Don Smith, of DSI Estate Planning in Calgary, and Jeremy Reinbolt, of Videre Financiers in Vancouver, have established a collaborative working relationship to assist one another on unique insurance and family business situations. The collaboration will also enhance and broaden the advice, service, and product offering they provide to their respective Wealth Holder and Private Family Enterprise clients.
Don brings decades of experience and a concentrated, in-depth knowledge of life insurance and estate planning including:
- How to minimize the impact of tax on substantial estates;
- Design and funding of Unanimous Shareholder Agreements (USAs) for Family Enterprises, to maximize their effectiveness for the business, shareholders, and families involved; and,
- Preservation of Capital using Living Trusts and Testamentary Trusts.
Jeremy brings a broad base of technical knowledge of financial planning including:
- Integrated financial, tax, and insurance planning;
- The restructuring of existing life insurance plans to align with the family’s objectives;
- Asset allocation, portfolio management and risk management; and,
- Expertise in intergenerational wealth transfer planning, involving multiple generations of a family enterprise, and working with the next generation(s) to be prepared for the transition.
Don and Jeremy are both deeply relationship-driven. They work with integrity and passion to achieve the very best outcome for their clients over the long term and are excited about the benefits their working relationship will bring to their clients.
Don Smith CLU, FEA, TEP
Don graduated from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. In 1979 he founded DSI Estate Planning Inc., a boutique firm that works with high net worth individuals and family-owned enterprises to help them preserve capital and mitigate the impact of tax on their estates.
A frequent speaker on the uses of life insurance for wealth holders, Don has spoken to The Conference for Advanced Life Underwriting (CALU), the Society of Trusts and Estate Practitioners (STEP), the University of Calgary, the Calgary Foundation, the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation and top advisor conferences for Sun Life and Manulife.
Don was a founding member of CALU and acted as its Chair in 2014. As Chair, he participated in meetings with the Department of Finance on the new tax-exempt insurance rules, which came into effect January 1, 2017. To better serve his clients, Don is designated as a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Family Enterprise Advisor (FEA) and Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP).
Don’s community involvement includes board membership on the Calgary Foundation from 1999 to 2008 and being the Founding Director of the Canadian Association of Family Enterprise (CAFÉ), Calgary Chapter. He served as an Advisory Committee member of The Hotchkiss Brain Institute from 2004 to 2016.
A former member of Canada’s National Badminton Team, Don remains active in promoting the Canada Open badminton tournament held annually at WinSport. Don is married to Susie. They have 3 children and 6 grandchildren.