Client Story: David Carter, Partner at a National Health Advisory Firm
When David Carter first connected with us, he wasn’t looking for a new investment or insurance product — he was searching for clarity.
After years of success in his health consulting firm, he had built a solid net worth and significant corporate wealth — yet felt trapped by it.
“We’ve built up a lot inside the company,” he said, “but I have no idea what to do with it. I want options — not obligations.”
David’s situation wasn’t unusual among seasoned business owners: high income, multiple corporations, real estate, and investment accounts that didn’t talk to each other. What he needed wasn’t more financial advice — it was an integrated plan that could give him both tax efficiency and flexibility for the next decade.
The Challenge: Wealth Without Coordination
At 47, David and his wife were raising four kids, managing a new home, and preparing for university costs on the horizon.
On paper, they were thriving:
- Personal income of roughly $450,000
- Additional $300K–$600K of retained earnings flowing into a holding company each year
- Over $1M in corporate cash and investments, plus $1.5M in preferred shares
- Real estate portfolio worth more than $5M
Despite these strong numbers, David was frustrated. Every decision — from paying himself dividends to investing corporate funds — seemed to come with a tax penalty.
With a personal marginal rate exceeding 50%, he wanted a way to build future optionality without triggering unnecessary tax today.
The Discovery: Redefining “Retirement” as Freedom
During our discovery meeting, David said something that reframed the entire plan:
“I don’t want to retire — I just want to have the choice to work differently.”
That became the guiding principle for everything that followed.
Instead of focusing on a distant retirement age, we designed a 10-year Freedom Plan — a structure that would allow him to scale back, pivot, or exit his firm when he decided, without the stress of whether the math worked.
The Strategy: Building a Wealth Reservoir Inside the Corporation
Our approach combined three key elements that transformed David’s static assets into a dynamic system:
- Repositioning Corporate Cash
We reallocated idle retained earnings into a corporately owned participating whole life policy, structured for growth and liquidity.
- Premium: ~$400,000 annually
- Backdated one year for immediate compounding
- Designed to create a long-term tax-sheltered reserve inside the corporation
- Premium: ~$400,000 annually
- Creating Liquidity Without Triggering Tax
The policy’s cash value became a leverage-ready asset, allowing David to borrow against it rather than pull out taxable dividends.
This opened doors for opportunities like funding his spouse’s business expansion or future property investments — all while maintaining corporate control. - Coordinating Income Streams
We layered the stable preferred share income (~$200K + 5%) with his salary, ensuring predictable inflows while letting corporate growth compound undisturbed.
The Transformation: From Reactive to Strategic
Today, David describes his finances as “finally working together.”
His corporations, personal accounts, and investments now operate as a single ecosystem. The result:
- Tax-efficient growth through the corporation
- Non-taxable access to capital when needed
- A clear path toward his family’s 10-year flexibility goal
“For the first time, I feel like my money has a purpose,” he told us. “It’s not just sitting there — it’s actually giving us options.”
Results Snapshot (Year 1)
| Area | Before | After |
| Corporate Retained Earnings | Idle cash & equity portfolio | Structured into par whole life and investment mix |
| Liquidity Access | Dividend withdrawals (taxable) | Policy loans (non-taxable) |
| Planning Focus | Retirement at 65 | Freedom by 57 |
| Confidence | “Too many moving parts.” | “It all fits now.” |
Lessons for Canadian Business Owners
- Liquidity isn’t just about cash — it’s about access.
Corporate dollars can be positioned to work harder while remaining available. - The goal isn’t retirement, it’s freedom.
David didn’t want to stop working — he wanted to stop needing to. - Whole life, when structured correctly, is a tool — not a product.
It can bridge tax efficiency, liquidity, and legacy in one design.
The Canadian Wealth Secrets Perspective
At Canadian Wealth Secrets, we believe that wealth isn’t just about accumulation — it’s about coordination.
David’s story proves that when business owners align their corporate structure with personal goals, the result isn’t just higher returns — it’s a life with more freedom, flexibility, and foresight.
🚀 Your Next Step: Build Your System
If you’re a Canadian business owner who’s ready to turn success into freedom,
your next step is to find out where you are in these four components.
Head to CanadianWealthSecrets.com/discovery to take our free diagnostic. You’ll get a personalized snapshot of your current wealth system
and see exactly what to focus on next.
