Jane Smith

Senior Financial Advisor

With 35 years in the financial services industry, Jane is well  positioned to assist you with creating wealth, preserving it, and spending and sharing it; all while paying as little tax as possible.

Jane joined Assante in 2015, following close to 28 years with     Beacon Securities, where she held numerous positions,    including President.  Her enduring passion has been to work with individuals and their families.  She indicates that there is nothing more rewarding than watching someone share their hopes, set up a plan, execute on the plan, and realize that “they have enough”.  Having achieved the goal of “enough”, much is left to do. How much can I spend?  Gee, I want to help out my kids and grandkids.  I want to give back to my community.  I own a small rental property.  How should I deal with that?  How do I structure all of this in the best way so that I pay as little tax as possible? Jane is backed by a team of professionals; accountants, tax specialists, financial and estate planners to help her answer these questions and many more.

A Dalhousie graduate with a B.A. and B.Ed. Jane has lived most of her adult life in Halifax.  Her community interests are varied, but concentrated in the areas of women, education, investments, and community engagement.  She has served on numerous boards, including YWCA (President) and Mount Saint Vincent University (Investment committee and Chair of Board) and is currently Chair of the Nova Scotia Talent Trust Foundation.  She has served on numerous investment committees and currently serves in that role for the Anglican Diocese of Nova Scotia and PEI and for the University of King’s College.  Jane served as co-chair for the Central Library Capital Campaign, an achievement of which she is particularly proud.

Jane is married to Lorway MacLellan and is most proud of her two grown children Emily and James Boudreau.   In her spare time, she will pick up the clubs with Lorway, walk and bike; but she is in her element when she can gather family and friends at the cottage at Mahone Bay. 

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Chris Thomson , BA, LL.B, TEP

Regional Vice-President, Wealth Planning

As Regional Vice-President, Wealth Planning, Chris Thomson works  closely  with  our  high  net  worth  clients  to  identify  issues and provide complex, tactical wealth planning support that  complements  their  wealth  plans.  Chris  has  a  particular  focus   on   tax   and   estate   planning   for   business   owners,   professionals, and other affluent individuals and families. 

Chris joined CI Assante Private Client in 2008, after working in private  practice  serving  businesses  and  families  throughout  Eastern  Canada,  specializing  in  both  personal  and  business  estate  and  tax  planning.  His  overall  professional  experience  in wealth planning exceeds 25 years.  

Chris is a lawyer with a Bachelor of Law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. He is a member of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society,  and  the  Society  of  Trust  and  Estate  Practitioners.  Chris  has  completed  both  the  CICA  In-Depth  Tax  Course  and  the  CICA  Advanced  Tax  Issues  for  the  Owner-Managed  Business course. 

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Graham Long, CPA, CGA, CFP, TEP

Regional Wealth Planner

As  a  Regional  Wealth  Planner,  Graham  Long  facilitates  the  delivery  of  wealth  planning  reports.  Using  a  needs-based  approach, Graham works with our clients to not only gather pertinent  financial  information,  but  more  importantly,  to  identify issues and to help our clients articulate and document their goals in order to build a plan that meets their complex needs.  Working  with  the  support  of  the  wealth  planning  team,  Graham  delivers  a  plan  that  addresses  retirement  planning, cash flow management, risk management, business planning and estate planning. 

Graham became part of CI Assante Private Client in 2013. His experience in wealth planning and asset management spans over  20  years.  It  includes  holding  senior  positions  with  two  large  Canadian  asset  management  companies  and  working  with two of the major Canadian banks. Before joining us, he was  with  Atlantic  Canada’s  largest  independent  chartered  accounting firm. 

Graham  is  a  Chartered  Professional  Accountant  (CPA,  CGA)  with   a   Bachelor   of   Commerce   degree   from   Dalhousie   University. In addition, he holds both his Certified Financial Planner®  (CFP®)  and    Trust  and  Estate  Practitioner  (TEP)  designations. 

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