DAVID SWEENEY, CFP®, CIM®, SENIOR INVESTMENT ADVISOR, SWEENEY BRIDE Wealth Advisory, HollisWealth®
DAVID SWEENEY
“Wealth Creation and Protection for all Life Stages”
David Sweeney (Dave) started his Financial Planning practice in 1994 after living through the untimely deaths of both parents, his dad in a car accident and his mom, from a health issue, shortly thereafter. ”Neither of my parents planned to die young. I was 24 and the oldest of 6 kids that lived in town, when they passed. Even with 13 years of public education, I had no clue about what to do next. I did not even know how to correctly fill out a tax return at the time. When I discovered how sound planning techniques could ensure that a lifetime of hard work was not ruined by an unplanned event, my career choice was clear,” David explains.
“The Sweeney Bride Strategic Wealth Advisory team wants to ensure our client families have adequately prepared for an emergency, so they don’t have to worry about paying the bills should a tragedy strike. We show our clients how to plan for cash flow for today and tomorrow and to ensure their survivors are protected and their estate is secured. I call this the science of intelligently disassembling your life’s work. The team always does our utmost to ensure that, unlike my siblings and I, none of our clients will have to sell their family home to pay the tax bill.”
According to one of Dave’s clients, “One of the best moments of my impending retirement was the day I met Dave Sweeney. Seriously. Even better than the thought of upcoming freedom was finding someone I could trust to invest what I had managed to save over the years, to figure out my Canadian & American taxes to maximize return on investment, and to take on the challenge of helping me understand, build, and manage the flow of my savings/investments/taxes to get me to my finish line. Until I found Sweeney Bride Strategic Wealth Advisory my experience with investing and taxes had been through a fraught combination of banks, financial advisors, and accountants. The moment I explained my situation to Dave he came back with a well laid-out plan and process to help me re-organize and guide my financial future based on my hopes and trepidations — as well as his professional experience — my life changed. I quit worrying. Had I met Dave and Janet 15 or 30 years ago, I have no doubt my portfolio would be far healthier today. As it is, I figure I met them just in time, and with their help I’m enjoying semi-retirement, no longer worried about my financial future…”
Dave’s work is informed by truth, strategy, and impact. “We appreciate, honour and foster trust and will always tell you the truth. Every family is different and a cookie cutter approach will inevitably miss the mark. Wealth comes in many different forms and everyone defines it slightly differently. Each client plan is tailored to suit the specific goals of the individual family, the most appropriate solutions to achieve them, and responds to evolving events like job change, health concerns, caring for elderly parents, or divorce. We track four areas -savings and investments, risk management, and tax and legal needs. Our team looks after the first three and finds like-minded professionals to assist with anything our internal experts can’t address. We also continuously monitor the effectiveness of our recommendations,” Dave explains.
Dave studied Business Administration and Computer Science at Simon Fraser University, and holds the following professional designations: Life Agent Level 2 (1992), Mutual Fund Representative (1994), CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® designation (2004), Investment Advisor (2007), Elder Planning Counselor (2014) and Chartered Investment Manager (2016).
The Team/Service Areas
The Sweeney Bride Strategic Wealth Advisory team works together to set a gold standard in client service works and to help families focus on wealth creation and protection for all stages of their lives. Clients appreciate this. One client describes Dave as, “…an inspiring, fun, and patient man with whom I actually enjoy discussing finances (who knew?!), and he has assembled an outstanding team of bright, smart, fun, kind women to help us. A true gift to retirement.”
Dave’s business partner is Janet Bride, CFP®, CIM®, an Investment Advisor with HollisWealth, a division of Industrial Alliance Securities Inc. and Insurance Advisor with Hollis Insurance Agency. The two have worked together since 2006. Janet’s main focus is to create comprehensive financial plans for individuals and families, that assist in establishing achievable goals, encourage savings, and help build wealth. She has a previous background in small business planning, banking and commercial lending. Janet earned a Business Administration diploma from Selkirk College and also attended McMaster and Simon Fraser University for three years.
Janet Bride
Janet holds the following financial designations: CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (2006), Financial Management Advisor (FMA) 2008, Chartered Investment Manager (CIM®) 2013, Insurance Advisor license 2013, Elder Planning Counselor (EPC) 2014. Janet’s passion is to travel the world and to explore different cultures and landscapes. She is grateful to have travelled to 50 countries across 6 continents. She also enjoys continuous learning, spontaneous adventures with family and friends, and an active lifestyle in the Sea to Sky. She is a proud Big Brothers Big Sisters Alumni.
Dee Sand, Associate Investment Advisor with HollisWealth, a division of Industrial Alliance Securities Inc., started her career in financial services after studying Investment Management in Halifax, NS. She has experience in banking, brokerage and asset management. Dee holds a Professional Financial Planning Designation and Mutual Funds License.
Liz Woodsworth joined the Sweeney Bride team as office manager in 2015 and is the face and the voice that greets clients when they visit the office or call in. Liz enjoys getting the opportunity to work closely with clients and staff alike. She has been a Squamish resident since 1980.
After spending the last twenty years working in the ski industry as a full-time ski instructor and ski shop manager, Katie Norton decided to put her Business Administration education to good use. She joined the team as Administrative Assistant in 2016.
Hannah McVean, Licensed Assistant with HollisWealth, a division of Industrial Alliance Securities Inc., is passionate about personal finance and joined the team in 2017. Hannah grew up in Calgary, Alberta and moved to Squamish in 2014. She fell in love with the beauty and lifestyle of the Sea to Sky corridor and now calls Squamish her permanent home.
Up Close & Personal
Dave has lived in Squamish for most of his life and has been married to his wife, Donna, since 1987. The couple has three lovely daughters, Amy (31), Danielle (26) and Jamie (22).
Dave has been a volunteer fire fighter with the Squamish Fire Rescue since 1983. He currently holds the rank of Captain for Company 31. Dave also coached girls soccer for the Squamish Youth Soccer Association while his daughters were growing up, sat on the Board of the Downtown Business Improvement Association for four years, and, has served as the Treasurer of Sea to Sky Community Service.
As a last word Dave says, “If your house was burning down you wouldn’t just want the red fire truck to show up. You would want it to be manned by people who know how to access the building, how to attack the fire, who understand hydrant pressure and friction loss, and who could get the wet stuff onto the red stuff, within seven minutes. As a Sweeney Bride Strategic Wealth Advisory client, you have the right to expect your financial advisors to have the same attention to detail, level of training, and focus to help you achieve your goals.”
This information has been prepared by Suzen Fromstein. Opinions expressed in this article are those of Suzen Fromstein & David Sweeney, Investment Advisor only and do not necessarily reflect those of HollisWealth. HollisWealth® is a division of Industrial Alliance Securities Inc., a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund and the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada. *Insurance products are provided through Hollis Insurance.
Suzen Fromstein is the author of Suits and Ladders, Ten Proven Ways to Keep Your Job Safe - with a few jokes thrown in. Suits and Ladders was an Amazon Best Selling Book in the Career Guides Category
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