Keith’s passion is creating financially confident business families that are set up to
successfully and harmoniously transition to the next generation. He has spent a lifetime
developing and honing his expertise, starting with working in his parents’ business, and
continuing today, as his sons become deeply involved in the family business.

EXPERTISE

Keith is the founder and president of Financial Confidence®, his current family
business, but it’s not the first business he has founded or transitioned. As a 19-year-old,
still young and care-free, he was obliged to suddenly take over and run his parents’
business, one that was lacking supporting structures and was in no way prepared for his
leadership as the next generation. There is nothing like experience, and having been
thrown into the fire, Keith learned quickly, but not without many challenges and hardship
along the way.

However, that experience inspired his entrepreneurial spirit. In 2002, determined to help
others avoid his experience as a young, unprepared successor, Keith founded Financial
Confidence® to help business families plan and prepare for the inevitable transition of
their businesses and wealth to future generations. The next entrepreneurial venture for
Financial Confidence®, is to empower his sons, Dylan and Jess to take over the
business, in a smooth and structured transition.

In 2003 he co-founded Daystar Financial Group Inc. with another business family and
grew it into a thriving business with 75+ staff and over 2,200 distributors. They then sold
the Daystar business in 2013 and facilitated a smooth transition from a multi-family-run
business to HUB International, a large multi-national firm, currently ranked 7th among
the world’s largest insurance brokers.

Keith’s experience, combined with his extensive knowledge gained over 45 years of
working in insurance and financial planning, has given him a deep understanding of the
unique challenges and opportunities business families face as they look to the future
and the next generation.

With the depth and breadth of his experience, Keith has become a prominent industry
leader across Canada; most notably known for a strategic approach that successfully
protects wealth and skillfully facilitates a transition of leadership and ownership for families and their businesses. As such, he is frequently called upon to speak at industry
conferences and events including: ADVOCIS (The Financial Advisors Association of
Canada), FEC (Family Enterprise Canada), CALU (Conference for Advanced Life
Underwriters), STEP (Trust and Estate Professionals Canada), CAILBA (Canadian
Association of Independent Life Brokerage Agencies), CPA (Chartered Professional
Accountants Canada), AMTC (Agency Management Training course), CAFÉ Family
Business, among others.

To further support business families, Keith authored “The Business Family Advisor:
Providing Structured Transitions for Business and Wealth”. In his book, he identifies the
most common challenges business families face and provides the framework to ensure
a successful transition for their business and personal wealth.

QUALIFICATIONS

Keith has a fundamental belief that continuous learning is an essential contributor to
both happiness and success, and as such, he has achieved many designations
including: Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®);
Chartered Financial Consultant (CH.F.C); Family Enterprise Advisor (FEA) and Certified
Exit Planner (CExP™). Keith is a member of the Estate Planning Council, sits on
several private company boards and participates in various committees within CALU.

Keith embraces a pay-it-forward philosophy in his work and beyond and looks forward
to empowering clients as they build a legacy and successfully transition their
businesses and wealth to the next generation.