help clients efficiently and effectively manage their day to day banking needs.
With over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, Cindy has become a respected member of the banking community. Prior to her role, she worked as a Banking Advisor at a branch. There she developed a dedicated approach to advice, simplifying clients' financial matters and exceeding their needs.
Cindy was born in Toronto and has a deep passion for educating her clients on the importance of financial health. In addition, Cindy loves being married for almost 31 years and having two daughters. Along with her Investment Funds in Canada certification, Cindy also holds a Bachelor Degree in Social Development Studies, with a major in business from the University of Waterloo. Cindy's hobbies are watching sports, reading and volunteering to help raise funds for a local animal rescue organization in the City where Cindy Lives.