Running a small business or working self-employed in Alberta means irregular income, no employer benefits, and constantly choosing between reinvesting in your company and protecting your family's future. We help you do both — with a clear plan that works for the way you actually earn money.
Small business owners and self-employed professionals in Alberta face a unique financial reality. Your income fluctuates. You don't have an employer contributing to your pension or health benefits. Every dollar you spend on yourself is a dollar you didn't reinvest in the business. And at tax time, you're often just trying to survive the process — not optimize it.
Here's the truth: the financial challenges of running a small business are real, but so are the advantages. As a self-employed person, you have access to tax deductions, income-splitting strategies, and retirement savings tools that salaried employees don't. The question is whether anyone is helping you use them properly.
Joanne David CFP® FCSI works with self-employed professionals, tradespeople, consultants, freelancers, and small business operators across Alberta — helping them build real financial security without losing sight of what they've built. As a fee-only advisor, she earns nothing from the products you buy. Her job is simply to give you the best advice for your situation.
| ✓ Separating Personal & Business Finances | Clarity between your business and personal cash flow is the foundation of everything. We help you structure this properly so you always know where you stand — and so CRA doesn't have questions. |
| ✓ RRSP & TFSA Strategies for Variable Income | When your income fluctuates year to year, knowing when and how much to contribute to your RRSP makes a significant difference. We build a contribution strategy that matches your cash flow — not a generic one-size-fits-all plan. |
| ✓ Business Expense & Tax Deduction Planning | Home office, vehicle, professional development, equipment — are you capturing every eligible deduction? We work alongside your accountant to make sure you're not leaving money on the table. |
| ✓ Retirement Planning Without an Employer Pension | No employer pension means you're entirely responsible for your own retirement income. We build a plan that makes your RRSP, TFSA, and any other savings work together to replace the income you'll need — on your timeline. |
| ✓ Disability Insurance for the Self-Employed | If you can't work, there's no sick pay, no short-term disability, and no safety net unless you've built one. Disability insurance is one of the most important — and most overlooked — protections for self-employed Albertans. |
| ✓ Health & Dental Coverage Options | We help self-employed individuals find and structure the right health and dental coverage — including individual plans, association plans, and health spending accounts — at the right cost. |
| ✓ GST/HST Filing & Cash Flow Planning | GST remittances and quarterly tax instalments can create serious cash flow pressure if you're not planning for them. We help you stay ahead so there are no surprises at tax time. |
| ✓ Income Tax Preparation for Sole Proprietors | We prepare T1 returns for self-employed Albertans as part of a fully integrated service — so your filing reflects your financial strategy, not just what happened last year. |
| ✓ Estate Planning for Business Owners | What happens to your business — and your family — if something happens to you? Proper wills, powers of attorney, and business continuity planning protect everything you've built. |
Most small business owners tell us the same thing: they've been so focused on the business that their personal finances have taken a back seat for years. The good news is it's never too late to build a proper plan — and the tax advantages available to self-employed Albertans mean there's real ground to make up quickly when you start doing it right.
Book Your Free 20-Minute CallVariable income makes retirement planning feel impossible. But it's exactly the kind of situation where a personalized strategy — rather than a generic contribution schedule — makes all the difference.
When your taxes are integrated with your financial plan — not treated as a separate annual chore — the surprises disappear. We help you plan throughout the year, not just scramble in April.
Building your own retirement income without an employer pension is entirely possible — but it requires a different strategy. We've helped many self-employed Albertans build robust retirement plans from scratch.
For self-employed people, this isn't optional — it's essential. If you can't work, everything stops. We help you get the right coverage in place without overselling you on what you don't need.
As fee-only planners, you pay us directly for advice. We earn nothing from the products you buy — every recommendation is genuinely in your best interest. No commissions. No conflicts. Just the advice small business owners deserve.
Book a free 20-minute exploratory call with Joanne — no pressure, no jargon, just honest answers.