CHANTAL BARRIAULT-CRAIG, Senior Wealth Advisor, IG Wealth Management, Barrie, ON
- CARMEN MORGAN
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 17 hours ago
CHANTAL BARRIAULT-CRAIG
“Financial plans can be so generalized, and they shouldn’t be.
We are people first, not numbers, and investments and a retirement plan
should be 100% shaped to an individual.”
Chantal Barriault-Craig has built her career on establishing genuine relationships with people before talking money. Every client interaction starts with the personal—tell me about your kids, your dogs, your books. What are some highlight stories of your life? Where have you traveled? “I was a mortgage specialist for a short time, but once an approval was complete and the client purchased their home, I never saw them again,” she says. “I wanted to take care of people more long-term.” Chantal is French/English bilingual, married with two children and a grandson, and works with clients as far north as Sudbury, as far east as Nova Scotia, and west to British Columbia. For the past four years as a Wealth Advisor at IG Wealth Management, most of her clients have found her by referral, or have moved with her from previous wealth advising roles.
“A lot of people can relate to me,” she says. “I think it’s because I’m good at explaining things in ways that people will understand.” She believes that comes from her many years spent in the banking system. Chantal worked two jobs as a single mother, full time as a bank teller and as a waitress part-time, and really learned how to make money stretch, rubbing two dimes together to make a quarter. “I learned a lot at the banks, moving into managerial positions and then working as an investment specialist.” In her present work, she enjoys the discovery process, and leading people to uncover a plan for their future.
‘Will I run out of money if I retire?’ is one of the most common questions she gets asked. “It really helps to know you have a strategy in place,” says Chantal. “What kind of cash flow can you achieve from different assets and sources of income—it’s not the same for everyone.” As an example, clients are comforted when they know what their estate taxes will be at any given moment in time, and can plan the most tax efficient way to use and save their money. “No wealth management plan should look the same from individual to individual, or family to family.”
She has helped clients with “creative financing” for early retirement, creating legacies, working with blended families and securing their assets, giving people ways to reduce taxes and keep more money in their pockets. “I reviewed a client’s tax return and was not seeing the disability tax credit that was available to them due to their hearing loss. I assisted the client in applying for the tax credit and they went back to previous returns and got a refund of over $10,000.” This is not an uncommon thing for Chantal to uncover, even with deceased loved ones. “There are things that accountants don’t ask,” says Chantal. “I can fill in those gaps and take care of what goes beyond the numbers. That’s what drives me—putting the puzzle pieces together for people.”
Chantal knows loss all too well. She was very close with her dad, who passed away from brain cancer. A short two months earlier, she lost her uncle, who was more like a brother, to bone cancer. Her aunt, who lived next door to her throughout her childhood, passed away from ALS, and she lost two cousins to drowning accidents. “I can talk to people about cancer, about losing a loved one, —I was very, very close with my dad who passed from terminal brain cancer; I had a cousin who drowned and an uncle who died, suddenly. I was also a single mom for a while, and I know what it is to rub two dimes together to try and make a quarter—it can be emotional. Our experiences can define us, and lead to surprising goals for our lives.”
“Living through the Depression, crises in the markets, immigration and settling in a new country, loss of loved ones—the stories you hear from clients seem unbelievable, sometimes,” says Chantal. “Learning about people’s strengths and how I can play a part in their lives that lifts a burden is what makes this work so meaningful.” Knowing people’s history is essential to Chantal’s work, helping to protect a client’s wealth, and make sure they don’t run out of money. Chantal frequently works with Indigenous families, helping them manage the tax implications of working and living on or off their reservation, and understand how their pension and estate works.
Whether she is working to help a family consolidate wealth or debt, every plan is different. Are they a blended family, or single? Sole proprietor or incorporated? Do they have a pension? There are so many variables. “With the program we use at IG, the more information you feed it, the more unique the outcome.” For a blended family, for example, how does a spouse leave legacy for their children, but also include adopted children? In some of these cases, Chantal is an essential mediator so that everyone gets their needs met. “Wishes can be planned for with an intentional plan where everyone is taken care of,” says Chantal.
One question Chantal likes to ask is ‘What is worrying you?’ There are many instances where people don’t know what they want and she helps them discover that. “After a meeting, one client said, ‘I didn’t know I was going to a therapy session, Chantal.’ But I know my clients feel listened to, and sometimes it gets really personal. And then we get back to the plan, and some clarity about the future is achieved.”
Carmen Morgan is a skilled business writer and storyteller, collaborating with business owners and executives to tell their stories and share perspectives on growth and success, as well as perseverance and adversity. Over two decades she has refined her interview, writing and editing skills to capture the nuggets and captivating details that engage readers and make a story memorable.
Chantal Barriault-Crag
Senior Consultant
Investors Group Financial Services Inc.
138 Commerce Park Drive
Barrie, ON, L4N 8W8
705 - 791 - 9333