Expert Advisor

Platform Benefits — Scotiaconnect expert advisory delivers CFP and CFA-credentialed financial planning through phone, video, and in-person consultations. Initial sessions are complimentary. Ongoing advisory relationships cover retirement, investment, tax strategy, estate planning, and business succession with flat-fee pricing and a fiduciary standard.

Financial Advisory Services

Scotiaconnect expert advisor services connect you with a dedicated financial professional who understands Canadian tax structures, registered account rules, and the specific financial landscape facing individuals and businesses across the country. Unlike algorithm-driven robo-advisors that produce generic portfolios, Scotiaconnect advisors build plans around your actual situation — your income trajectory, your family obligations, your business structure, your retirement timeline, and the life you want your money to support.

Every Scotiaconnect advisor holds at minimum a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation or a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charter. Many carry additional credentials — Chartered Investment Manager (CIM), Registered Retirement Consultant (RRC), Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) — reflecting specialized expertise in areas relevant to Canadian clients. All advisors complete 30 hours of continuing education annually and operate under a fiduciary standard: every recommendation must serve your best interest, not product commissions or sales incentives.

Meet Your Advisor: Marjorie H. Delacroix, CFP, CFA

Marjorie Delacroix has spent over 18 years guiding Canadian individuals, families, and business owners through complex financial decisions. Her practice at Scotiaconnect spans retirement income planning, tax-efficient investment strategy, estate structuring, RESP-based education funding, and small business succession. Before joining Scotiaconnect, she spent a decade at a major Canadian wealth management firm where she managed portfolios totaling over $400 million in client assets. Marjorie holds both CFP and CFA designations and serves as a mentor to junior advisors on the Scotiaconnect team.

Her approach begins with a single session that maps your entire financial picture — assets, liabilities, income, goals, timeline, risk tolerance, and the non-negotiable priorities that matter most to you. From that foundation, she builds a written plan you can review, question, and refine. Clients describe her as direct, thorough, and unwilling to recommend anything she would not choose for her own family. Marjorie offers consultations in English and French, by phone or video, with in-person availability at the Scotiaconnect Toronto and Montreal service centers.

Advisory Specialization Areas

Specialization	Description	Typical Client
Retirement Planning	RRSP, RRIF, TFSA optimization, withdrawal sequencing, OAS/CPP coordination, income floor design	Pre-retirees and retirees, ages 50+
Investment Strategy	Asset allocation, portfolio construction, tax-loss harvesting, risk-adjusted return analysis	Accumulators building long-term wealth
Tax-Efficient Wealth	Income splitting, corporate class funds, capital gains management, donation planning	High-income professionals and business owners
Estate Planning	Will coordination, trust structures, probate minimization, beneficiary designation review	Families with intergenerational wealth transfer goals
Education Savings	RESP setup, CESG grant maximization, withdrawal strategy, sibling plan coordination	Parents and grandparents funding education
Business Succession	Buy-sell agreements, share valuation, key-person planning, family business transition	Small business owners planning for exit or transition
Insurance Assessment	Life, disability, critical illness coverage review, policy comparison, gap analysis	All clients seeking protection planning
Debt Strategy	Mortgage vs. investment trade-off analysis, debt consolidation planning, interest optimization	Clients balancing debt repayment with wealth building

How Advisory Works

The Scotiaconnect advisory process starts with a 45-minute initial consultation — complimentary for all Scotiaconnect clients. During this session, you and your advisor discuss your current financial picture, your goals (both specific and aspirational), your timeline, your comfort with risk, and any constraints or concerns. The advisor asks questions you may not have considered: What happens to your family's income if you become unable to work? Have you named beneficiaries on every registered account? Is your mortgage renewal approaching at a rate that could disrupt your investment contributions?

After the initial consultation, you receive a written financial overview summarizing the discussion and outlining potential areas for deeper work. There is no obligation to proceed. If you choose to engage ongoing advisory services, the relationship moves to a structured planning engagement. Your advisor builds a comprehensive financial plan — asset allocation strategy, retirement income projections, tax optimization recommendations, estate coordination notes, and an implementation timeline. You review the plan together, revise anything that does not feel right, and agree on the next steps.

Ongoing advisory relationships through Scotiaconnect Premier Banking carry a flat annual fee — no commissions on product recommendations, no percentage-of-assets charges, no hidden fees. The flat-fee model removes the incentive to recommend higher-cost products or unnecessary transactions. Premium-tier business clients receive advisory services included in their account package. Every fee is disclosed before any service begins. You can terminate the advisory relationship at any time with 30 days notice and a pro-rated refund of the unused annual fee.

Booking a Consultation

Book a Scotiaconnect expert advisor consultation through three channels. The fastest method is the online banking dashboard: sign in, navigate to Services > Expert Advisor > Schedule, and select from available time slots. Evening appointments (until 8:00 PM ET) and Saturday morning slots (8:00 AM-12:00 PM ET) accommodate clients with weekday schedules. Phone and video consultations use encrypted connections — the same TLS 1.3 infrastructure that protects your Scotiaconnect banking sessions.

You can also book by calling +1-416-555-0172 extension 6 (Expert Advisor Desk) during business hours. A scheduling coordinator matches you with an advisor whose specialization aligns with your needs and, when possible, your language preference and geographic proximity for in-person meetings. Service center appointments are available in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, and Halifax — booked at least one week in advance to ensure the advisor's availability at that location.

For business clients with complex needs — multi-generational succession, cross-border planning, employee group benefits review — Scotiaconnect can assemble an advisory team including your dedicated financial advisor, a tax specialist, and a legal resource for coordinated planning. These engagements begin with a scoping call to define the work and timeline before any commitment or fee.

Why Fiduciary Standard Matters

Not all financial advisors operate under a fiduciary standard. Some work under a suitability standard — they can recommend products that are "suitable" for you even if a less expensive or better-performing alternative exists. Scotiaconnect advisors operate exclusively under a fiduciary standard. Every recommendation must be in your best interest. Advisors disclose any potential conflict before making a recommendation. Compensation is salary plus flat-fee client revenue — never product commissions. The fiduciary commitment is documented in writing and provided to every advisory client at the start of the relationship.

This distinction matters in practice. A non-fiduciary advisor reviewing your retirement accounts might recommend funds with higher management expense ratios because those funds pay commissions. A Scotiaconnect fiduciary advisor recommends the lowest-cost option that meets your objectives — and explains why each component of your plan earns its place. The Social Security Administration notes that retirement planning quality directly affects lifetime financial security outcomes. The Scotiaconnect fiduciary standard ensures your plan prioritizes your security — not someone else's revenue target.