AthenaFinancial Inc.

How we're paid

This is the question every stranger has and almost nobody in this industry answers on their website. Answering it plainly is the point.

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Illustration of a jar of coins, balance scale and envelope

How do you make money?

Two ways. When a plan involves insurance or investments and you choose to put them in place through us, the product provider pays us a commission. Where planning work stands alone, we can charge a planning fee instead. Either way, you are told which applies and how much it is, in writing, before you agree to anything.

[PLACEHOLDER — commission detail]

Insert the actual commission ranges here: typical percentages for life, disability and critical illness policies, and the trailer or service commission on investment accounts. Ken to supply figures.

[PLACEHOLDER — fee detail]

Insert the planning fee structure here: hourly or fixed amounts, what a typical written plan costs, and what is included. Ken to supply figures.

What does this cost me?

The Meet and Greet costs nothing, ever. If you go further, the cost depends on what the plan involves, and it is always one of two things: a planning fee you approve in advance, or a commission paid by the provider when a product is put in place. You will never find a charge you were not told about first.

[PLACEHOLDER — example costs]

Insert two or three worked examples here: what a typical client paid in year one for a stated scope of work. Ken to supply.

Does that affect what you recommend?

Honestly, a commission is a potential conflict, and pretending otherwise is how this industry earned its reputation. Ours is managed in three ways: the recommendation comes from your written plan, not from a product shelf; the compensation is disclosed to you before you sign anything; and if the right answer is no product at all, that is what the plan says.

It also helps that our business runs on twice-yearly reviews and referrals. A recommendation that looked after us instead of you would surface at the next review, and it would cost us the client and every person they might have sent. See how the whole process works.

What would you tell me if a product wasn't right for me?

Exactly that, in plain words, in the meeting. It happens regularly: someone arrives expecting to be sold a policy and leaves with a recommendation to fix their cash flow first, or to keep the group cover they already have. A plan that starts with a product you did not need is a bad plan, and bad plans do not survive six-monthly reviews.

If you already have cover or investments that are working, the plan will say keep them. Changing something that is not broken just to generate a commission is precisely the behaviour this page exists to distance us from.

More questions about cost

Is the first meeting free even if I never come back?

Yes. The Meet and Greet is complimentary with no obligation, whether or not you ever work with us. We do it because it is how people decide whether we are the right fit, not because it commits anyone to anything.

Do you ever charge a flat fee for a plan?

Where a fixed planning fee fits the work better, we can quote one in writing before anything begins. The exact fee options for your situation are explained at the Solutions Meeting, and you approve them before anything is in place.

Can I get your advice and buy the products elsewhere?

You can take the plan wherever you like. It is written down for a reason. If you implement it elsewhere we would rather know it happened properly than not at all.

How do I check that you are licensed?

You can look up our advisors' registrations and insurance licences through the public regulators in BC and Ontario. We will show you exactly where to look in the first meeting, and we think everyone should check any advisor they speak to, including us.

Judge us on the first 20 minutes

The Meet and Greet is complimentary and obligation-free. Come and see how we work before you pay anyone anything.

Book a complimentary 20-minute assessmentCall us directly: 604-618-7365